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2012 XTERRA Warrior Award Winners - Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack

After catching an XTERRA event on TV last year, a 27-year-old surfer and ITU circuit racer from Australia, turned the XTERRA mantra "Live More" into a personal challenge.  To face it, he packed his bags and hit the road, competing in nearly every international XTERRA championship race on the schedule - New Zealand, Italy, Brazil, France, Czech, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and the U.S.

An exceptional swimmer as a result of countless hours spent in the water winning Aussie surf lifesaving competitions, he was first out of the water in nearly every race he did.  In the Amazon in June, 2011, he not only was first out of the water, but also first across the finish line to capture the XTERRA Brazil Championship.

While the win was his best result of the 2011 season that resulted in several podium finishes and a sixth place ranking on last year's XTERRA European Tour, his biggest catch of the World Tour came on the romantic Italian island of Sardinia.  That's where he met a British firefighter by trade, who also loved surfing, traveling, and meeting new people. 

She proved to be a worthy off-road triathlete as well, having just finished fourth in the XTERRA Italy Championship behind three well-known, accomplished XTERRA pros.

This year, the two joined forces in their personal XTERRA World Tour…which included ten XTERRA Championships, more than 60,000 kilometers of travel, as the crow flies, and the pursuit of a double dream - World Champion.

The Dynamic Duo of Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack started their tour in the Western Pacific with the "XTERRA Triple Crown" of Guam, Saipan and the Philippines.  From there to Blue Lake in Rotorua, New Zealand….back to Europe for all five events of the XTERRA European Tour…to Utah for the XTERRA USA Championship and culminating here at XTERRA Worlds on Maui.

And, it has been quite the Tour - Allen took the first XTERRA Triple Crown by winning  in Guam, Philippines, and Saipan.  He also won New Zealand, placed 2nd last month at XTERRA USA and in Italy last June, was 3rd in Switzerland, and finished 4th in this year's XTERRA Euro Tour. 
Jacqui won XTERRA in New Zealand and Italy, took 2nd in the Philippines and Saipan, was 3rd in Guam, France and Switzerland - and was the runner-up in this year's XTERRA European Tour. 

In between they raced some 70.3's, Olympic distance tris, and Jacqui earned the title of British Elite Triathlon Champion.

Through it all, Ben and Jacqui have "Lived More"- perpetuated the XTERRA spirit, challenged themselves, discovered new places and made friends across the globe.  They are fuelled by the same dream to be the best and live life to the fullest…so it is our great pleasure to recognize Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack as the 2012 XTERRA Warrior award winners.