Iron Series

The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman and Ironwoman Series is a professional iron man and iron women racing series, born out of surf live saving.

The series has over the years taken place over various locations, including:

• Smiths Beach in the Margaret River region of South West Western Australia;
• Newcastle Beach in Newcastle, New South Wales;
• North Cronulla Beach in Cronulla, New South Wales;
• Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland; and
• Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast of Queensland.

The 2017/18 series, which was held as part of the newly-established Ocean6 Series, Tasmanian Matt Bevilacqua edged out former winner Alastair Day, whilst partner Brielle Cooper defeated 2017 champion Harriet Brown on a countback.

History

Professional ironman racing was born out of the movie The Coolangatta Gold which featured multiple Australian Ironman champion Grant Kenny and was won by Guy Leech. With significant media attention beginning to grow, Surf Life Saving Australia established the ‘Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Grand Prix’ in 1986. The aim of the series was to generate a high public profile and showcase for the sport, the athletes and the surf life saving movement.

Over the years the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series has evolved, testing and challenging athletes through different formats and styles of racing. While the Series has continued to evolve with varying formats, competitors and venues, one key element of Ironman and Ironwoman racing has remained – the surf. The Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series puts Australia’s top multi-discipline athletes through their paces, forcing them to take on the best and worst mother nature has to throw at them.

For almost 30 years, Kellogg’s have partnered with Surf Life Saving Australia to deliver this sporting event that has not only produced some of Australia’s finest and fittest athletes, but has also helped drive membership for Surf Life Saving. The Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series and Ironwoman Series has grown to become the world’s elite surf sports competition and one of summer’s most iconic events – where only the best of the best have their chance to claim the prize pool, the glory and the prestige of being the crowned the Series Champion. It is survival of the fittest.

Formats

The Nutri-Grain Ironman and Ironwoman Series is contested over a various race formats which help to create an even playing field for the competitors.

Loop Format

Description: A continuous race over a conventional Ironman course, swim, board, ski and run. Each 'Loop' consists of one lap of each discipline. A race may consist of three Loops for men and two loops for women, depending on conditions and the course. The order of the disciplines in the race will vary depending on the event.

Eliminator

Description: An exciting three race format, where the last five finishers are knocked out and don't compete in the next race. Each race is a traditional race, on a shorter course, over the three disciplines. E.g. Race 1: 16 Competitors, 5 eliminated. Race 2: 11 Competitors, 5 eliminated. Race 3: Final 6 competitors. Points are awarded to all competitors in the finishing order.

M-Shape

Description: A continuous race over a modified course, where the competitors round 3 markers, two beyond the swell, and one on the beach. A race may consist of three loops for men and two for women, depending on conditions and the course.

Triple Sprint Pursuit

Description: Two conventional Ironman races with the combined points totals to determine handicap starting positions in a third race. The result of the third race determines the round placings. Introduced in Round 1 of the 2015/16 series at Coolum Beach.

Points

Since the 2011/12 series, the following points awarded for each competitor per round were as follows:

	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16	2017	2017/18
1st	20		20	20	23	100	100
2nd	17		17	17	20	98	88
3rd	15		15	15	18	96	78
4th	13		13	13	16	94	70
5th	12		12	12	15	92	64
6th	11		11	11	14	90	60
7th	10		10	10	13	88	57
8th	9		9	9	12	86	55
9th	8		8	8	11	84	54
10th	7		7	7	10	82	53
11th	6		6	6	9	81	52
12th	5		5	5	8	80	51
13th	4		4	4	7	79	50
14th	3		3	3	6	78	49
15th	2		2	2	5	77	48
16th	1		1	-	4	76	47
17th	-		-	-	3	75	46
18th	-	-	-	-	2	74	45
19th	-	-	-	-	-	73	44
20th	-	-	-	-	-	72	43

Women's series results (top five)

