BAR AMBASSADOR APPLICATIONS FOR 2023-2024 ARE CLOSED.
Meet our BAR Ambassador team: the incredible runners who hold BAR’s values close and are a constant uplifting influence in our community.
BILL SMITH – DALLAS, TX
Meet Bill! Like most kids, Bill was super active with sports like lacrosse and soccer, but during freshman year of college, Bill dislocated his knee. This ultimately forced him to retire from the sports he loved playing. During his retirement, Bill became a father to two amazing kids and his daughter was the one who inspired him to get back into running. In 2021, Bill signed up for his first 5K (which, of course, was a turkey trot). Completely unprepared but determined, Bill finished his very first 5K alongside his family.
Bill has now a half marathoner and is aiming to complete a full marathon in 2023. He strives to shown his kids that it is not about winning or how fast you are but rather the growth you get from trying.
ELLIE KANIA– SAVANNAH, GA
Meet Ellie! Ellie’s running journey started when she was in middle school, and her love for running only grew as she got older. She has an impressive number of races under her belt: 3 marathons and 12 half marathons. Ellie and Nicole met through TikTok about two years ago because we both ran and have bunnies. Fast forward: Ellie is now BAR’s personal race day assistant and pack mule.
Aside from her running accomplishments, Ellie is the Sea Turtle Program Director on St. Catherine’s Island, and she also runs Turtle Tok. Ellie’s out here saving the turtles while running down her dreams.
HANNAH FABER– WINSTON-SALEM, NC
Meet Hannah! She started running in February of 2023. She trained for the Cooper River 10K thinking she was going to run that and be done. A group of her friends decided to keep training, so she did too! She completed her first half marathon in May of 2023. This year she is learning to enjoy my her running journey!!
“Outside” of running, Hannah is a community outreach coordinator for Fleet Feet! She is also a total badass and has completed the Spartan trifecta (the 5k, 10k, and 1/2 marathon)!
Meet Hoi! Hoi played sports all her life but always hated the running aspect of it. After some health issues, Hoi started running to get herself into a better state of health. She told her wife, Jenn, that she was able to run 3 miles and Jenn immediately signed Hoi up for a 5k that weekend. Jenn then convinced her to train for a 10k. Before race day, Hoi’s wife changed her race distance to a half marathon! She has been running ever since.
Hoi says that running has helped her connect with other people and she loves the relationships she has formed because of running. She happily says, she is the healthiest she has ever been in her life and credits that to her wife and the people she has met along my journey, especially the BAR community. She wants to be the positive example her daughter needs in life to know that she can do anything.
JAKE SUKIENIK– LOS ANGELES, CA
Meet Jake! Jake’s running journey began in 2011 when his dad
asked him to run the local Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. Jake then joined his high school cross country team (Nicole & Jake were XC teammates) and his love for running only grew from there. Jake has completed numerous 5k’s, 10k’s and a hand full of half marathons. Jake is set to complete his first full marathon next year as he runs in the 2024 Los Angeles Marathon. There is a place for everyone in the running community and through running everyone can discover the power that is within them. No matter what you do – embrace the pace!”
He loves running with others and is a big fan of joining various running groups in the LA area. Jake and Monica have led our Los Angeles run club since May 2023! If you’re in the LA area or around for a visit, check out the BAR Run Club Instagram to see if when the next run club is!
JESSICA MORAN– BOSTON, MA
Meet Jess! Her running journey began in 2016 to gain endurance for roller derby. She ended up liking running more than roller derby, so she retired and started training for her first marathon in 2018. Recently, Jess has been coming back from an injury and has since has had a slow progression coming back into running but has embraced the party pace and found the joys of the back of the pack.
Her current goal is to get all of the Major Marathon stars and inspire people along the way.
JEWEL CHRISTENSEN– YAKIMA, WA
Meet Jewel! Her running journey began in her early 20’s. Jewel swears what really got her running was when she watched the show “The Walking Dead” in college. She realized the people in the show NEEDED to run, and if that were her she wouldn’t be able to. This made her set a goal to run 3 miles without stopping. After completing this goal, she was hooked.
During her last semester of law school she trained for her first half and ran it right as I she began studying for the BAR exam (Yes, Jewel needed to pass a test to become an ambassador – just kidding) in the hopes it would help her mental endurance for the test (p.s. – she says it totally worked and p.s.s. How cool is this lawyer?!)
