Ali Day and Georgia Miller returned to the top of the podium in round five on the Nutri-Grain Ironman & Ironwoman Series in the penultimate day of racing.
For Day, the win put him in pole position to take his fifth Nutri-Grain Ironman Series with one more day of racing to come. Day will need to finish sixth or better tomorrow to clinch the title.
15 years after starting his Ironman career, and it’s advice Day received as a nipper that has helped his career.
“I went to a nipper clinic and Corey Jones, he was my ideal growing up, some kid asked him what is your best leg and he said ‘I don’t have a best leg. I am 90 percent at all legs’.
“It is something throughout my whole career I have tried to work my strengths but work my weaknesses as well and I knew today I had a pretty good run in the individual discipline races and backed it up in the ski and I knew I had to just be consistent in the next two which is easier said than done.
“I knew once I got to the Ironman it just resets itself and I tried to reset the mind to get ready for the last one.
“Zano [coach] said to me at the start of the day we have got to work through the gutter each time I made sure I put my head down and kicked and swam the whole way through,” he said.
While Day looked in strong form today, there was no taking away from Kiwi Ironman Joe Collins who delivered a thrilling final race to finish second place and overtake defending Ironman champion Matt Bevilacqua. Collins is now second place overall leading into the final day of racing.
“I just couldn’t get there today, Ali is a class athlete and he really just outdid me in that final iron. I wanted to go off first and I just couldn’t break them. I was just trying to hold onto Ali.
“On the way in we both looked for a wave in the swim leg and nothing came. We both had nothing in the transition. To recover I just need to eat the right stuff, sleep and get a massage,” he said.
Defending champion Miller was back in the winners circle, but is unlikely to claim back to back crowns with two time Series champion Lana Rogers maintaining her position on top of the leader board despite a third place finish today.
Miller has won this format each time it’s been held in the last five years and she couldn’t be happier to get the win again today.
New Zealand Ironwoman Olivia Corrin has maintained her second place on the overall series ladder, after an impressive second place finish today.
In the staggered start, Corrin went in 14 seconds behind the first starter but managed to maintain composure and deliver a sensational final board leg to chase down Lana Rogers to cross the line in second place.
“Today I felt amazing and I didn’t want to hold back and all those little spots count for the overall pointscore so it’s just a battle across the whole day. Going into tomorrow I’m just excited to hopefully finish on a high.
“Going into today my goal was to just have another good round. The run legs today were a bit brutal but I knew if I backed myself it would pay off,” she said.
The final round of the Nutri-Grain Ironman and Ironwoman Series returns tomorrow from 1pm AEDT at Kurrawa Beach. The Nutri-Grain Iron Series will be broadcast live on SBS, SBS On Demand, Fox Sports as well as Sky Sport NZ.