Season	Competitors	Winner	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth
1990/91		Samantha O’Brien
1991/92		Karla Gilbert
1992/93
1993/94
1994/95
1995/96
1996/97		Stacey Gartrell
1997/98	Nil	Not Conducted
1998/99		Denby Stokes
1999/00		Denby Stokes/Kristy Munroe
2000/01		Karla Gilbert
2001/02		Karla Gilbert
2002/03		Karla Gilbert	Penny Turner	Kristyl Smith
2003/04		Kristy Cameron	Kristyl Smith
2004/05		Kristy Cameron	Kristyl Smith	Chelsea Mackenzie
2005/06		Kristy Cameron	Kristy Munroe	Emma Wynne
2006/07		Kristy Harris (nee Cameron)	Liz Pluimers	Kristyl Smith
2007/08		Liz Pluimers
2008/09		Naomi Flood	Kristyl Smith	Liz Pluimers
2009/10	23	Alicia Marriott	Liz Pluimers	Naomi Flood	Kristyl Smith, Hayley Bateup (tied)
2010/11	21	Courtney Hancock	Liz Pluimers	Alicia Marriot	Kristyl Smith	Gemma Newbiggin
2011/12	21	Liz Pluimers	Kristyl Smith	Courtney Hancock	Jordan Mercer	Brodie Moir
2012/13	17	Courtney Hancock	Naomi Flood	Brodie Moir	Jordan Mercer	Rebecca Creedy
2013/14	16	Courtney Hancock	Liz Pluimers	Kristyl Smith	Maddy Dunn	Rebecca Creedy
2014/15	15	Liz Pluimers	Rebecca Creedy	Harriett Brown	Courtney Hancock	Jordan Mercer
2015/16	18	Jordan Mercer	Kirsty Higgison	Brodie Moir	Georgia Miller	Maddy Dunn
2017	20	Harriet Brown	Courtney Hancock	Karlee Nurthen	Maddy Dunn	Georgia Miller
2017/18	20	Brielle Cooper	Harriet Brown	Georgia Miller	Lana Rogers	Courtney Hancock

In the 2010/11 series, Pluimers won four of the five rounds, but her 17th-place finish in the fourth round meant she finished second in the series, six points behind series winner Courtney Hancock.

Men's series results (top five)

Season	Competitors	Winner	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth
1986/87		Darren Mercer
1987/88		Darren Mercer
1988/89		Darren Mercer
1989/90		Trevor Hendy
1990/91		Darren Mercer
1991/92		Darren Mercer
1992/93		Darren Mercer
1993/94		Darren Mercer
1994/95		Dean Mercer
1995/96		Dean Mercer
1996/97		Dean Mercer
1997/98	Nil	Not conducted
1998/99		Dean Mercer
1999/00		Zane Holmes
2000/01		Zane Holmes
2001/02		Ky Hurst
2002/03		Shannon Eckstein	Dean Mercer	Steve Meredith
2003/04		Zane Holmes
2004/05		Zane Holmes		Shannon Eckstein
2005/06		Shannon Eckstein	Pierce Leonard	Zane Holmes
2006/07		Shannon Eckstein	Zane Holmes	Wes Berg
2007/08		Zane Holmes
2008/09		Shannon Eckstein	Zane Holmes	Matt Poole
2009/10	25	Shannon Eckstein	Hugh Dougherty	Ky Hurst	Rhys Drury	Corey Jones
2010/11	21	Shannon Eckstein	Matt Poole	Zane Holmes	Caine Eckstein	Hugh Dougherty, Wes Berg (tied)
2011/12	21	Caine Eckstein	Alastair (Ali) Day	Shannon Eckstein	Ky Hurst	Zane Holmes
2012/13	17	Shannon Eckstein	Kendrick Louis	Alastair (Ali) Day	Matt Poole	Ky Hurst
2013/14	16	Shannon Eckstein	Ky Hurst	Kendrick Louis	Matt Poole	Caine Eckstein
2014/15	15	Alastair (Ali) Day	Shannon Eckstein	Matt Poole	Ky Hurst	Kendrick Louis
2015/16	18	Shannon Eckstein	Alastair (Ali) Day	Matt Bevilacqua	Matt Poole	Luke Cuff
2017	20	Matt Poole	Shannon Eckstein	Kendrick Louis	Alastair (Ali) Day	Luke Cuff
2017/18	20	Matt Bevilacqua	Alastair (Ali) Day	James Lacy	Max Brooks	Shannon Eckstein

See also

• The Coolangatta Gold
• Uncle Toby's Super Series

External links

• The Nutri-Grain Ironman/Ironwoman Series 2014/2015