ECKSTEIN AND MARRIOTT CLAIM THEIR OWN SLICE OF HISTORY
February 21: Shannon Eckstein won a record-equalling fifth Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman title at North Cronulla today while Alicia Marriott became the first woman to win the triple crown of the sport's major events.
Eckstein (Northcliffe) and Marriott (Mooloolaba) emerged from the energy-sapping, hot conditions to claim the overall titles in the $250,000 series.
Eckstein, the defending champion, won a furious sprint to the finish ahead of his nearest challenger in the series, Hugh Dougherty, to secure a comfortable eight-point margin in the series pointscore.
Corey Jones (Metropolitan Caloundra), who was inches away from being eliminated in the first race of today's three-race ‘Eliminator' format, pulled out his best performance of the season to place third.
Olympic swimmer Ky Hurst (Kurrawa) capped his return to Ironman racing with fifth place in the final and third overall in the series behind Eckstein and Dougherty.
Marriott added the Kellogg's Nutri Grain Series to the Australian Ironwoman crown she won in 2008 and two Coolangatta Gold 
She had the luxury of being able to cruise into fourth place in the final after the series leader at the start of the day, Hayley Bateup, struck trouble at the start of the third and deciding race today and eventually finished ninth.
Elizabeth Pluimers won the women's final to make it consecutive victories and leapfrog into second place in the closely fought women's series.
Eckstein's fifth series victory matches the performance of his arch-rival Zane Holmes, who missed this year's racing because of a back injury, however he was happiest to have won four of the five races in this year's series.
"That's pretty cool," he said.
"It's nice to win a fifth series but I never thought of equalling Zane because he won in a different sort of era before there was one series.
"I've just been consistent the last four or five years.
"Today was tough. It's hard being in front and knowing whether to mark Hugh the whole way or just go yourself and try to be comfortable.
"I think I ended up marking Hugh the whole way and then trying to beat him up the beach."
Eckstein and Dougherty broke away from the field in the swim leg and then went stroke for stroke in the ski leg before they hit the beach together and raced desperately for the finish line.
The champ was able to just hold out his rival by inches and make it four wins from five races for the series.
"It would have been nice to win five, everyone always wants to do a little better, but in surf four wins is unbelievable; I don't know if that's ever been done before," he said.
"Winning a fifth (series) is testament to the competitiveness in me, I think. I like to win everything I go in."
Eckstein said the series win provided him with a boost ahead of next month's Australian championship on the Gold Coast, although he is planning a quieter program as he seeks his fourth national Ironman title.
"Last year I did about 10 races and by the time the Ironman came around I was stuffed," he said.
"This year I'd like to concentrate more on the Ironman, especially at Kurrawa because it has a long break and Ky's very good there.
"I've only won three Australian titles and Ky's won four, Grant Kenny's won four and Trevor Hendy six so it would be nice to win a couple more."
Marriott went into the final two points behind Bateup and two ahead of defending champion Naomi Flood.
After the trio made it safely through the first two races, but the start of the third and deciding race quickly turned the series upside down as Bateup was tipped from her board soon after the start.
She slipped well behind and the flat conditions throughout the final meant there were no waves to pull her back into contention.
That meant Marriott, who moved from Perth last year to train under Michael King at Mooloolaba, only needed to keep Flood covered and stay close enough to the surging Pluimers to win her first Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Series.
"Coming into this last round I thought whoever takes out the round would take out the series but then coming in on my ski I was trying to look around and do the maths in my head and worked out if I didn't stack it on my ski on the way in I'd come away with the crown," she said.
"To have won the Coolangatta Gold and then this series makes it the best season ever for me and if I could take out the Ironwoman at the Aussies that would make it perfect.
"Moving over here and being part of the Michael King Ironman Academy has been awesome, it's given me a bit of fire back for the sport."
Pluimers, who won round four at Alexandra Headland a fortnight ago before dominating today's final, was left to regret a slow
start to the series that cost her any chance of winning the Nutri-Grain title.
"I can't believe it, the last two races have been unreal," she said.
"Had I done a bit more in those first three races you'd never know what might have happened.
"I loved the three-race Eliminator format when the final was a Coogee and I wanted to prove I could do it at North Cronulla as well."
Bateup was left shattered after leading into the final round as she tried to win her first Nutri-Grain series.
"The three of us at the left-hand end of the start line had the worst of the waves and I was knocked off just after the start and nothing went right from there," she said.
"It's disappointing but hopefully I can turn it around for the Aussies."