Ron Lane
Next to the Australian Surf Life Saving National Titles, it’s the biggest event on the calendar. Its name, the Coolangatta Gold.
On the agenda for the event which originated in 1984 and was won by a complete unknown Guy Leach of Manly, there are two divisions, the Long Course and the Short Course. There is also a youth challenge for 10 year olds.
For the two majors, the Long Course (a marathon event) covers a distance of 41.8 km and consists of a 23km ski paddle, 9.2km run, 3.5km swim and 6.1km board. For the Short Course, it’s a 10.5km ski, 2km swim, 3km board and 5.5km run. The Youth Division will consist of 400m swim, 500m board and 750m run.
Many coaches consider the Short Course a good starting ground for the young ones wanting to make the Long Course their main aim in their careers.
Now for the first time in its history, the Noosa club has come home from this two-day event with its best results ever. In the words of Noosa’s head coach Darren Mercer, “This has been an outstanding result, everyone is over the moon. What really makes it so good has been the results from amongst our young up and coming people from the u/17s right through to u/23s and then on to the masters. In particular, the team results show lots of promise for the future”.
The Gold started on Saturday with the Short Course events and Noosa could not have had a better start.
Electra Outram, 19, contesting the Open Division, won the gold medal. This is a young lady who has already made her presence felt in other events at other carnivals.
Another outstanding performance happened when Zane Hadley finished fourth in the u/19 and in doing so, (and swimming in a big field,) swam the second fastest time for the swim leg section of the event. In the same event Zane Outram finished sixth and Liam Fell eighth.
In the u/17 division mixed team, Flynn Thompson, Lola Gibbs-Beal, Karya Marsh and Will McGarry also won the gold while the u/19 mixed, Kai Thompson, Finella Gibbs -Beal and James Hangad also finished first.
In the men‘s Masters Team Division, Peter Fidler, James Marsh, Tim Mandeville and Scott Emslie won gold, as did the women’s team of Julie Fidler, Mairead Carstens, Gina Lynch and Belinda Marsh. The individual over 50 Division, saw Darren Fallon finish second with John Lewis third. Then on the Sunday in the only Long Course master group Peter Borian, over 50s, won the gold.
Over the hill at Sunshine Beach Club, Sam O’Connor, who just turned 18, finished second in the u/19 Short Course, highlighted by a great swim in the swim leg of the event.
“This is his first time and it will be a great experience for the lad. He will be up against many of the best. He is definitely one to watch,“ said head coach Josh Minogue.
With Minogue as his coach, O’Connor is definitely in good hands. Minogue’s record in the Coolangatta Gold Long Course is outstanding. The record book tells us it stands at a win and three third places. We wish both every success.
For the winner of the Open Women’s 2019 Coolangatta Gold winner Lana Rogers, it was definitely a bitter disappointment. Her performance in the ski leg was once again outstanding. However, in the run leg, she was hit with heat exhaustion and was forced to withdraw.
Coach Sharlene Kelly said: “Naturally, we are all disappointed. Now she just needs to get plenty of rest and I know people will wish her the very best”.
People ask, how did the race come into being? As stated, it was in 1984 and Peter Shrek was writing a movie featuring the talents of iron man legend Brett Kenny, with two brothers competing for the love of their father.
Needing a dramatic climax for the movie, Shrek came to the idea of a race, Surfers Paradise to Coolangatta and back. On asking a friend would he do such a race his friend replied, “Hell no”
But when a prize money of $20,000 was mentioned, the reply was a definite, ‘Hell, yes!” The idea became part of the film, and the race, which would include other legs, became a reality.
