Summer of Surf’s new Victorian triple crown headlines the biggest news of ironman racing
A new triple crown is set to shake up the surf sports, a lone wolf has completed a stunning feat, a returning star of iron racing is set to stun this summer and a savage take-down of a competition that one says is now a ‘blip on the radar’. This is The Shore Thing
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The Nutri-Grain Series fields are set and a huge few weeks of the Summer of Surf are upon us.
That means there is no shortage of news to be found around the sheds of the surf clubs across Australia’s eastern Seaboard.
Discover everything you need to know in the latest edition of The Shore Thing.
BROWN’S SECRET OFF-SEASON BATTLE
Harriet Brown started last season’s Nutri-Grain Ironwoman Series with the 1 on her rashie. This year it will say 19.
But the number doesn’t matter to the two-time series winner who has secured one of two wildcards on offer for the females and will prepare for her 15th season in the prestigious competition.
Brown was one of many high profile stars forced to compete in the Nutri-Grain trials at Tugun over the weekend.
The Northcliffe athlete finished eighth, one place outside of the top seven granted entry into the 20-person field.
While it seemed like the logical move to give a wildcard to Brown given her stature in the sport, previous success and the fact she finished next best after two gruelling days of racing at Tugun, nothing was guaranteed.
“I was pretty disappointed with where I came,” Brown said.
“Traditionally they tend to take eighth and ninth for the wildcards so I was quite hopeful I would get the spot. I didn’t have any sleepless nights but there are always doubts until you get told you are in.”
The Northcliffe athlete and Alexandra Headland’s Tayla Halliday, who finished ninth in the trials, are the women’s wildcards.
Connor Maggs (Newport) and Auden Parish (Northcliffe) have been given the men’s wildcards after finishing eighth and ninth respectively in the trials.
Brown hasn’t been forced to trial since 2011 and was up against it at Tugun, with a long transition across the sand posing the greatest challenge given her recent leg issues.
Brown has foot surgery early in 2021 and has battled issues with it on and off ever since.
She tore her calf and missed two rounds of the last series and revealed she could only complete two iron sessions going into trials due to more problems.
“I had a few issues with it in the off-season and I haven’t been able to run the last few weeks,” Brown said.
“I’ve been doing lots of other training but I haven’t been doing enough sand running.
“We had lots of long runs across the sand bank at Tugun and I had to be careful going over the potholes.”
NUTRI-GRAIN A ‘BLIP ON THE RADAR’ FOR GUNS WHO MISSED THE CUT
Two of the biggest names in surf sports say they are more than content missing out on the Nutri-Grain Series as they turn their focus towards the Summer of Surf.
Surfers Paradise athletes Max Beattie and TJ Hendy failed to make it past the first of two brutal days of racing at the Nutri-Grain trials at Tugun last weekend, with the former pulling out after the first of three races on Saturday while the latter didn’t make the top 20 that progressed to Sunday.
Both revealed they had battled illness over the off-season and knew they went into the weekend undercooked.
“I knew going into the trials I hadn’t done the work that I would have liked,” Beattie said.
“It was a disappointing weekend but I’ll just focus on the Summer of Surf now.
“It has great prizemoney and I’ll be looking to do those races as well as states and nationals.
“I’ve come off too much sickness and injury. About five weeks before the trials I was feeling good but then I tweaked my back, spent a week out of the water and straight after that I had covid for a couple of weeks. I basically only got one week back before I got to have a proper crack.
“I’ve been through the trials process so many times so I knew where I needed to be. I knew it wasn’t going to be enough.”
Hendy said he didn’t go into the trials with a huge will to cement his place in the 20-man field.
Knowing he had battled illness throughout winter, Hendy took the pressure off himself and worked on putting himself in a strong place emotionally and physically so he could make an assault on the Summer of Surf series.
WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME
Former Nutri-Grain Ironman star Wes Berg says Surf Life Saving Australia should look to emulate the World Surf League but introducing a waiting period for the series.
Berg believes the greatest chance the sport has to capture the hearts of minds of Australians who don’t watch the series is to provide the best spectacle it can at every opportunity.
You do that by racing in the biggest swell you can, not flat oceans that require minor skill from athletes trained for the hardest conditions.
The WSL uses waiting periods for each event so they can use forecasting to see what days it would be best to compete.
“The Nutri-Grain series is domestic and held over three locations,” Berg said.
