COURAGE PERSONIFIED IN QUEST OF GOLD AND GLORY
October 18: Aaron Murphy and Robert Chapman are separated by over 30 years in age but yesterday they both had a common goal - to overcome their amazing hurdles to complete the nib Coolangatta Gold. IAN HANSON reports....
Murphy finished 13th in the under 19 division just 10 months after being run over and suffering life threatening head injuries in a New Years Eve car accident.
With the support of his family and his team mates at Northcliffe, the tough-as-teak 18-year-old made a remarkable recovery.
He dedicated himself to coming back to complete his second Coolangatta Gold and returned to training under Northcliffe's master coach Pat O'Keeffe.
"I'm really happy to be in the race today and to finish. Ever since I recovered I've had my head down working and I got here," said Murphy.
"I've been a determined person ever since I was a little kid, I just had to change my goals a little bit - to make myself walk and talk again - and now I'm here doing the Coolangatta Gold.
"I'll be back next year, I didn't go as hard as I could have today, I just enjoyed the whole race. Next year I'll have a good hard crack at it.
"It was an emotional day, I didn't think it would be but I just enjoyed the whole race. It's an achievement.
"I never doubted I'd get here today. Once I could walk in hospital unassisted I told my family, and Pat (O'Keeffe) was there, I'm going to do the Gold this year and they all said ‘yeah mate, we'll see, we'll see', and I did it."
Chapman, at 52, was one of three originals from the 1984 field to complete the race some 25 years after finishing ninth to Guy Leech.
The former two-time Australian open Ironman champion revealed to Will Swanton in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday he had overcome severe depression some two years ago to return to racing.
Chapman was happy to sit and ponder in the shadows of the athletes tent as the winners Caine Eckstein and Alicia Marriott were being presented with their medals - reflecting on his amazing journey that saw him bounce back from the depths of despair.
"I did it...I did it," said Chapman as he slumped into a chair at the conclusion of surf lifesaving's most gruelling test of the toughest - taking 5 hours 32 minutes and 57 seconds to complete the course.
"The run leg was the toughest part of the course for me. I really had to push hard on that long run back to Surfers Paradise but I'm so happy to be here.
"I had to dig deep over the final stages - the run was always going to be tough."
One of his first coaches, Alan Coates, who at 66 also contested today's race, was also full of praise for Chapman.
"He was always a great athlete and great to train as a youngster at Elouera and to overcome what he has been through is a 
credit to him," said Coates, who himself overcame a triple heart by-pass in 2004 to complete his ninth Coolangatta Gold.
Coates finished 31st in the over 40 Masters division in a time of 6:02.51.
Rounding out the trifecta from the class of '84 was Southport's Lawrence Reece, who was second to Leech 25 years ago and 17th today in a Masters division won by Mooloolaba's in Jeff Lemarseny (4:45.01) from Scott Sewell (4:50.39) and former South Sydney Rabbitoh Darren Schott (4:53.11).
Other notables included Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park's Chris Walker who has overcome cancer treatment and a serious knee injury to complete his second nib Coolangatta Gold.
"And it was faster than last year..." said Walker, who could not walk without the aid of crutches or a walking stick for six years.
Walker was 13th in the Masters 30-39 division win by North Wollongong's Mark Norris (4:29.32), Brent McKinnon (4:40.12) and Tasmania's Luke O'Garey (4:45.35).
In other results:
MOOLOOLABA'S Alex Tibbitts (3:03.22) won the under 19s, making amends for blowing up last year with former Redhead junior Michael Booth, now Northcliffe second (3:04.31) and Mooloolaba's Joshua Brown (3:13.03).
FRESHWATER swept the open men's and women's teams events - with the combination of Tim Jacobs (ski), Grant Coates (board), Jake Nolan (swim) and Lachlan Chisholm (run) defending the men's title while Kim Lowe (ski), Alicia Miller (swim), Brooke Miller (board) and Reagen Ellis (run).
MELINDA PELLY from Manly won the Masters over 30 years in 3:43.53 from Northcliffe's Tiarne Smith (3.45.28) and Elouera's Kylie Zikarsky (3:47.11). It was double podium finish for the Smith family, with little brother Nathan finishing third in the open men's.
The nib Coolangatta Gold, open to all ages and athletes who have remarkable stories of overcoming the odds and others who have great careers ahead of them, with equally amazing stories awaiting them.