Nutri-Grain iron surf Bondi: Ironman Ali Day all business in and out of surf, TV, formats, field

Ironman Ali Day went to a “bad place” during a recent battle with injury. Now he’s got serious about the business of helping others in similar situation.

Amanda Lulham

@amandalulham

4 min read

January 11, 2022 - 12:00AM

NewsLocal

Ali Day on his way to winning the Aussie crown in 2021.

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Ironman Ali Day’s perfect season in surf life saving came after a mental and physical battle back he wondered at times if he would ever be able to win.

At times during his rehabilitation from having multiple screws and metal plates inserted surgically in both arms broken in a freak accident, he said he felt like he’d lost his identity.

“I got into a bad state,” said Day, acknowledged as one of the greats of the sports ahead of the opening three rounds of the professional iron series at North Bondi from Friday.

Ali Day celebrating winning the Nutri-Grain ironman series last February.

Day said at the time he felt like he’d lost his identity and that he didn’t feel anything.

He admits he suffered depression during his long recovery from the potentially career-ending injury and still does.

It’s why Day is now combining business with his passion to improve men’s mental health.

Away from his work as one of the world’s leading watermen bidding to defend his Nutri-Grain iron crown and Australian title this season, the multiple Coolangatta Gold winner is working to secure his and his families future off the racetrack while working on his passion project of helping improve men’s mental health.

The ironman star, who is looking to launch his second gym on the Gold Coast this year, is involved in a new venture working to ensure men look after both their skin and mental health.

Day and partners are poised to launch The Gentleman hydrating cream which is connected to an app than can be downloaded for $1.99, with all proceeds of this sale going to men’s mental health and awareness.

Ali Day is the pre-event favourite heading into the North Bondi racing.

Day said it will offer tools and conversation to help then men engage with mental health and self care.

“It comes with the app and a 30 day challenge in the hope of making guys better with their mental health. It was a state I slumped into. I got in a bad state,’’ Day said.

“There’s a lot of people coming out saying they have issues. Hopefully this could help.”

The popular surf lifesaver from the NSW south coast is now based on the Gold Coast with his young family but has spent the last week at Kiama away from his rivals training for three back-to-back days of racing in the ironman series on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

He enters the six-round series as favourite after winning every event last season.

Hoping to challenge Day at North Bondi will be local ironmen Kendrick Louis, Jackson Borg and Zach Morris.

ROUNDS 1-3 NUTRI-GRAIN IRONMAN & IRONWOMAN SERIES

Location: North Bondi SLSC

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Round 1: 12-2pm Enduro Surf format

Round 2: 11-2pm WaveCross format

Round 3: 12-2pm Survival (format)

TV: Channel 9GO from 12-2pm AEDT on Friday and Sunday. 11-2pm Saturday.

WE’RE TOUGHER – NSW IRONMAN’S WARNING TO QUEENSLANDERS

These been a mini war of words going on for months.

NSW surf life savers have been quick at every opportunity to remind their Queensland counterparts how easy they had it during Covid lockdowns in 2021 compared to them.

Now NSW teenager Zach Morris maintains the obstacles he and other athletes from NSW have had to overcome has made them tougher than their rivals from north of the border.

ALI’S GREAT DAY OUT AT BONDI

Newport young gun Zach Morris.

“I remember we were two months into our lockdown and rock pool swimming at 5am and they had a lockdown for three days and we all complaining,” said Morris, who started his surf career with Swansea Belmont before move to Manly and eventually the strong Newport club on Sydney’s northern beaches.

“We all texted back and said are you kidding.

“It’s fired me up. I think we’re tougher now, more desperate to win.”

Top surf athletes form both sides of the border will clash on Friday. Saturday and Sunday when the Nutri-Grain iron series kicks off at North Bondi with the opening three rounds.

Newport’s Morris, at 19, is one of the youngest in the field and also one of the tallest.

“I was always pretty small and then at 17 I just shot up and I’m now six foot three,” said Morris, in his third year of an electricians apprenticeship.

The northern beaches ironman pulled off a podium finish in his first year in the pro series last season to eventually finish eighth overall.

Zach Morris is one of the tallest athletes on the circuit. Pic: Harvpix

The 2022 series kicks of at North Bondi on Friday with the next two rounds run over the weekend.

The final three rounds will be raced in Queensland.

NUTRI-GRAIN IRON FORMATS FOR NORTH BONDI ROUNDS 1-3

ROUND ONE: Friday’s racing will involve the Endurosurf format – a 40-minute iron race over an M-Shaped or traditional course. Each of the disciplines of swim, board, ski will be completed twice with competitors taking on the surf break again and again.

ROUND TWO: Saturday’s racing will be the new Wave Cross format. These sprint races will be six to eight minutes long and are designed to create extremely fast pace, tight finishing racing. Dependent on conditions, WaveCross racing could involve racing around single turning cans rather than the normal two.

An initial seeding race in a 12-minute traditional iron will determine groupings in four quarter-finals.

ROUND THREE: Sunday’s Survival format comprises three separate, 12-minute long iron races starting with 20 competitors. The last six finishers in each race are eliminated to leave eight racing in the final.

There is a five minute countdown between each race. Race 1 – Swim, Board, Ski. Race 2 – Board, Ski, Swim. Race 3 – Ski, Swim, Board.

Ali Day won every round of the Nutri-Grain series last season and the ironman race at the Summer of Surf series at North Bondi. Pic: Shane Myers, MonkeyMedia.