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Nutri Grain Trial Race - 2007/12/28 17:08
NO CHRISTMAS PUDDING AS SURF STARS LINE UP
FOR KELLOGG'S NUTRI-GRAIN TRIAL RACE
Australia's leading Ironmen and Ironwomen hopefuls will be replacing their Christmas pudding for an extra training session over the festive season in preparation for the 2008 Kellogg’s Nutri Grain Ironman Trial to be held at Coolangatta Beach on January 5-6.
Over 100 athletes from throughout the nation will converge on the Gold Coast early next year for two gruelling two days of competition that includes a heat and final over both a 25 minute distance race and shorter standard Ironman short course race as well as individual board, swim and ski events.
A highlight of the two-day trial event is certain to be the Ironwomen events with Manly’ s former Australian champion Naomi Flood and Gold Coast duo, former Australian and World Champion Kristy Munroe and rising star Alyce Bennett all vying for spots.
They will be joined by North Bondi’s, Candice Falzon who will be looking to qualify against one of the strongest female contingents in the history of the sport with ten spots up for grabs .
The qualifiers will join the nine Ironwomen who qualified from last season’s series for the opening round at Kurrawa on the Gold Coast on February 2 and 3.
Falzon shocked her more fancied rivals with an impressive 14th placing in the gruelling NIB Coolangatta Gold in October and with a string of Sydney ocean swim victories under her belt in recent times , she will look to qualify against a host of top class opposition.
“I am feeling really good in training and just looking forward to racing over the shorter distances that suite me a lot more than the endurance of the Coolangatta Gold,” Falzon said.
“You can’t single out any one competitor in a trial race like this when everyone has nothing to lose they’re going to be determined and very tough to beat.
“Doing the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Trial is a huge test and I will be giving it everything but if I miss out it’s not the end of the world.”
The withdrawal from the 2008 Series of another former Australian champion Kristyl Smith will work in the female qualifiers favour with 10 positions now available in the women’s draw while only the top nine men will be offered contracts to join the five round professional Nutri Grain Series that made a successful return to TV screens last summer.
In the men’s trial race it will be an exciting mixture of the old generation up against a host of young guns with seasoned competitors in Phil Clayton, Drew Cairncross and Luke Richmond to face off against the likes of reigning Australian Ironman champion, Pierce Leonard who leads a host of fast rising rookies.
Leonard has shown he has the ability to match it with his training partners and Northcliffe team mates Shannon Eckstein and Zane Holmes - but first must make it through the Trial to qualify.
He has already snatched a victory for the Australian under 23 team at the recent Centenary Test Series at Bondi.
2008 KELLOGG'S NUTRI GRAIN IRONMAN SERIES AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS
Male
1. Shannon Eckstein
2. Zane Holmes
3. Wes Berg
4. Dean Mercer
5. Nathan Smith
6. Hugh Dougherty
7. Matthew Poole
Female
1. Kristy Harris
2. Elizabeth Pluimers
3. #
4. Alicia Marriott
5. Allira Richardson
6. Sheree Merryfull
7. Emma Wynne
# - Denotes Kristyl Smith who has opted not to contest the 2008 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman and Ironwoman Series.
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Re:Nutri Grain Trial Race - 2008/01/02 17:42
KELLOGG'S NUTRI-GRAIN IRONMAN TRIAL WILL GO AHEAD DESPITE WEATHER WARNING
Organisers have confirmed the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Trial will go ahead in south east Queensland this weekend despite large seas which have battered Queensland beaches over the past week.
More than 100 elite Ironmen and women from throughout the nation will converge on Coolangatta this weekend as they’re put through their paces over a gruelling two days of competition for the right to qualify for the 2008 Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Series.
A contingency plan has been put in place by Surf Life Saving Australia to handle the dangerous and unpredictable surf conditions that includes a last option flat water venue if possible cyclonic weather hits the coast.
