WHO CAN OVERCOME SURF LIFESAVING'S TOUGHEST TEST?
September 1: Surf Life Saving's toughest competitors will be out to prove they can overcome the sport's most gruelling challenge, the nib Coolangatta Gold, which will be held on Sunday, October 18, 2009.
The unrivalled test of fitness and skill will see competitors racing along the length of the Gold Coast's legendary beaches - the men over 46.65 kilometres from Surfers Paradise to Coolangatta and return, the women on a course of 30.5km from Surfers Paradise to Currumbin and back.
The nib Coolangatta Gold 2009 was launched today at North Burleigh Beach, the place on the course from where competitors climb the headland to get their first sight of the Surfers Paradise finish line, 7.5km in the distance.
2008 winners Caine Eckstein and Hayley Bateup will return to defend their titles and to etch their names further into the history of the iconic event, which celebrates 25 years since the first race.
Eckstein will be looking for his third nib Coolangatta Gold title and proved he is nearing peak form by placing fourth in the US Surf Ski Championship in San Francisco recently.
Victory on October 18 would make him the most successful competitor ever to contest the men's event, first won by Guy Leech in 1984.
"The ski used to be my weakest leg but it has probably become my strongest in recent years - and I think I can cover the course quicker than last year," said Eckstein today.
"Having so many individual ski races around the world has really helped me improve and also having a strong run leg at end also helps.
"To win the race a third time will be a celebration of my preparation - and my dedication to training." WATCH CAINE ECKSTEIN'S INTERVIEW
Bateup already holds that distinction among women's competitors, having won in 2005, 2006 and 2008, and will be out to claim her fourth title.
"The challenge for me is to stay on top and keep dominating this event," Bateup, who won last year's nib Coolangatta Gold
by seven minutes, said.
"My preparations for the race are on track and I just want to have a perfect race, which is what I had last year.
"It's hard to say what my tactics will be until I see the conditions on the day and who is around me in the race but generally it is about getting an advantage at some point of the race and building on that." WATCH HAYLEY BATEUP'S INTERVIEW
Facing Eckstein and Bateup on the start line will be a host of competitors - including young stars on the rise and ageless veterans - who all have hopes that they can overcome the challenge of the champions.
Among the entrants in the men's event will be Dean Mercer, who will be just one month short of his 40th birthday when the starter's gun fires.
Dean will be contesting his seventh nib Coolangatta Gold, having placed third in 1992 and 2006, and continues to be driven by the dream of being first across the finish line on Surfers Paradise beach.
Another of Eckstein's expected challengers is former Australian under-19 ironman champion Matt Poole, who trains with 1991 Coolangatta Gold champion Michael King on the Sunshine Coast.
Poole showed his surf skills in winning a round of the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Series earlier this year and is now preparing to demonstrate his strength and determination in the nib Coolangatta Gold.
Also under King's guidance this year is 2007 women's winner Alicia Marriott, who has relocated from Perth to the Sunshine Coast.
Marriott did not contest last year's nib Coolangatta Gold so her showdown with Bateup in a battle of the only competitors to win the women's event is an exciting prospect.
As well as testing the best in men's and women's events, the nib Coolangatta Gold also presents challenges for competitors in the under-19 male, masters and teams categories.
The male master's competitors and the male and mixed teams will compete over the full-length 46.65km course, while the female masters, women's teams and under-19 males will compete on the 30.5km course.
One master, who has shown he can certainly overcome any odds is inspirational Burleigh Heads Surf Sports Director Chris Walker - lining up for his third nib Coolangatta Gold.
Walker, 39, survived major surgery to remove a tumour in his mouth at age 21 and is still undergoing surgery some 18 years later as surgeons continue to re-build his bridge line.
But he has also overcome serious knee surgery following a car accident which saw him unable to walk without the aid of crutches or a walking stick for six years and been in and out of hospital for most of his life.
He has lost count the number of times he has undergone skin and bone scans and in fact he will be in hospital on this Thursday for day surgery to have his teeth re- built.
