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The AR Awards – The People’s Choice

Rob Howard / 19.01.2010

As part of last weekends successful AR Ball, held in the Lake District, the AR Awards were given out, with the winners nominated by British racers, and chosen by judging panels for each of the awards. It was no surprise that the premier award, The UK Adventure Racers Award, was won by the World Championship winning Helly Hansen Prunesco team of Nick Gracie, Tom Gibbs, Warren Bates and Nicola Macleod, with support team James Thurlow and Nicola Wiseman.

Both James and Nicola won awards in their own right too, winning the Merrell People’s Choice Award, and the Best Newcomer award respectively. To cap off a great night for Open Adventure the Coast 2 Coast was chosen as the UK Adventure Sports Magazine Best Event winner, and Tim Higginbottom won best course planner for his testing and innovative course at the Open12, described by one nominee as an ‘inspired piece of planning’. He also won The North Face Endurance award for taking 30 minutes off the record for the Paddy Buckley Round.

Our own ‘SleepMonsters Inspiration Award’ was presented to Tom Gibbs, who received far more nominations than anyone else for his continued commitment and success, which inspires so many other racers to train harder and try to ‘follow in his footsteps’. (If you look at the picture and wonder about the trophy Tom is holding, it’s a SleepMonsters logo carved by a friend of ours in Costa Rica.) Tom managed to win the ‘Tantrum Award’ too, for a fine performance at the end of the C2C where he hurled his bike over the finish line ... this despite having won!

The full list of awards and comments is given below and Ball organiser Anthony Emmet says there are already ideas for making the ball and the awards bigger and better for next year, when the venue will move ‘down south’. The aim is to alternate the ball between North and South each year, and the dates for the next two will be Jan 15th 2011 and Jan. 14th 2012. Put the date in your diary now!

<b>The UK Adventure Racers Award:</b> Team Helly Hansen Prunesco
Warren Bates, Nick Gracie, Tom Gibbs, Nicola Macleod, James Thurlow and Nicola Wiseman

<b>UK Adventure Sports Magazine Best Event:</b> Open Adventure Coast 2 Coast

<b>The SleepMonsters Inspiration Award:</b> Tom Gibbs

<b>Special Achievement Award:</b> Paul Pickering
For a busy and successful season, including international races, and for launching Adventure Sports Magazine.

<b>The Merrell People’s Choice Awards:</b> James Thurlow

<b>The Open Adventure Extraordinary Achiever Award:</b> Sue, Steve and Arthur Fisher
For completing the C2C as a mum/dad/baby team and coping with the breast feeding and nappy changes along the way!

<b>The North Face Endurance Award:</b> Tim Higginbottom

<b>The North Face “Go Balls Deep� Award:</b> Alisdair Bruce
He was suffering at the World Champs and most would have packed up and gone home, but he didn’t. He kept going until he could go no more.

<b>Best Course Planner:</b> Tim Higginbottom for Open12

<b>Unsung Hero Award:</b> The Rounsley Family
For always being there behind the scenes. What would we do without them!

<b>Best Newcomer:</b> Nicola Wiseman
From nowhere to podium places in one season.

<b>Most Improved Racer:</b> Ruth Johnson

<b>The Accelerate Young Racer of the Year Award:</b> Dan Halliday

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