It’s a minor goal in my life to be a sponsored runner.  

Obviously, I need a company who doesn’t require their runners to be super fast and win races.  A company who just wants to sponsor a normal, active, ‘middle of the pack’ girl like me.  

To my joy, I got an email a couple months ago inviting me to apply to be on ‘Team Bear Naked 2009′—a group of 100 athletes from different sports who serve as brand ambassadors for Bear Naked.  Bear Naked is a fairly new company who makes natural, minimally processed, healthy granola. 

It’s deliciously good stuff.  

I have no idea how they got my email or if they just sent an invite out to anyone and everyone who has registered for a race in the past year (if so, don’t tell me, b/c I felt pretty special feeling ’selected’).  With nothing to lose, I went ahead and filled out the extensive application.  There were questions about past competitive experience, race plans for 2009, community involvement, willingness to be a brand ambassador, favorite granola flavor, etc. etc.

I knew it was a long shot to make the team, but boy, would I have loved to be accepted! 

Instead, I got this email last week:

Bummer.  Rejected.

I tell myself the thing that got me cut was that I’m not a part of a running club, with easy access to promote their products to large groups of athletes.  So I need to join a club.  And maybe next year I’ll get sponsored