HAYLEY THRILLS HOME CROWD AS SHANNON SHINES

January 17: Three-time Coolangatta Gold winner Hayley Bateup showed age is no barrier while Shannon Eckstein continued his domination with determined victories in round two of the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Series at Kurrawa today.

Bateup, who turned 30 last week, produced one of the most satisfying wins of her career in the exciting Accumulator round while Eckstein backed up his round one Dash For Cash win with another near-perfect display.

The Accumulator round saw competitors contest individual ski, board and swim races and their combined times were used to decide the handicap start of the deciding traditional Ironman race, with the fastest competitor starting first.

After the women's individual ski, board and swim qualifying rounds, it was five-time series runner-up Kristyl Smith who started from scratch in the staggered Ironwoman final.

Smith was followed by Bateup (three seconds behind), Elizabeth Pluimers (18) round one winner Alicia Marriott (20) and defending champion Naomi Flood on (21).

Bateup gritted her teeth and led through the opening ski leg of the traditional Ironwoman final but Smith and Flood were hot on her heals, with a determined Flood narrowing her 20 second handicap.

It was Bateup's improved swimming ability that kept her in the quest for victory before she chased Smith, Flood and Marriott in the transition to the final board leg, which saw Bateup make the most of the tricky conditions.

She was able to get the most out of a small wave as the leaders raced back to the beach and was on her feet quicker than her rivals to outsprint Smith and Marriott for a thrilling victory.

"I would have liked to start off zero in the final but three seconds is nothing and I knew I'd be able to catch up," she said.

"I felt really good racing today. In round one I was only blowing out the cobwebs  and I always feel better racing after a bad race.

"It's good to win a Kellogg's race. At 30 I'm the oldest in there and it just shows that age isn't a barrier, it's how you feel and I feel great.

"I've said to myself I want to finish no worse than fourth in any race and I'd have been happy with a podium finish today but to win it I'm stoked."

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Meanwhile Surf Sports superstar Eckstein backed up to show why he will again be the man to beat this season with another commanding performance.

Eckstein (Northcliffe) backed up yesterday's round one win with a powerhouse performance in today's Accumulator races in an exact replica of the round one podium to finish well clear of Hugh Dougherty (Tugun) and four-time National Ironman champion, Olympian Ky Hurst (Kurrawa).

Courtesy of wins in the board and ski races, Eckstein was first away, just one second ahead of Tugun's Sam Hamilton and nine seconds in front of Dougherty, while Hurst had to give Eckstein 16 seconds.

Tough enough to beat when he starts on level terms with his rivals, Eckstein seemed a racing certainty with his advantage on handicap and that's how the race turned out.

"It's an interesting format and it's hard to be the bunny out there in front," he said.

"If you make no mistakes it's probably all right.

"I had a couple of looks around and they weren't really gaining on me so I swam fairly conservatively and had enough in the bag."

The series leader worked hard in the opening ski leg of the ironman final to get himself onto a small wave that gave him an early advantage he wasn't about to give up.

With wins in the opening two rounds, Eckstein is ideally placed to take out his fifth Nutri-Grain series.

"Last year I had three wins, a second and a third and to me that sort of consistency felt unbelievable," he said.

"To start with two wins is a big thrill and I'm looking to better than last year so if I can do that I'll be stoked.

Rounds three and four of the Ironman and Ironwoman series will be contested at Alexandra Headland on the Sunshine Coast on February 6-7.