“Most of the athletes are based on the Gold Coast and in a pocket of NSW and those spots are generally where the races are so it wouldn’t be hard to do.”
FINAL NUTRI-GRAIN FIELDS
Round 1 | 16 December 2023 | Manly Beach (Sydney)
Round 2 | 17 December 2023 | Manly Beach (Sydney)
Round 3 | 13 January 2024 | Maroubra Beach (Sydney)
Round 4 | 14 January 2024 | Maroubra Beach (Sydney)
Round 5 | 3 February 2024 | Kurrawa Beach (Gold Coast)
Round 6 | 4 February 2024 | Kurrawa Beach (Gold Coast)
2023/24 NUTRI-GRAIN IRONMEN
Matt Bevilacqua (Northcliffe), Ben Carberry (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Joe Collins (Northcliffe), Cory Taylor (Northcliffe), Finn Askew (Surfers Paradise), Cooper Williams (Alexandra Headland), Ali Day (Surfers Paradise), Corey Fletcher (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Zach Morris (Northcliffe), Daniel Collins (Redhead), Mitchell Morris (Northcliffe), Ky Kinsela (Tugun), Jackson Borg (Newport), Will Savage (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Kendrick Louis (Manly), Charlie Brooks (Newport), Ryley Harland (Northcliffe), Tanyn Lyndon (Kurrawa), Connor Maggs (Newport), Auden Parish (Northcliffe)
2023/24 NUTRI-GRAIN IRONWOMEN
Georgia Miller (Northcliffe), Lizzie Welborn (Newport), Danielle McKenzie (Northcliffe), Lucy Derbyshire (Surfers Paradise), Tiarnee Massie (Maroochydore), Lana Rogers (Northcliffe), Brielle Cooper (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Lily O’Sullivan (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Courtney Hancock (Surfers Paradise), Hannah Sculley (Northcliffe)
Ruby Meehan (Northcliffe), Olivia Corrin (Northcliffe), Electra Outram (Sunshine Beach)
Piper Harrison (Newport), Naomi Scott (Northcliffe), Jasmine Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park), Emily Doyle (Northcliffe), Emma Woods (Alexandra Headland), Harriet Brown (Northcliffe), Tayla Halliday (Alexandra Headland)
PODCAST IN LINE TO GO LIVE
The popular Tent Talk podcast, run by Max Beattie and Stewart Duffy, could be set to record a live broadcast at the Glenelg Sprint Challenge Summer of Surf event in South Australian on December 9.
Talks are underway to get the two there to chat all things surf sports and are on the cusp of locking in the event. Watch this space.
HOW THE GOLDEN TICKET CAME TO FRUITION
The Summer of Surf figureheads were in a boardroom in Sydney when the idea of a golden ticket for an under-17 athlete to go into the open iron races was first mentioned.
Shaw and Partners CEO Earl Evans, Summer of Surf general manager Trent Goulding and others wanted to further enhance the pathway for aspiring ironmen and women.
They already had around $26,000 in prizemoney on offer for the under-15 and under-17s across the season and around $30,000 in equipment on offer to winners.
But the golden ticket could be considered one of the most innovative moves the sport has made in years.
The winner of the under-17 iron events at the 10,000 point races will get an automatic start in the open iron final later that day.
TANYN’S TIME HAS COME AGAIN
Tanyn Lyndon was understandably emotional on the beach at Tugun when he was confirmed as a starter in this season’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series.
The 31-year-old chippy and father of one missed out on the last season when he broke his toe a week before trials.
But in the off-season the Kurrawa athlete decided to attempt to put together another training block that would get him ready to compete for a spot on the series and he secured one of seven slots with a strong weekend of racing.
“I’m so lucky that I get to do what I do. My wife (Allie Britton) has been such an amazing supporter of mine and enables me to take the time to train between work and looking after our son,” Lyndon said.
$4 MILLION INVESTMENT
Race One’s decision to spend $4m to purchase the Burleigh facility its Race One brand is located at shows the brand is here for the long term.
Many had questioned if Race One would be a flash in the pan but with the facility now owned by the brand and the fact three-years worth of prizemoney is said to be sitting in a trust fund should give established athletes and those with dreams to make a life from the sport confidence to invest their time into it.
ANYONE UP FOR A POOLE PARTY?
