Surfers Paradise ironman Ali Day wins record sixth Coolangatta Gold title

ALI Day has won a record sixth Coolangatta Gold title in a race he rated as the toughest of his career.

ALI Day has won a record sixth Coolangatta Gold title in a race he rated as the toughest of his career.

Day headed into today’s race locked on five titles with Caine Eckstein but decimated the field, winning by more than 20 minutes.

The Surfers Paradise ironman broke his rivals in the opening ski leg but then faced more than three hours of racing alone in the brutal conditions.

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Ali Day wins a record-breaking sixth Coolangatta Gold title. Photo: Harvpix

Competitors battled a howling wind at stages of the ski and swim legs but the conditions in the 6.1km board leg from Burleigh to Currumbin was the most brutal.

Day crossed in 4hr 1min, 20.58 ahead of Surfers Paradise clubmate Max Beattie, with Wanda’s Mitchell Allum in third place.

TJ Hendy pulled out during the swim leg after cramping severely and becoming hypothermic.

“I’ve never done a Gold in wind like that before, it felt like we weren’t even moving,” Day said.

“It was just about ticking those legs off. I was just trying to put one foot or one stroke after another and eventually I got to the line.”

Day said he could not have imagined winning the race he coveted so much as a youngster by such a margin.

“The pressure and the expectation can be quite hard to deal with but I love this event, it means the world to me.”

Miller won the women’s title despite almost pulling out 4km into the run.

In a dramatic flashback to last year, when she stumbled across the line suffering blurred vision and jelly legs, Miller thought history was repeating.

Eventually she crossed in 4:29.22, beating Northcliffe clubmate by just under 10 minutes, with Noosa’s Lana Rogers third.

“I literally look up to all of those girls on the trophy, so to be next to them is such an honour and I will remember this day for the rest of my life and it’s definitely the biggest win of my career.”

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Georgia Miller exits the water in the lead in the lead in the Coolangatta Gold title. Photo: Harvpix

Queensland won the State of Origin relay, the team of Corey Hill, Shannon Eckstein, Luke Cuff and Caine Eckstein making up the 3min 9sec they trailed the NSW team of Mackenzie Hynard, Kendrick Louis, Matt Poole and Hayden White by after Saturday’s shortcourse race.

With the help of sponsors Shaw and Partners, the teams raised more than $20,000 for Newcastle ironwoman Jess Collins who was left a paraplegic after a surfing accident at Snapper Rocks earlier this year.