The Iron Series (known as the Shaw and Partners Iron Series under naming rights[1]) is a professional iron man and iron women racing series operated by Surf Life Saving Australia. It is best known for its time as the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Series; the cereal company sponsored the event for almost 40 years.

The series has over the years taken place over various locations, including: Smiths Beach in the Margaret River region of South West Western Australia; Newcastle Beach in Newcastle, New South Wales; North Cronulla Beach in Cronulla, New South Wales; Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland; and Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast of Queensland.

History

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Professional ironman racing was born out of the movie The Coolangatta Gold which featured multiple Australian Ironman champion Grant Kenny and was won by Guy Leech. With significant media attention beginning to grow, Surf Life Saving Australia established the ‘Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Grand Prix’ in 1986. The aim of the series was to generate a high public profile and showcase for the sport, the athletes and the surf life saving movement.

Formats

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The Iron Series is contested over a various race formats which help to create an even playing field for the competitors.

Loop Format

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Description: A continuous race over a conventional Ironman course, swim, board, ski and run. Each 'Loop' consists of one lap of each discipline. A race may consist of three Loops for men and two loops for women, depending on conditions and the course. The order of the disciplines in the race will vary depending on the event.

M-Shape

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Description: A continuous race over a modified course, where the competitors round 3 markers, two beyond the swell, and one on the beach. A race may consist of three loops for men and two for women, depending on conditions and the course.

Triple Sprint Pursuit

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Description: Two conventional Ironman races with the combined points totals to determine handicap starting positions in a third race. The result of the third race determines the round placings. Introduced in Round 1 of the 2015/16 series at Coolum Beach.[2]

Endurosurf

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Endurosurf is a 40-minute Iron race over an M-Shaped or traditional course. Each of the disciplines of swim, board, ski will be completed two or three times, with competitors taking on the surf break again and again.[3]

Super Sprint

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The Super Sprint involves three separate, 10-minute races with 5-minutes rest between each race. Equal points are allocated for races 1 and 2 with double points being awarded for the final race.[3]

The Specialist

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The Specialist is four separate races, one for each discipline of swim, board, ski and run.[3] There will be a 5-minute countdown between each race. At the conclusion of the four separate races, the final race will be conducted with a staggered start commencing from the finish arch. The athlete ranked 1st after the four Specialist races will start on ‘GO,’ with the remaining athletes then starting 2-seconds apart in sequential order in accordance to their ranking.

Eliminator

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The Eliminator event, also known as the "Survival" event, involves three separate, 10-12 minute long Iron races where the last five to six finishers of each race are eliminated, leaving six to eight competitors to start the final race.[3]

WaveCross

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WaveCross is a 12-minute traditional iron-man race is held. The fastest 16 competitors qualify for the quarter-final stage.[3]

The quarter-finals feature four groups of four competitors each, the discipline order is swim-board-ski, and the top two from each group qualify for the semi-finals.

The semi-finals feature two groups of four competitors each, the discipline order is board-ski-swim, and the top two from each group qualify for the final.

The final features four competitors, and the discipline order is ski-swim-board.

The format is based on the traditional course however single buoys may be utilised.

In the event that the WaveCross format cannot be run due to weather or surf conditions, SLSA will advise of an alternative format.

Points

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Since the 2011/12 series, the following points awarded for each competitor per round were as follows:

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2017[4] 2017/18[5] 2018/19 2019/20[6] to 2021/22
1st 20 20 20 23 100 100 100 20
2nd 17 17 17 20 98 88 88 19
3rd 15 15 15 18 96 78 78 18
4th 13 13 13 16 94 70 70 17
5th 12 12 12 15 92 64 64 16
6th 11 11 11 14 90 60 60 15
7th 10 10 10 13 88 57 57 14
8th 9 9 9 12 86 55 55 13
9th 8 8 8 11 84 54 53 12
10th 7 7 7 10 82 53 51 11
11th 6 6 6 9 81 52 49 10
12th 5 5 5 8 80 51 47 9
13th 4 4 4 7 79 50 45 8
14th 3 3 3 6 78 49 43 7
15th 2 2 2 5 77 48 41 6
16th 1 1 - 4 76 47 39 5
17th - - - 3 75 46 37 4
18th - - - - 2 74 45 35 3
19th - - - - - 73 44 33 2
20th - - - - - 72 43 31 1

Women's series results (top five)

