However it was certainly the ‘Shannon Show’ as Eckstein led from start to finish in what has been the longest time between race wins in his career.

“Shannon once again proved how good he is and he deserved to win today. We both had a really good result and it was fun to compete in the tricky conditions,” Day said.

“My goal this season is to be consistent and make sure that my best result is close to my worst result and a second today means I’m doing all the right things. 

“I don’t have the Nutri-Grain Series wrapped up, so it’s not over yet. I have to get two more solid results so I’ll get back to work, but I’m really proud of how I raced today and where I’m sitting.”

Eckstein raced with a renewed passion and a determination to win after not having been on the podium all season, which is a rarity for the experienced athlete.

“It’s a different sort of feel this year and the format hasn’t really suited me so for the first three rounds I just didn’t have any pride in my performance but over the Christmas and New Year period I refocused and just knew I had to match the enthusiasm of the young guys or I may as well retire,” Eckstein said.

That is exactly what Eckstein did today to win his 35th Nutri-Grain IronMan race.

“I had to get my ankle right and train hard as I knew the guys were hungry. Ali (Day) has had a win and so has Bevy (Matt Bevilacqua) so I just had to match their motivation and go hard,” he said.

“I knew I had a bit of a lead and I got hit a few times but when I had to roll the wave of the day it was Deja vu from round two where I lost my ski but luckily I held on.

“I saw Ali (Day) closing in at one stage so I just pushed further ahead to keep the lead. It feels good to be back up the top.”