endurance LIVE Recognizes World's Greatest Athletes at Star-Studded Gala

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- endurance LIVE, the premier endurance sports consumer expo and awards show hosted by Competitor Group, Inc., honored the world's greatest athletes on Saturday, Jan. 22 at the downtown Hard Rock Hotel. Formerly known as the Endurance Sports Awards, more than 400 attendees were on hand at the 19th annual endurance LIVE Awards Gala, which featured a special presentation by sportscaster Jim Lampley and an appearance by NBA legend Bill Walton.  

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An industry celebration of cycling, running and triathlon, award winners represented the year's best performers and remarkable achievements from within the world of endurance sports. Winners included a prolific Tour de France cyclist, current Ironman champions, inspirational athletes, celebrities and world record holders in long distance running.

"The endurance LIVE Awards Gala has become a pinnacle celebration of the world's greatest athletes," said Bouker Pool, senior vice president of marketing for Competitor Group.  "We couldn't be more pleased to bring the entire industry together by providing an event that recognized the achievements and successes of today's icons in the sports of running, cycling and triathlon. It was an amazing evening."

The evening kicked off with a dazzling start when Ryan Sutter, of "The Bachelorette" fame, was honored as the Celebrity Athlete of the Year presented by Garmin. In 2010, Sutter used his notoriety to help others by fundraising more than $100,000 for First Descents, a charity that funds adventure activities for young adults dealing with cancer. Through his 10/10/10 challenge he competed in a variety of endurance events ranging from the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race to the ING New York City Marathon.  

"This is so humbling for me. I look out in the audience and see people I have so much respect for. It's cool to be recognized at the same event as these athletes. This is what drives me," said Sutter, who finished the Leadville 100 mountain bike race in 67th out of 1,330 finishers, placing in the top 5 percent overall.  "These guys are way more intimidating to me than any celebrities. It's cool because it's a close-knit community."

Other award winners included:

For more information, please visit: http://competitor.com/endurancelive.

About Competitor Group, Inc.

Headquartered in San Diego, Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI) is the leading endurance media and event entertainment company dedicated to promoting the sports of running, cycling and triathlon. CGI owns and operates 45 national endurance events, including the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, TriRock Triathlon Series and Columbia Muddy Buddy Series; which will deliver more than 400,000 professional and amateur participants in 2011. CGI publishes four magazine titles, including VeloNews, Inside Triathlon, Triathlete and Competitor magazine, with a combined monthly circulation of more than 800,000. In addition, the company holds a captive online endurance community at competitor.com, delivering more than 1.5 million monthly unique visitors and 25 million page views. Further information about Competitor and its media properties can be found at www.competitormediakit.com.

SOURCE Competitor Group, Inc.