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Season Competitors Winner[7] Second Third Fourth Fifth
1990/91 Samantha O’Brien
1991/92 Karla Gilbert
1992/93
1993/94
1994/95
1995/96
1996/97 Stacey Gartrell
1997/98 Nil Not Conducted
1998/99 Denby Stokes
1999/00 Denby Stokes/Kristy Munroe
2000/01 Karla Gilbert
2001/02 Karla Gilbert
2002/03 Karla Gilbert Penny Turner Kristyl Smith
2003/04 Kristy Cameron Kristyl Smith Hayley Bateup Naomi Flood Lee Vrolyks
2004/05 Kristy Cameron Kristyl Smith Chelsea Mackenzie
2005/06 Kristy Cameron Kristy Munroe Emma Wynne
2006/07 Kristy Harris (née Cameron) Liz Pluimers Kristyl Smith Alicia Marriott Allira Richardson
2007/08 Liz Pluimers
2008/09 Naomi Flood Kristyl Smith Liz Pluimers Courtney Hancock
2009/10 [8] 23 Alicia Marriott Liz Pluimers Naomi Flood Kristyl Smith, Hayley Bateup (tied)
2010/11 [9] 21 Courtney Hancock Liz Pluimers Alicia Marriot Kristyl Smith Gemma Newbiggin
2011/12 [10] 21 Liz Pluimers Kristyl Smith Courtney Hancock Jordan Mercer Brodie Moir
2012/13 [11] 17 Courtney Hancock Naomi Flood Brodie Moir Jordan Mercer Rebecca Creedy
2013/14 16 Courtney Hancock Liz Pluimers Kristyl Smith Maddy Dunn Rebecca Creedy
2014/15 15 Liz Pluimers Rebecca Creedy Harriett Brown Courtney Hancock Jordan Mercer
2015/16 18 Jordan Mercer Kirsty Higgison Brodie Moir Georgia Miller Maddy Dunn
2017 20 Harriet Brown Courtney Hancock Karlee Nurthen Maddy Dunn Georgia Miller
2017/18[12] 20 Brielle Cooper Harriet Brown Georgia Miller Lana Rogers Courtney Hancock
2018/19[13] 20 Georgia Miller Maddy Dunn Lana Rogers Kirsty Higgison Brielle Cooper
2019/20 20[6] Lana Rogers Georgia Miller Lizzie Welborn Harriet Brown Danielle McKenzie
2020/21[14] 20 Lana Rogers Georgia Miller Lizzie Welborn Danielle McKenzie Tiarnee Massie
2021/22[15] 21 Harriet Brown Danielle McKenzie Courtney Hancock Hannah Sculley Aly Bull
2022/23[14] 22 Georgia Miller Lizzie Welborn Danielle McKenzie Lucy Derbyshire Tiarnee Massie


In the 2010/11 series, Pluimers won four of the five rounds, but her 17th-place finish in the fourth round meant she finished second in the series, six points behind series winner Courtney Hancock.[9]

Men's series results (top five)

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Season Competitors Winner[7] Second Third Fourth Fifth
1986/87 Darren Mercer
1987/88 Darren Mercer
1988/89 Darren Mercer
1989/90 Trevor Hendy
1990/91 Darren Mercer
1991/92 Darren Mercer
1992/93 Darren Mercer
1993/94 Darren Mercer
1994/95 Dean Mercer
1995/96 Dean Mercer
1996/97 Dean Mercer
1997/98 Nil Not conducted
1998/99 Dean Mercer
1999/00 Zane Holmes
2000/01 Zane Holmes
2001/02 Ky Hurst
2002/03 Shannon Eckstein Dean Mercer Steve Meredith
2003/04 Zane Holmes
2004/05 Zane Holmes Shannon Eckstein
2005/06 Shannon Eckstein Pierce Leonard Zane Holmes
2006/07 Shannon Eckstein Zane Holmes Wes Berg Dean Mercer Nathan Smith
2007/08 Zane Holmes Shannon Eckstein Pierce Leonard
2008/09 Shannon Eckstein Zane Holmes Matt Poole Pierce Leonard
2009/10 25 Shannon Eckstein Hugh Dougherty Ky Hurst Rhys Drury Corey Jones
2010/11 21 Shannon Eckstein Matt Poole Zane Holmes Caine Eckstein Hugh Dougherty, Wes Berg (tied)
2011/12 21 Caine Eckstein Alastair (Ali) Day Shannon Eckstein Ky Hurst Zane Holmes
2012/13 17 Shannon Eckstein Kendrick Louis Alastair (Ali) Day Matt Poole Ky Hurst
2013/14 16 Shannon Eckstein Ky Hurst Kendrick Louis Matt Poole Caine Eckstein
2014/15 15 Alastair (Ali) Day Shannon Eckstein Matt Poole Ky Hurst Kendrick Louis
2015/16 18 Shannon Eckstein Alastair (Ali) Day Matt Bevilacqua Matt Poole Luke Cuff
2017 20 Matt Poole Shannon Eckstein Kendrick Louis Alastair (Ali) Day Luke Cuff
2017/18[12] 20 Matt Bevilacqua Alastair (Ali) Day James Lacy Max Brooks Shannon Eckstein
2018/19[16] 20 Alastair (Ali) Day Kendrick Louis Matt Poole Ben Carberry Cory Taylor
2019/20 20[6] Kendrick Louis Matt Bevilacqua Matt Poole Tanyn Lyndon TJ Hendy
2020/21[14] 20 Alastair (Ali) Day Jy Timperley Joe Collins Matt Bevilacqua Cory Taylor
2021/22>[15] 21 Alastair (Ali) Day Matt Bevilacqua Jy Timperley Dan Collins Kendrick Louis
2022/23>[14] 21 Matt Bevilacqua Ben Carberry Joe Collins Cory Taylor Finn Askew

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Davis, Nathan (21 June 2024). "SHAW AND PARTNERS FINANCIAL SERVICES INVESTING IN A NEW GENERATION OF SURF LIFE SAVING IRON SERIES STARS". Shaw and Partners Iron Series. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Gold Coast Bulletin". 28 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Nutri-Grain Series IronMan and IronWoman | Nutri-Grain Series".
  4. ^ "Ironman Series - Surf Life Saving". sls.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Ocean6".
  6. ^ a b c "2019/20 Nutri-Grain Iron Series – Information Circular" (PDF). Surf Life Saving Australia. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b "News | Previous Winners". www.nutrigrainironman.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  8. ^ 2010 series results.
  9. ^ a b 2010/2011 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Series Women's Results.
  10. ^ 2011/2012 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Series Women's Results.
  11. ^ 2012/2013 Women's Results.
  12. ^ a b "Ocean6".
  13. ^ Ocean6 Round Six Nutri Grain IronWoman Series. YouTube. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d "Nutri-Grain Series IronMan and IronWoman | Results".
  15. ^ a b The 2021/22 Nutri-Grain IronMan and IronWoman Series
  16. ^ Ocean6 Round Six Nutri-Grain IronMan Series. YouTube. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021.
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