Surf Sports General Manager, Grant Baldock is committed to holding the event in the surf but will not hesitate to make the decision to move to a flat water venue if the conditions threaten the safety of athletes or officials.
“At this stage the trial race will go ahead as planned at Coolangatta but we do have a contingency plan that includes transferring to North Kirra or the absolute worse case scenario of being a flat water venue,” he said
“We are assessing the surf conditions constantly with local surf lifesavers and lifeguards and the Bureau of Meteorology with our biggest concern the possibility of a cyclonic storm hitting the coast on Friday.”
The trial event is unable to be rescheduled, and with competitors set to arrive on the Coast today greeted by big waves and a savage northerly sweep, the weekend of racing must go ahead one way or another.
“Athletes are travelling from throughout Australia after training all winter for this trial and we have a responsibility to provide them all with the fairest and best opportunity to qualify for the series,” Mr Baldock said.
“Ideally we would love to see the nation’s top surf lifesavers compete in fantastic big wave conditions but if it’s decided to be too dangerous then we have no choice but to enforce the last option of a flat water venue.
Competitors will be put through a number of races over the weekend including a heat and final over both a 25 minute distance race and shorter standard Ironman racing course as well as individual board, swim and ski events.
Only the top nine men and top ten women will be offered contracts to join the already qualified athletes in the five round Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman Series that commences with round one at Kurrawa on February 2.
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Re:Nutri Grain Trial Race - 2008/01/04 16:02
KELLOGG’S NUTRI-GRAIN TRIAL RE-LOCATED TO
SUTTONS BEACH REDCLIFFE
SURF Life Saving Australia officials have today been forced to re-locate this weekend’s Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Iron Man Trial from Coolangatta to Suttons Beach, Redcliffe due to unstable surf conditions and large waves that have closed Gold Coast Beaches.
As a result the start times for the Trial have also been changed to the following:
§ Saturday 5 January, start time is 9.00am
§ Sunday 6 January, start time is 8.00am
At this stage organisers are still planning to run the full carnival, however will continue to monitor conditions that may alter the schedule of events.
SLSA General Manager of Surf Sports, Grant Baldock, said it was disappointing that the bad weather had disrupted the event, which has seen more than 100 competitors from across Australia travel to the Gold Coast.
“We are keen to still run the event which is why we are relocating to Redcliffe,” he said.
“The safety of the competitors remains paramount, and this will be the priority for us before we allow them into the water tomorrow.
“Carnival organisers are monitoring the situation around the clock and we are committed to providing the most accurate information to competitors, officials and spectators as soon as it is available.”
To assist competitors, officials, the media and the public, organisers will post the latest information on the SLSA website www.slsa.com.au including the carnival venue and weather forecast.
Competition will commence tomorrow morning at 9.00am at, Suttons Beach, Redcliffe (north of Brisbane).
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Re:Nutri Grain Trial Race - 2008/01/07 21:40
January 6, 2008
CANDICE AND BONNIE HEAD NEW FACES FOR KELLOGG'S NUTRI-GRAIN IRON MAN SERIES
REDCLIFFE, January6: North Bondi's Candice Falzon and Northcliffe's
17-year-old rising star Bonnie Hancock are among six new faces to qualify
for this
year's Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Iron Man Series after two gruelling days of
trialling at Suttons Beach, Redcliffe today.
The testing two-day Trials, held in millpond conditions, certainly tested
the 100-strong field of some of Australia's fittest Iron Men and Iron Women.
Falzon finished ninth on the overall women's pointscore from a field of 35
women, won by a determined former Australian champion Naomi Flood, from
Bonnie's older sister Courtney Hancock (Northcliffe) and French-born
European champion Flora Manciet (Northcliffe) - who dominated the women's
racing.
The pair will join four other Series debutants Gemma Newbiggen (Mooloolaba)
and Terri Sullivan (Kurrawa) in the women's field and Gold Coast-based South
African Wade Krieger (Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park) and Bulli's experienced
Drew Cairncross (Bulli) in a red hot men's field for the 2008 Nutri-Grain
Series,
which kicks off at Kurrawa on the Gold Coast on February 2 and 3 and to be
featured on Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports.