And after recovering from a broken ankle, suffered playing Oz Kick with his son James in 2004 he ran the first of his five Gold Coast Marathons 12 months later and completed the first of his three nib Coolangatta Gold's in 2007.
"My engine had been in recess for so long, I guess it was just crying out to get going," said Chris, who started his Surf Life Saving career as a teenager in Yamba.
"I have had some setbacks but there are always people out there a whole lot worse than me.
"My dad and I loved to run and that's why I set myself to run my first marathon - I've done another four and improved my time every year."
(He has now lowered his marathon time down to two hours 53 minutes).
And while the majority of the field will dread that final run leg back to Surfers Paradise, Walker can't wait to get his shoes on.
"Bring it on...I really enjoy that final run...in fact I can't wait to get out of the water and start running."
Surf Life Saving Australia General Manager of Sport Grant Baldock said the nib Coolangatta Gold is one of Australia's most iconic sporting events.
"The nib Coolangatta Gold is the ultimate surf sports endurance challenge and is the only event of its type in the world," he said.
"It has been an iconic part of the Australian sporting landscape since it was first contested 25 years ago and this year another group of outstanding competitors will be trying to overcome the challenges of surf and sand in the search for glory.
"Each year SLSA has been encouraged by the increased interest in the event, both from participants and spectators who line the beaches right along the Gold Coast to watch the race unfold.
"We have seen some truly inspirational stories come out of the nib Coolangatta Gold, with many competitors using this event as a personal challenge to overcome - we're expecting more amazing stories to come out of the 2009 race.
The men's race will start from Surfers Paradise beach at 7.00am on Sunday, October 18 with a gruelling 23km ski paddle to Greenmount Beach, which will be followed by a short run to Coolangatta and a 3.5km swim to Bilinga.
Competitors then face a 4km run to Currumbin, a 5.5km board paddle to Burleigh Heads and then the final lung-busting 10km soft sand run to the finish line at Surfers Paradise.
For the women, their race will start at 8.00am with a 15km ski paddle from Surfers Paradise to Currumbin Beach followed by a 1km run to Currumbin Creek and a 4.5km board paddle to Burleigh Heads.
They will then swim 2.5km to North Burleigh before embarking on the 7.5km soft sand run to the finish.
nib COOLANGATTA GOLD RACE FACTS
The nib Coolangatta Gold will be broadcast on the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November from 2-4pm (check local guides).
Previous winners
Men
1984: Guy Leech
1985: Guy Leech
1991: Michael King
1992: Darren Mercer
2005: Caine Eckstein
2006: Zane Holmes
2007: Rhys Drury
2008: Caine Eckstein
Women
2005: Hayley Bateup
2006: Hayley Bateup
2007: Alicia Marriott
2008: Hayley Bateup
START TIMES
7:00am Open Men
7:05am Masters
7:30am Teams
7:50am Masters Women
8:00am Open Women
8:30am U/19 men
COURSES
Open men, Masters, Male/Mixed Teams
Leg 1 SKI (Surfers Paradise to Greenmount 23km)
2 RUN (Greenmount to Coolangatta 0.65km)
3 SWIM (Coolangatta to Bilinga 3.50km)
4 RUN (Bilinga to Currumbin 4.00)
5 BOARD (Currumbin to Burleigh Heads 5.5km)
6 RUN (Burleigh Heads to Surfers Paradise 10.00km)
TOTAL 46.65km
Open women, Masters, Female Teams, U/19 Men
Leg 1 SKI (Surfers Paradise to Currumbin SLSA15km)
2 RUN (Currumbin SLSC to Currumbin Creek 1km)
3 BOARD (Currumbin Creek to Burleigh Heads SLSC 4.5km)
4 SWIM (Burleigh Heads SLSA to North Burleigh 2.5km)
5 RUN (North Burleigh to Surfers Paradise 7.5km)
TOTAL 30.5km