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Tom and Alina’s sporting CV’s are as long as they are impressive. Beginning as cross country skiers, both achieved remarkable success, winning numerous titles, representing Australia internationally and gaining selection to the 1994 Australian Olympic Squad. Moving later into multi-sport and rogaining, untiring dedication translated into yet more outright wins and podium finishes. In 2003 both were crowned as Australia Rogaining Champions, in their respective male and female categories. During the same period they began to compete in, and to win, some of the world’s most gruelling multi-day adventure races.
In their workings lives, Tom and Alina showed remarkable courage and fortitude in leaving behind their careers as mechanical engineer and lawyer respectively in order to pursue their dream of organising off-road sporting events. Since founding AROC Sport in 2003, they are now well and truly living their dream. As race directors of Australia’s premier trail running race, The North Face 100, as well Canberra’s own Capital Punishment mountain bike race, Tom and Alina provide leadership, vision and inspiration to event staff and athletes from around the globe.
Tom and Alina embody a delightful humility, made all the more significant considering their tremendous outer achievements. Whether dealing with the complex logistics of event management, or pushing their bodies to new extremes, they are unfailingly cheerful and remarkably poised. To spend but a few moments in their company is to feel genuine warmth and kindness and it is for that that we honour them as Torch-Bearers for a brighter future.