After the second and third rounds at Coolum on February 16 and 17 the teams
will meet in the final to be televised live from Coogee on March 1
It was a special weekend for the Hancock sisters whose decision to move from
Sawtell on the NSW North Coast last year to link up with Australia's
strongest club, Northcliffe, certainly paid off.
Other qualifiers in the women's event from the Trials are: former Australian
and World Kristy Munro (Alexandra Headlands), Alyce Bennett (Burleigh Heads-
Mowbray Park) and Chelsea McKenzie (Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park).
They will join the five top ranked competitors from last year's Series,
Kristy Harris (Northcliffe), Elizabeth Pluimers (Northcliffe), NIB
Coolangatta Gold
winner Alicia Marriott (City of Perth), Allira Richardson (Maroochydore)
Sheree Merryfull (Northcliffe) and reigning Australian under 19 champion
Emma Wynne
(North Burleigh).
The men's Trial saw the re-emergence of Avoca's Daniel Shade the most
consistent performer over the weekend, ahead of Corey Jones (Metropolian
Caloundra), 2007 Australian champion Pierce Leonard and 2007 NSW champion
Chris Allum.
Shade topped the qualifiers from Jones, Leonard Allum, Krieger, fellow South
African Luke Nesbit (Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park), Cairncross, Brendan
Sarson (Cottesloe) with Tim Peach (Mooloolaba) taking the final spot after
finishing second in the round four final behind Allum.
The nine qualifiers will join last season's qualifiers, defending champion
Shannon Eckstein (Northcliffe), 2006 champion Zane Holmes (Northcliffe), Wes
Berg (Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park), Dean Mercer (Mooloolaba), Nathan Smith
(Cronulla), Hugh Dougherty (Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park) and Australian
Under 19 champion Matt Poole in the race for a slice of the $100,000
prizemoney.
Several competitors chasing the four wildcard entries (two men and two
women) have an anxious wait until Surf Sports Australia announce them on
Wednesday.
In the box seat will be those competitors who just missed out on the 19
available spots - including men Kylie Garrett (Mooloolaba), Jacob Lollback
(Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park), Hayden Smith (Burleigh Heads) and women Chloe
Jones (Metropolitan Caloundra), Brodie Moir (North Burleigh) and the
injured Bianca Lee (Burleigh Heads).
Garrett who fought his way into the top 10 after a dramatic day's racing
yesterday when his handler went walkabout, was disqualified in the final
round
of racing.
Judges ruled Garrett missed a buoy in the swim leg and despite the
protestations of his Mooloolaba coach Michael King Garrett was relegated to
last place.
It also saw him drop out of the top nine qualifiers for this year's series
he finished equalled tenth with Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park's rising star
Jacob
Lollback, and just one point ahead of the luckless Hayden Smith (North
Burleigh) who was disqualified for a similar misdemeanour in round three.
2008 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman Trial: Suttons Beach, Redcliffe - Series
Qualifiers:
Men: Daniel Shade (Avoca) Corey Jones (Metropolitan Caloundra) Peirce
Leonard (Northcliffe) Chris Allum (Cronulla) Wade Krieger (Burleigh Heads
Mowbray Park) Drew Cairncross (Bulli) Luke Nisbet (Burleigh Heads Mowbray
Park) Brendan Sarson (Cottesloe) Tim Peach (Mooloolaba)
Women: Naomi Flood (Manly) Courtney Hancock (Northcliffe) Flora Manciet
(Northcliffe), Kristy Munroe (Alexandra Headland) Gemma Newbiggin
(Mooloolaba) Alyce Bennett (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) Bonnie Hancock
(Northcliffe) Chelsea Mackenzie (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park) Candice Falzon
(North Bondi) Terri Sullivan (Kurrawa)
Two wild cards to be announced on Wednesday January 9
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