Hayley Bateup won the inaugural Coolangatta Gold women’s race in 2005 but it was a while until the race was equal

WHEN the Coolangatta Gold first ran a women’s race in 2005 after a 15-year absence, many ironwoman jumped at the chance to write their name into the history books and take on the race they’d grown up watching.

WHEN the Coolangatta Gold first ran a women’s race in 2005 after a 15-year absence, many ironwoman jumped at the chance to write their name into the history books and take on the race they’d grown up watching.

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But not everyone was happy.

16 Oct 2005 Hayley Bateup 25yrs on her way to winning the Coolangatta Gold open Women's. PicPeter/Wallis sport surf lifesaving action

Organisers decided that the inaugural women’s race would be an abbreviated version of the men’s 46km course, women instead taking on a shortened 25.5km race.

At the time, Northcliffe star Hayley Bateup threw down the gauntlet to her fellow Coolangatta Gold competitors, urging them to join the crusade to have the female’s race upgraded to the full distance.

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“A lot of the girls are saying that they don’t want it that long, so it is sort of me against them,’’ said Bateup, who went on to become a three time Gold champion.

“I am just unhappy with the girls who don’t believe they can do it and I wish they had a little bit more faith in themselves.

“It is not exactly the Coolangatta Gold unless you are doing the full distance.”

OCTOBER 16, 2005: SPORT-Reporters: Luke Turgeon, Pat McLeod & Grahame Callaghan: Coolangatta Gold, pics from last10km run PicMichael/Ross pic of Hayley Bateup

Prize money was also a major talking point with a pool of $42,000 shared among the top 15 male finishers for the Coolangatta Gold but just $23,000 was on offer for the top female competitors.

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But for a kid who grew up watching and dreaming of the Coolangatta Gold, Bateup was ecstatic to place herself among the legends of the sport with a convincing win in the 2005 race, finishing over a minute ahead of Perth’s Alicia Marriot.

“This is what I’ve always wanted,’’ she said.

“It’s been a childhood dream to win this race as well as the Australian ironwoman.”

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Bateup used the $10,000 prize money to pay off a chunk of her home loan.

“This is pretty much the biggest win of my career,” she said.

The race distance increased to 30km in 2007 before women finally took on the full course in 2013.