KIA RIVERA– BOSTON, MA
Meet Kia! In 2014, Kia completed her first half marathon and loved racing (and the post-race glow), but she hadn’t yet fallen in love with the process of training for a race.
In 2019, Kia and her wife joined Pioneers Run Crew, a running club focused on diversity within the running community. She began to fall in love with training in addition to racing, and she’s now part of TWO run clubs: Pioneers and TrailblazHers. She credits both clubs with turning her into the runner she is today! Today she is now a marathoner!
LAUREN DAVIS– MARLBOROUGH, MA
Meet Lauren! Lauren completed her first 5K during her sophomore year of high school, but it was not until her senior year of college that she set the goal to complete her first half marathon after graduation. This meant that Lauren now had to figure out how to juggle a full Biomedical Engineering course load while training for her first half marathon. After months of training, Lauren completed her first half marathon in the summer of 2022. Completing your first half marathon is an impressive feat, but it’s even more impressive when you beat both of your parents. Lauren’s biggest advice is that you do not need to be the “perfect runner” to enjoy running.
LINDSEY BEISNER– LAS VEGAS, NV
Meet Lindsey! Her mom introduced Lindsey to running but in college she was roommates with BAR ambassador, Ellie. Lindsey and Ellie would sign up to run all the local themed races like, zombie, holidays and even donut runs. Lindsey was then convinced to run a 10k and later convinced to do her first half marathon. (Theres a reoccurring trend here that Lindsey will give into peer pressure).
She now mostly runs for the social aspect but also will impulsively sign up for any races, no questions asked.
MONICA VILLANUEVA SOLORZANO– LOS ANGELES, CA
Meet Monica! Like many people, Monica absolutely hated running when she was younger, but in 2019, Monica slipped down a hill and injured her back. Months passed, and Monica was in immense amounts of pain trying to do everyday tasks. It hit the point where she was spending all day in bed and in pain. From that point forward, Monica made a promise to herself that if she was ever able to return to exercising, she was going to enjoy every second of it. After a lot of physical therapy, patience, and determination, she was able to complete her first 5k! Four years later, Monica has completed numerous half marathons and two full marathons!
Monica and Jake have led our Los Angeles run club since May 2023! If you’re in the LA area or around for a visit, check out the BAR Run Club Instagram to see if when the next run club is!
NATALIE SMITH– DALLAS, TX
Meet Natalie! Natalie (wife of Bill) also began running with their daughter when she signed up for cross country. Although running wasn’t a great fit for their daughter, Natalie and Bill were hooked! After Bill became a BAR ambassador last year, Natalie got a glimpse at the amazing community (especially when she would walk in on Bill in the middle of an elaborate set up to film content for BAR merch drops). Natalie (& Bill) has since become our resident trail runner and runs ALL of the races.
We knew she was a shoe-in when she dropped everything and flew to Savannah, GA to join us for the Savannah Women’s 5k race (without Bill) before she was an ambassador and without ever meeting us beforehand. Natalie and Bill have led our Dallas run club since April 2023! If you’re in the Dallas area or around for a visit, check out the BAR Run Club Instagram to see if when the next run club is!
RACHEL SPEIRS– GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
Meet Rachel! She started her running journey 3 years ago when she struggled to run to the end of the street and decided to start a “Couch to 5k” training plan. Fast forward 3 years, she has now completed 2 marathons, 4 half marathons, and countless other distances. She completely fell in love after that first run in her original training plan. She says the happiness and fun it brought her was unmatched. It’s what brought her out of her lowest lows and brought her some of her highest highs. She has met some of the most amazing people through running and doesn’t know where she’s be without it!
TRAVIS STEWART– ATLANTA, GA
Meet Travis! Travis played many sports growing up. Running was always a punishment during sports and made him hate it. Travis began running in his early twenties for weight loss, but he stopped running regularly for many years after this.
In the fall on 2022 as he felt the age of 30 creeping up behind him, he decided he had to get back into it. He has been building up milage and following training plans ever since then. He has ran 2 half marathons and many 5 and 10k’s. His current running goal is to run a 50k in the month of his 30th birthday in February of 2025!