Shannon Eckstein has produced one of the most extraordinary performances of an already celebrated career to put himself back in the race for an unprecedented 10th Nutri-Grain Ironman Series at North Cronulla tomorrow.
Less than 24-hours after being released from hospital and with his shredded little toe stitched up, the Northcliffe ironman king returned to the beach and to the top of the winner’s podium.
He conquered swirling, rain and windswept two-metre waves to take the honours in the grueling Accumulator Round which included three individual swim, board and ski races followed by a traditional ironman, finishing ahead on overall points from Day One second-placegetter Matt Poole (Kurrawa) and fellow Gold Coast youngster Luke Cuff (Mermaid Beach), who body-surfed his wave into third.
Sitting in fourth after the three individual races, Eckstein finished second to Kurrawa’s Matt Bevilacqua in the traditional ironman format worth double points – taking the victory by two points.
The Ironwoman went to Newport’s Georgia Miller who came through with her own “comeback story” from a December appendectomy to snatch a closely fought women’s race from Currumbin’s Nurthen sisters Amy and Karlee.
Miller won the ironwoman after sitting in sixth place before the all-important final race to take the victory by three points with Amy Nurthen celebrating her 25th birthday and the sisters first Series podium.
