BATEUP AND ECKSTEIN MAKE COOLANGATTA GOLD HISTORY

SURFERS PARADISE, October 19: Hayley Bateup and Caine Eckstein raced their way into the history books with commanding wins in today's gruelling nib Coolangatta Gold on the Gold Coast, report IAN HANSON and DAVID MOASE.

Bateup, of the Kurrawa club, took out an unprecedented third title in the ultimate test of endurance and surf lifesaving skill while Eckstein, of Tugun, became only the second male competitor to win the title twice.

Both champions underlined their superiority with emphatic victories - Bateup finishing ahead of runner-up Courtney Hancock (Northcliffe) by more than seven minutes with Alyce Bennett (Burleigh Heads/Mowbray Park) third while Eckstein was two and a half minutes in front of Tim Peach (Mooloolaba) and Nathan Smith (Cronulla) third.

Eckstein was in the zone for the gruelling 46 kilometre men's race and opened up a two-minute lead after the board leg from Currumbin to Burleigh Heads and it was a case of "catch me if you can" as the field set off for the 10km run to Surfers Paradise.

But the further the race went the further Eckstein asserted his dominance.

He was among a group of seven leaders at the end of the 23 kilometre ski paddle from Surfers Paradise to Coolangatta, which was whittled to four - Eckstein, Peach, Dean Mercer (Mooloolaba) and Smith (Cronulla) - after the 3.5km swim.

It was in the board leg that Eckstein was able to open up his winning lead and he entered the final 10km run back to Surfers more than a minute ahead of Smith.

He gave his rivals no hope in the run to the finish and celebrated wildly as he took out his second Coolangatta Gold, three years after his first in 2005.

Only inaugural winner Guy Leech (1984-85) has also won the tough race twice.

Peach overtook Smith to take second place while veteran Mercer was a gallant fourth ahead of the fast-improving South African-born Luke Nisbet (Burleigh Heads/Mowbray Park), veteran Steve Pullen (Sunshine Beach), former under 19 champion Matt Poole (Mooloolaba), a never-say-die Hayden Smith (North Burleigh), the ever-present Kyle Garrett (Redhead) and the emerging youngster Cory Hill (Northcliffe) rounding out the top ten.

Eckstein admitted there was pressure to bear in the lead-up to the race.

"Winning this time around was so much different to 2005 when there was no pressure on me at all," said Eckstein.

"This year I had all the pressure, with photos and stories in the newspapers and pressure I put on myself, but I was happy to handle that pressure and winning the second time is certainly sweet."

Asked when he thought he had the race won, Eckstein admitted it wasn't until three kilometres from the finish when his support crew, led by brother Shannon, mother Donna, friend Jeremy Cotter and swim coach Denis Cotterell urged him on to the finish.

(It was Cotter and Shannon who he beat to the finish in 2005 but they were both in the winner's circle today.)

"The run was different, it was slower because of the high tide and I had to run stronger," said Eckstein, who will be celebrating long and hard.

"I have not had a drink for three months to prepare myself for this race but I might just celebrate with my family and friends tonight."

HAYLEY THREE TIMES A LADY

Bateup was the talk of the town in the lead-up to the race and she was all the talk today as she "smoked" the field in one of her most impressive career victories.

"Of the three titles, this one's the best," said Bateup, who won the Coolangatta Gold in 2005 and 2006 but was disappointed when third last year.

"I wanted this badly - finishing third last year only made me hungrier.

"Winning three times, that's pretty cool."

Bateup took control of the women's race immediately after hitting the sand at the end of the opening 15 kilometre ski leg from Surfers Paradise to Currumbin.

The 28-year-old, who was Nitro on television's Gladiators earlier this year, sprinted away from Kristyl Smith to open up a 200 metre lead as she entered the water for the 4.5km board paddle to Burleigh Heads.

At Burleigh her lead was nearly three minutes and although Smith and Hancock cut the advantage in the 2.5km swim to North Burleigh, they weren't going to catch the leader in the 7.5km soft sand run to the finish.

Bateup was relentless, extending her lead despite rising temperatures making the race a true endurance test.

Hancock's second placing was one of the best results of the 20-year-old's career and she had to survive a 30 second penalty for not following the correct run path but it made no difference as she hung in for a spirited silver lining to her Coolangatta Gold assault.

She hung on to beat home 21-year-old Alyce Bennett (Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park) who was a popular third place getter, ahead of veteran Kirsty Holmes (Kawana Waters), who turned 35 on Wednesday and turned up for an impressive Gold debut, and Northcliffe-based Frenchwoman Flora Manciet (Northcliffe) fifth.

Mooloolaba's Gemma Newbiggen improved her 2007 placing to finish sixth, with Nadi Canning (Lennox Head/Alstonville) an impressive top ten finisher in seventh, the notable Candice Falzon who notched her first top ten finish in this gruelling event to finish eighth, ahead of Burleigh Heads/Mowbray Park's impressive newcomer Kristen Askew with Mooloolaba's Sarah Colby a well deserved 10th.

GOLD ATTRACTS RECORD ENTRIES AND BIG CROWD

Surf life saving official were delighted with the success of this year's event, with general manager of SLSA Surf Sports Grant Baldock describing today's event as one of the best ever.

"This year we saw a 30 per cent increase in competitors across all categories in the nib Coolangatta Gold, with the event also attracting more international competitors," said Baldock.

"Today we estimate there were around 20,000 spectators lined along the Gold Coast beaches to watch this iconic race, proving the event has a strong appeal to the public.

"The great appeal of the nib Coolangatta Gold is that it is an event that so many people aspire to do and therefore it attracts both the elite athlete and everyday participants who come back each year to take on the challenge.

