Tom Kandiko is this week’s Team Ortho Foundation's Ambassador Award winner. Tom has been running since he was a child and in 2008, caught the tri bug and has since been participating in multisport events. Tom’s first Team Ortho Foundation event was in 2008. Today Tom is a loyal and dedicated volunteer, spending a lot of his free time at the Team Ortho office.

TO: What was your first Team Ortho race?
TK: My first Team Ortho race was the Monster Dash Half Marathon. It was my first race at that distance and I learned a lot, namely don’t run anything over a 5k in a gorilla suit.

TO: How did you get involved in Team Ortho?
TK: I was cc’ed on an email looking for Minneapolis Duathlon volunteers. My dad was on the original Team Ortho Triathlon team so it seemed like a natural fit.

TO: What keeps you coming back to Team Ortho events either as a participant or volunteer?
TK: Team Ortho events are the best-run, best-staffed, have the best causes and have the best people. Every participant leaves feeling like the event was catered specifically to them. The incredible swag helps an awful lot too.

TO: Do you have any recommendations on how to recruit people to get out there and be active?
TK: Keep doing what you are doing. Every event brings new people interested in bettering themselves. Word of mouth is huge, with such great events; there will continue to be many more mouths.

TO: What is it about Team Ortho events that makes you feel comfortable recruiting others to participate in them?
TK: I know that no matter the level of fitness or ability level, every participant will be made to feel comfortable and happy with their achievement. The Every Body principle truly applies and no one ever leaves dissatisfied. Team Ortho Rocks!