Summer of Surf has created a Victorian Triple Crown and ironman legend Matt Poole is set to be there to celebrate with the champions.
The three Victorian events will now have a unique points system attached to them, with winners to be named at the end of the last leg at Lakes Entrance on February 18.
Poole is locked in to commentate at the event that will have an afterparty for the Victorian athletes, food trucks and live bands.
Poole will also run a clinic for the nippers the day after.
DASH BACK HOME
Declan Dempster is already a confirmed starters for the Whangamata Classic, set to be held on December 9 in New Zealand.
Dempster won the dash for cash at last season’s Shannon Eckstein Classic and recently joined Burleigh Mowbray Park to train under Michael King.
He is originally from New Zealand and will be one to watch at the Summer of Surf event.
OUTRAM SET TO SHAKE UP THE NUTRI-GRAIN SERIES
Sunshine Beach coach Wes Berg says Electra Outram has what it takes to shake up the Nutri-Grain Series after securing her return to the competition at the trials.
Outram finished second in the rankings days after Berg said she would be at the pointy end of things.
The 23-year-old has transferred from Noosa to Sunshine Beach this season and looks set to challenge for the title.
“She is a great athlete, really tenacious, works hard and her board, run and ski legs are phenomenal,” Berg said.
“She did fantastic at the trials. She was unlucky she didn’t win overall after.
“She was ecstatic of course to make it. It’s a relief to achieve your dream and your goal.
“She has been in the series before when she was young but she had a couple of years off and back into the swing of things now.
“She finished a second, third and a fifth on Sunday so generally people who run around the front end of the trial and move into the series and deserve to be in the top 10 of that.”
They didn’t make the men’s series but keep an eye out for Sunshine Beach athletes Zane Hadley, Brendan Otto and Zale Outram this summer.
Zale Outram has transferred from Noosa to train with Berg and is a handy athlete while Hadley is from Tasmania.
Otto is just 17 but Berg believes once he learns to harness his speed and power he will be able to challenge the best in the ocean.
LONE WOLF ONE TO WATCH THIS SUMMER
Tugun’s Ky Kinsela could be the most intriguing athlete to watch this summer.
The rising talent of surf sports was training under renowned coach Michael King at Burleigh but has joined Tugun and is flourishing while training largely alone.
Most athletes seek out larger training groups to push themselves but Kinsela’s ability to push the limits of his abilities during training with just his thoughts is as impressive as it gets.
Kinsela is known for his open water swimming and body surfing ability and he could shake up the Nutri-Grain Series after qualifying at the trials at Tugun last weekend.
“I am very surprised, but excited,” said Kinsela about being back in the Nutri-Grain Iron Series. “I was honestly just trying to enjoy it this weekend. It was just about relaxing and seeing what happened.
“This field is insane I wouldn’t be surprised if they told me this was the Nutri-Grain Iron Series, all the boys are that good, it is just excellent preparation.”
WHO TO EXPECT AT BULLI
The field for the Bulli Summer of Surf event in NSW this weekend looks locked in, with a host of first class iron athletes set to compete. See who will take to the starting line:
Madison T Jones, Bulli, Open Female Ironperson
Zoe Duchet-Catherine, Cronulla, Open Female Ironperson
Kaitlyn Byrnes, Elouera, Open Female Ironperson
Holly Edmunds, Elouera, Open Female Ironperson
Mikaela Mead, Elouera, Open Female Ironperson
Emily Maythers, North Cronulla, Open Female Ironperson
Sarah Locke, Newport, Open Female Ironperson
Georgie Kiernan, South Maroubra, Open Female Ironperson
Taylah Allen, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Sophie Davies, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Alexia Foye, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Ivy Miller, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Lillian Schooley, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Kyah Shipley, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Nicole Sims, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Claire Spicknall, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Jordan White, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Female Ironperson
Morgan Clarke, Wollongong City, Open Female Ironperson
Regan McKenzie, Wollongong City, Open Female Ironperson
Amelia Poulos, Wollongong City, Open Female Ironperson
Charlotte Whant, Wollongong City, Open Female Ironperson
Kirstie Hardstaff, Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, Open Female Ironperson
Lily O’Sullivan, Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, Open Female Ironperson
Claudia-Rose Slaven, Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, Open Female Ironperson
Tilla Garrett, Manly, Open Female Ironperson
Ella Garrett, Manly, Open Female Ironperson
Georgia Singleton, Manly, Open Female Ironperson