"Today's event saw more great sporting moments and we're looking forward to growing it more in the future."

TEENS, TEAMS AND GOLDEN OLDIES ARE WINNERS

Meanwhile, in the under 19 men's race it was Warilla-Barrack Point 's Hayden White who was victorious over Kendrick Louis (Collaroy) with Ben Hepburn (Mooloolaba) taking out third.

The Masters divisions saw City of Perth's Greg Mickle take a run back through memory lane after finishing 10th in the 1991 Coolangatta Gold, to win the 40-plus division with Shane Whittaker, ninth in 1991 winning the 30-plus category, with the women's 30-plus division going to Dr Ruth Highman from Geraldton, WA.

In the teams events, which attracted 58 combinations, it was Tim Jacobs (ski), Jake Nolan (swim), Grant Coates (board) and Dean Deagan (run) from Freshwater who overcame early leaders North Burleigh (James Stewart - ski, Ryan Lysaught - swim, Tom Trembath - board and Nathan Mcubbery - run) to grab the mixed title, with the Tugun/Trigg Island team of Dane Sloss (ski), Nick Cuthbert (swim), Sam Hamilton (board) and Stephan Madden (run) third.

North Burleigh were victorious in the female teams division with the foursome of Brea Bailey (ski), Kirsty Bowlay (swim), Bianca Lee (board) and Paige Cooper (run) finishing ahead of Freshwater's Kim Lowe (ski), Alisha Miller (swim), Rachel Crerar (board) and Brooke Miller (run) and the New Zealand combination of Rachel Clarke (ski), Anamaria Clarke (swim), Georgia Butt (board) and Laura Leeson (run).

2008 nib Coolangatta Gold Results (full results in Media area)

Open Men: Caine Eckstein (Tugun) 04:14:15 Tim Peach (Mooloolaba ) 04:16:44 Nathan Smith (Cronulla) 04:17:18 Dean Mercer (Mooloolaba) 04:20:10 Luke Nisbet (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) 04:21:41 Steve Pullen (Sunshine Beach) 04:23:57 Matt Poole (Mooloolaba) 04:24:32 Hayden Smith (North Burleigh) 04:25:00 Kyle Garrett (Redhead ) 04:26:08 Cory Hill (Northcliffe) 04:26:33

Under 19: Hayden White (Warilla Barrack Point) 03:11:47 Kendrick Louis (Collaroy) 03:11:56 Ben Hepburn (Mooloolaba ) 03:12:04 David Graham (Trigg Island) 03:13:29 Alex Tibbits (Mooloolaba) 03:15:00 Alastair Day (Warilla Barrack Point) 03:15:22 Dev Lahey (Northcliffe) 03:19:54 Nicholas Anderson (Mooloolaba) 03:20:33 Max Beattie (Northcliffe) 03:23:02 Aaron Murphy (Northcliffe ) 03:24:47

Masters 30-39: Shane Whittaker (North Cronlla) 04:55:51 Benjamin Hewitt (public WA)      04:59:18 Shane Dowel (Warilla Barrack Point )5:02:10 Ben Marshall (Point Leo) 05:05:00 David Chidgey (Narrabeen Beach) 05:12:07 Scott Wyeth (Scarborough) 05:12:54 Jason Foye (North Wollongong) 05:16:15 Luke O'garey (Burnie) 05:20:33 Jody Pehrson (Arcadian) 05:21:36 Peter Wells (Narrabeen Beach) 05:27:16 Sam Charlton (Sunshine Beach) 05:29:12

Masters 40+: Greg Mickle (City of Perth) 04:46:22 Jeff Lemarseny (Mooloolaba) 04:55:37 Michael Waide (Public Gold Coast) 04:59:58 Stephen Perry (West Beach) 05:08:48 Mark Stewart (City of Perth) 05:11:47 Michael Daly (North Burleigh) 05:12:45 Brent Pritchard (Elouera) 05:17:03 Scott Braby (Sunshine Coast) 5:20:57 Dean Parry (Elouera) 5:24:04 Troy Eady (Cronulla) 5:30:05

Teams: Freshwater 04:14:48 North Burleigh 04:16:33 Tugun/Trigg Island 04:17:16

Open Women: Hayley Bateup (Kurrawa) 03:18:45 Courtney Hancock (Northcliffe) 03:25:56 Alyce Bennett (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) 03:26:58 Kirsty Holmes (Kawana Waters ) 03:27:13 Flora Manciet (Northcliffe) 03:29:50 Tahlia Ferguson (Northcliffe) 3.30.47 Gemma Newbiggin (Mooloolaba ) 03:32:09 Nadi Canning (Lennox Head Alstonville) 03:32:30 Candice Falzon (North Bondi) 03:34:69 Kristyl Smith (Northcliffe) 3:39.45 Kristen Askew (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) 03:38:17 Sarah Colby (Mooloolaba) 03:39:43

30+: Ruth Highman (Geraldton) 3:50:32 Nadine Derriman (Mooloolaba) 3:56:17 Melinda Pelly (Manly) 3:58:57 Penny Locke (Bulli) 4:01:35 Georgina Lynch (Noosa Heads) 04:05:13 Cas Whiting (Trigg) 4:08:35 Jennifer Hales (Noosa Heads) 4:09:31 Sonia Grundy (Lorne) 4:16:59 Lenell Hollywood (Mollymook ) 4:28:13 Maxine Mitchell (Alexandra Headlands) 04:58:36

Teams: North Burleigh 05:00:25 Freshwater 05:01:17 New Zealand 05:04:32