SHANNON MAKES IT FIVE AND CREEDY CONQUERS
In years ahead Ellie Eckstein, just nine days old, will have to be told of the day her father won his fifth open ironman title to moved ahead of four-time winners Grant Kenny and Ky Hurst and to move within one
victory of Trevor Hendy's record mark.
Eckstein's new daughter slept soundly against her excited mother Belinda's chest throughout today's final, which her dad won from Hugh Dougherty (Tugun) and Ali Day (Mooloolaba).
Perhaps she has inherited the Northcliffe champion's calm demeanour that has served him well through 10 years at the top of surf sports.
He led a closely contested race throughout, heading the field through the board leg, and swim then pulling away from his rivals in the ski leg.
Despite winning his fifth title, it was the first time he had made a successful defence.
"I haven't gone back to back before - I've been injured a couple of times or not raced very well - so it's a new challenge," he said.
"The last couple of years I'll admit I've been bored and you have to find a new challenge to get you up at five o'clock in the morning.
"Equalling Trevor's six ironman titles, that's the new goal. He's, the best, he's won the most and I'd like to get there with him because he's my hero."
In the ironwoman final, Rebecca Creedy completed her switch from pool swimming to surf racing by breaking though for her first Australian open title.
Creedy won a 4x200m relay gold medal at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games and admits to having gone to the "wilderness for a while" before taking on ironwoman racing.
The win was redemption after a mistake in the board leg of last year's final cost Creedy her chance at victory.
"I didn't think I'd feel this emotional talking about it but I just feel like I'm about to cry to be honest," she said.
"I'd told myself before the race don't think about it, don't let anything get to you and I made the right choices all throughout the race and I didn't make any mistakes and that's definitely a step forward on last year."
Creedy led a tightly packed field after the swim leg but powered onto a wave on the ski to race away and win comfortably from two of the sport's rising stars, Manly's Devon Halligan and Terrigal's Amy Nurthen.