An Au Pair's Marathon Adventures Across the US

When Area Director Cara Burke heard about the chance to volunteer at the NYC Marathon, she jumped at the opportunity and reached out to her au pair cluster. Almost immediately, she heard back from Tiphaine, an au pair from France who had just arrived in the U.S. and loved to run. Tiphaine had graduated from Tourism School and had recently started her au pair year as the Rossiter Family’s tenth au pair!

Although Tiphaine was unable to volunteer at the NYC Marathon, she was an avid runner and joined her host mom in the Dulles Day 5K/10K Runway, where she ran the 10K and her host mom ran the 5K. This would mark the beginning of their running adventures in which Tiphaine and her host family traveled across the country and ran in many events together.

Dulles Day 5K/10K Runway

In March 2017, Tiphaine’s parents visited from France. Together, along with her host dad, oldest host child and former au pair Eveline, they all participated in the Lucky Leprechaun 5K. A few months later, the Rossiter family decided to plan a family vacation to Orlando where they would also participate in the Star Wars Dark Side 5K & Half Marathon. Together with her host child and host mom, Tiphaine ran the 5K and not long after, she and her host dad also ran the half marathon!!

I've learned that in life you have to live your dreams and chase your own happiness. You shouldn’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone and face the unknown. I accomplished small challenges here in the US, now finishing with a half marathon. It was thrilling! I won’t stop when I'm tired, I will only stop when I reach my goals.

While one of Tiphaine’s goals had been to challenge herself as a runner, she also wanted to visit and experience as much of the United States during her au pair year as possible. Aside from enjoying multiple races with her family, they invited her to visit museums, monuments, and joined in on family trips to Washington DC, Virginia Beach, VA, and Orlando, Florida. Tiphaine recently completed her au pair year and shared about her wonderful experience, saying

I cannot believe the year I just spent in the US! It was just perfect, perfect match with my host family, perfect travels, perfect friends. I’m so happy to have joined the au pair program.

Next year, The Rossiter family is planning a trip to France to visit with Tiphaine. Perhaps they will continue their tradition and run together at Trail des Eaux Vives. One thing is certain, Tiphaine loved her time as an au pair and feels enriched by the opportunities the au pair program provided.

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