ECKSTEIN AND MARRIOTT PROVE THEY ARE SOLID GOLD
November 7: Caine Eckstein and Alicia Marriott proved themselves 24-carat champions by defending their Coolangatta Gold titles at the Gold Coast today.
Eckstein raced away from his rivals to win his fourth Coolangatta Gold title to make him the most successful competitor in the history of the 46.65-kilometre event, while Marriott won her third title in the 30.5km women's race.
They had to overcome testing conditions, hot weather and a pack of chasing rivals but proved they still have the special qualities that set champions apart.
Eckstein, from the Northcliffe club, went into today's race with a record three titles to his name but determined to improve his record in the energy-sapping race he admits he loves.
In the tough 23km opening ski leg from Kurrawa to Greenmount, he had the company of clubmate Cory Hill as the pair broke away from the pack.
They reached the southern end of the Gold Coast side by side before hitting the water for the 3.5km swim to Bilinga when Eckstein made the move that broke the race open.
He put in a superhuman effort to open up a four-minute gap in the swim and then gradually extended that advantage across the remainder of the race.
By the end of the concluding 10km beach run his winning margin was more than 15 minutes, as Hill and Mooloolaba's Josh Minogue followed well behind.
{youtube}JwRqD84rwL0{/youtube}
Missing from the placings was 40-year-old Dean Mercer whose mistake gave the race a sensational start when he missed the gun by about 10 minutes.
Dumping surf meant the opening ski leg started beyond the breakers rather than on the sand, and Mercer badly misjudged
his preparation and was forced to chase his rivals from well back.
In the end he did remarkably well to work his way through the field to finish in fourth place in what he insists is his final crack at the surf lifesaving marathon. Not far behind him were Cronulla pocket rocket Mark Simpson in fifth place and Jack Hansen in sixth.
"I was keen to back up and win for the third year in a row," 24-year-old Eckstein reflected after crossing the finish line.
"My strategy was to go with Deano in the ski and work with him like we did last year and then take off in the run but he missed the start.
"Cory worked really well but I consider myself the second best swimmer behind Dean so I really just wanted to do the swim on my own.
"My handlers told me I had a six-minute advantage coming off the board and six minutes is very hard to catch up so I didn't have to go too hard early in the run and could go along at one pace.
"I'm not going to say how many times I might be able to win this race - I'm very choppy and changy so I'm not going to say.
"I love this race, I've loved the training for it."
After winning by such a large margin, Eckstein said he is hopeful more of the competitors in the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman series will take him on in next year's Coolangatta Gold.
MARRIOTT MAKES IT NUMBER THREE
Next year was also on the mind of Mooloolaba's Marriott not long after she crossed the line for a three minutes and 15 seconds victory over Northcliffe's Courtney Hancock, while Liz Pluimers placed third.
Her third race triumph matched the record of rival Hayley Bateup who was missing today as she recovers from shoulder surgery and sets up a potential clash of the titans in the 2011 Coolangatta Gold if Bateup makes a successful recovery.
Bateup said prior to the race she hoped Marriott would win to match her record so they could race for supremacy in 12 months' time.
"I saw Hayley at the finish there and she gave me the thumbs up, which is unreal," 24-year-old Marriott said.
"Hayley and I have a very strong rivalry - we're both extremely competitive people and love to beat each other but at the same time we both respect each other.
"It's going to be such a big event next year to see which one of us can win number four."
While the Coolangatta Gold is never easy to win, Bateup's absence meant Marriott didn't have to push quite as hard as in the past, although the Hancock sisters - Courtney and Bonnie - and Pluimers pushed her all the way.
It wasn't until the 2.5km swim from Burleigh Heads to North Burleigh and the run to the finish that Marriott was finally able to shake off her pursuers, of which Courtney Hancock was the most dogged.
"I probably feel as fresh as I have in all of the three victories," she said.
"In the run leg I could get into a rhythm and go at my own pace whereas in the past I've had girls pushing me."
As well as looking forward to taking on Bateup, Marriott would like to take on the longer men's course in the future.
"If it means the women get equal prizemoney to the guys, then bring it on, it's just another challenge for us," she said.
"I think we've proven that we're just as good as the guys so why not."
Both Courtney Hancock and Pluimers paid tribute to the winner and said there was nothing else they could have done to win.
"I was pretty happy, I did the best I could out there, I didn't leave anything in the tank," Courtney said.
"It's such a hard race because so much goes into it. It's such a massive six months training for this."
For Pluimers it was a much happier result that one year ago when she collapsed 20 metres from the finish line and had to be stretchered away unable to complete the course.
Marriott's challengers in years to come may well feature the fifth and sixth placegetters today - Maroubra's Tara Coleman and Noosa Heads' Jorday Mercer.
Coleman is the 19-year-old daughter of former South Sydney star halfback Craig Coleman and is one of the most improved competitors in ironwoman racing.
Mercer, just 16, is the daughter of 1992 Coolangatta Gold winner Darren Mercer and the niece of Dean, and showed the determination and poise that marked her father and uncle's surf careers.