Catch up on Rounds 1-4 of the 2022-23 Iron Series with a full replay on the road .
Both the IronMan and IronWoman series titles are still up for grabs ahead of the final two rounds of competition, with defending men’s champion Ali Day (72 points) trailing current leader Ben Carberry (75) by just three points in the overall standings, while Georgia Miller (78 points) leads Lizzie Welborn (72) in women.
Here’s a look back at the action that led to where things currently stand in the Iron series.
Round 1 – Manly Beach
Former Ironman champion Matt Bevilacqua and NSW Ironwoman Welborn opened the streak with wins, with the lead changing in both races due in part to the rough surf conditions on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Welborn exited the water in 10th place, but eventually managed to pull ahead after the swim and board sections of the race.
“You couldn’t switch off in that race … the lead changed about 20 times and I was just trying to keep it together and focus on the little things,” Welborn said.
“Being the only NSW athlete this year really meant a lot to me, I wanted to prove that a NSW athlete can win.”
Bevilacqua narrowly beat defending overall champion Day in the sprint to the beach.
Round 2 – Manly Beach
Miller took home her first of three Ironwoman series wins after a spectacular finish, in which she competed in the beach sprint alongside three other athletes.
The ‘Survival’ eliminator format was a huge test of endurance, speed and strength for both male and female competitors, with Jackson Borg taking his first Ironman series win after holding an early lead on the opening ski leg and holding on during the swim. and plank legs of the race.
“I really wanted this for a long time, coming down that last wave and seeing Benny (Carberry) not on … I couldn’t believe it,” Borg said.
“But I was just able to put things together, hang on and that’s really what this format is all about.”
Current series leader Carberry finished third in the race behind teammate Corey Fletcher in second.
3rd round – Maroubra beach
The Super Sprint Round 3 format saw both Ironman and Ironwoman competitors trying to overcome the unpredictable conditions at Sydney’s Maroubra Beach, resulting in many lead changes throughout both events.
With a narrow margin between the top six athletes at the end of the race, Miller was able to take the lead in the swim leg of the women’s event after coming from third in her ski leg and returning to sixth on the board. This set up a sprint finish with Round 1 series winner Welborn where Miller eventually took the win.
“It’s amazing, it was so tight out there and really really tricky conditions and it took a long time,” Miller said.
“Lizzie (Welborn) is a great runner, especially under fatigue, so I just took a step or two before she did, so I think I ended up crossing the line first.”
In the Ironmen series, Carberry started with a 12-second penalty and was in sixth place after the ski stage. He progressed to fourth on the board before bringing it home in the swim as he expertly worked the Maroubra board.
Round 4 – Maroubra beach
Miller took a six-point lead over Welborn in the overall standings as she claimed her third straight win in the Ironwoman series.
In the fierce Survival format, Miller cemented his place in second place in the swim leg after falling behind to eighth on the board, before making a strong run in the final ski leg to take first place.
The defending champion, Day put his injury problems behind him in the first round to lead from the start and secure the victory in the fourth round of the Ironman series.
“I told a lot of people yesterday that I feel like I’m back in my groove and starting to pick it up,” the Queenslander said.
“It helps so much in the Survival format when you’re ahead. I was able to have the waves to myself, have space today, have room to breathe and have time between races to settle down. I felt like the longer the day went on, the better I got.”
Carberry, who finished runner-up in round four, remains ahead of Dan by three points in the overall leaderboard going into the last two rounds of the Iron Series.
Watch Rounds 5 and 6 of IronMan and IronWowan on Saturday 4 February and Sunday 5 February LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand.