Alexander, Wellington Take Triathlete Of The Year Honors At Endurance Live

The endurance community gathered in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The red carpet rolled out in athletic style in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night at Club Nokia for the Endurance LIVE Awards, the biggest night of the year in endurance sports.

Presented by REFUEL | Got Chocolate Milk, the annual gala, which celebrated its 20th anniversary, brought together top athletes from the running, cycling and triathlon industries for one night to recognize the year’s most notable performances.

Triathlete attendees included the likes of Michellie Jones, Chris Lieto, Tom Lowe, Kathleen McCartney Hearst, Julie Moss, Dave Scott, Scott Tinley, Magali Tisseyre, Greg Welch and Chrissie Wellington.

2011 Ironman world champions Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington took home the top triathlon awards of the night, earning the nods for Triathlete of the Year.

Alexander’s 2011 season was made up of impressive achievements. He became the first athlete to win both the Ironman and 70.3 world titles in the same year, he was the oldest athlete to ever take the title at the Ironman World Championship and he broke Luc Van Lierde’s 15-year-old Kona course record by going 8:03:56. Alexander is currently in Australia, completing final preparations for the Ironman Asia Pacific Championships (March 25) and was unable to attend the awards. He sent in a video acceptance, saying “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Competitor Group for selecting me as Male Triathlete of the Year. It goes without saying that it is a huge honor. Particularly in light of the depth of talent that is out there at the moment.”

PHOTOS: 2012 Endurance LIVE Awards

Wellington’s 2011 season was highlighted by her performances at Challenge Roth and the Ironman World Championship. As she had done twice before, Wellington broke the record for fastest iron-distance race completed by a female at Challenge Roth. Months later, Wellington’s performance in Kona was one to remember. She didn’t break any major records, but she did take the victory just two weeks after suffering serious injuries in a bike crash while training in Boulder, Colo. Wellington kicked off 2012 by announcing she would be taking a break from the Ironman distance for at least a year. She was in Los Angeles to accept her award.

“It’s been an amazing five years,” Wellington said. “I’ve continually defied everything that I ever thought was possible for me to achieve physically and mentally.  I think we all set pre-conceived limits for ourselves, myself included. I gave my heart and my soul to that race. I truly dug to the depths to get to that finish line. I crossed it absolutely annihilated. I think I had to look deep inside myself to find the true measure of success. It’s not times at all, it’s just giving your absolute best each and every day and each and every race.”

Check back to Triathlete.com for more coverage of the Endurance Live Awards Gala, including a special episode of TriCenter.

More About Craig Alexander

– Training Day With Craig Alexander
– 2011 Triathletes Of The Year: The Men
– Crowie In Kona: A Record-Breaking Year
– PHOTOS: Crowie Takes Two World Titles
– Alexander Rides To Ironman Greatness
– Craig Alexander’s Specialized Shiv

More About Chrissie Wellington

– Inside Triathlon’s Profile Of Chrissie Wellington
– 12 Days: The Story Of Chrissie’s 2011 Kona Win
– Chrissie In Kona: The Post-Race Interview Series
– PHOTOS: Chrissie Wellington In Kona
– Chrissie Wellington’s Book To Be Released May 2012
– Chrissie Wellington’s Inside Triathlon Photo Shoot