Triathlon America, the industry organization dedicated to promoting the sport and the business of triathlon, has today announced winners of the 2012 Triathlon America Awards, presented by Active Network. The best companies, retailers and athletes in the triathlon industry in 2011 were recognized and honoured on the final night of the Triathlon America Conference.
Named after one of triathlon’s earliest pioneers, the Ron Smith Triathlete of the Year award recognizes a male and female triathlete who best demonstrates a combination of strong moral character, athletic performance and professionalism in the sport of triathlon.
This year, winners of the prestigious Ron Smith Triathlete of the Year award are:
- Ron Smith Female Athlete of the Year – Chrissie Wellington
- Ron Smith Male Athlete of the Year – Craig Alexander
Most Innovative Triathlon Products in 2011
Winner
- Quintana Roo QR Illicito
Finalists
- Campagnolo TT Components
- Garmin Forerunner 910XT
- Look KeoBlade
- Salt Stick Caps PLUS
Top 10 US Retailers of 2011 (listed in alphabetical order)
- All3Sports, Atlanta, Georgia
- Athletes Lounge, Portland, Oregon
- Austin Tri-Cyclist, Austin, Texas
- Gear West Bike & Triathlon, Long Lake, Minnesota
- JackRabbit Sports, New York, NY
- Nytro Multisport, Encinitas, California
- Running Away Multisport, Deerfield, Illinois
- Tri on the Run, Houston, Texas
- TriSports.com, Tucson, Arizona
- Triathlon Lab Inc, Santa Monica, California
Best Published Triathlon Photograph of 2011 (print or online)
Winner
- XTERRA Buffelspoort, South Africa – Photo by Jacky McClean and published in Triathlete Magazine
Finalists
- Ironman World Championship – Photo by Bob Kupbens and published in Triathlete Magazine
- Leadman Triathlon – Photo by Jeff Botari and published in Triathlete Magazine
Best Published Written Triathlon Article of 2011
Winner
- ‘Me and the King’, written by Scott Tinley and published in 3GO Magazine
Finalists
- ‘Back to His Roots’, written by Julia Beeson Polloreno and published in Triathlete Magazine
- ‘Kona Confidential’, written by Holly Bennett and published in Triathlete Magazine
All rankings were determined by a National Voting Panel (NVP) consisting of all Triathlon America founding members and additional award panel members prominent within the industry.