Charlotte Ward, Manly, Open Female Ironperson
Alexandra Tait, North Bondi, Open Female Ironperson
Anna Wilkinson, North Bondi, Open Female Ironperson
Ashleigh Windsham, North Curl Curl, Open Female Ironperson
Olivia Clues, Newport, Open Female Ironperson
Kimberley Doyle, Newport, Open Female Ironperson
Piper Harrison, Newport, Open Female Ironperson
Alex Lefevre, Newport, Open Female Ironperson
Pipi Te Pania, Newport, Open Female Ironperson
Lizzie Welborn, Newport, Open Female Ironperson
Bronte Bowker, Redhead, Open Female Ironperson
Charlie Burns, Redhead, Open Female Ironperson
Lani Waller, Redhead, Open Female Ironperson
Macy Waller, Redhead, Open Female Ironperson
Imogen Stewart, Surfers Paradise, Open Female Ironperson
India Hulbert, Wanda, Open Female Ironperson
Fletcher James, Bulli, Open Male Ironperson
Lachlan O’GRADY, Bulli, Open Male Ironperson
Jake Potter, Bulli, Open Male Ironperson
Flynn WADDELL, Bulli, Open Male Ironperson
Jack Wilson, Bulli, Open Male Ironperson
William Banister, Cronulla, Open Male Ironperson
Jay Furniss, Cronulla, Open Male Ironperson
Cody Gaddes, Cronulla, Open Male Ironperson
Nathan Jay, Cronulla, Open Male Ironperson
Rhys Telfer, Cronulla, Open Male Ironperson
Vukasin Vujanic, Cronulla, Open Male Ironperson
Mitchell Green, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Jake Hughes, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Nicholas Hughes, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Angus Jarolimek, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Charlie Morris, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Oakley Nobbs, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Sidney George, Gerringong, Open Male Ironperson
Wyland Hall, Gerringong, Open Male Ironperson
Stewart Mathies, Gerringong, Open Male Ironperson
Mitchell Payne, Gerringong, Open Male Ironperson
Alexander Pozzer, Port Kembla (NSW), Open Male Ironperson
Lance Newton, Thirroul, Open Male Ironperson
Geoffrey Pryke, Thirroul, Open Male Ironperson
Jayden Allen, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Storm Balmain, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Jayden Beaumont, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Jackson Blake, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Lachlan Blake, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Jack Bonetig, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Jack Carberry, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Will Fowler, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Lee Harvey, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Bailey Krstevski, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Lucas Krstevski, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
William Mackay, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Tyler McEwan, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Jackson Sheedy, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Cooper Walsh, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Leivi Willis, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Eli Wrigglesworth, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
Thomas Duggan, Wollongong City, Open Male Ironperson
Khye Forrester, Wollongong City, Open Male Ironperson
Trent Lawrence, Wollongong City, Open Male Ironperson
Callum Elliott, Bulli, Open Male Ironperson
Stuart MacKay, Wollongong City, Open Male Ironperson
Benjamin Squiers, Wollongong City, Open Male Ironperson
Hayden Humphery, Bulli, Open Male Ironperson
Ben Carberry, Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, Open Male Ironperson
Corey Fletcher, Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, Open Male Ironperson
Sean Rielly, Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park, Open Male Ironperson
Isaac Byrne, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Rory Jarolimek, Elouera, Open Male Ironperson
Hayden Cotter, Manly, Open Male Ironperson
Joseph McMenamin, Mooloolaba, Open Male Ironperson
Sebastian Fergusson, North Bondi, Open Male Ironperson
Tim Senior Skinner, North Bondi, Open Male Ironperson
Charlie Winkelmeier, North Cronulla, Open Male Ironperson
Riley Baird, North Wollongong, Open Male Ironperson
Ben Blakeney, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Jackson Borg, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Charlie Brooks, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Luke Chaffer, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Bailey Clues, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Anthony Doyle, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Thomas Doyle, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Conner Maggs, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Charlie Verco, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Lachlan Warrener, Newport, Open Male Ironperson
Justin McMorland, Redhead, Open Male Ironperson
Noah Steiner, Wanda, Open Male Ironperson
Benjamin Sutton, Wanda, Open Male Ironperson
Kynan Burke, Warilla Barrack Point, Open Male Ironperson
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