HE’S enjoyed an enduring love affair with one of Australia’s most iconic races, but there was a time champion ironman Ali Day thought the Coolangatta Gold might have buried him – for good.
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In October, the Kiama-raised star claimed a record-breaking sixth Coolie crown. It was an achievement all the more stunning by the 21-minute margin by which he claimed line honours.
It continued a dominance that’s seen the chasing field thinned out, so futile is the task of beating the endurance master to the finish line.
The milestone win came in a year he also claimed the world ironman title, enough for The Mercury to award him Sportsperson of the Year.
“It’s unreal. It’s been around for so many years and there’s some pretty amazing names on that list,” Day said of the honour.
“Growing up here I always wanted to be a professional sportsman. I never thought I’d be either of these things so to win an award like this is pretty special.”
Day’s milestone sixth Gold title also sees him hold the six fastest race times in the event’s history, but the 28-year-old says he’s still humbled to see his name alongside those of his heroes.
“I haven’t really given it too much thought because I’ve always had something else on the horizon to chase, whether it be the world title or getting ready for the [Nutri-Grain] series,” Day said.
“It feels incredible when you do think about it. Winning the race is one thing but to win it even two years was never really a goal of mine.
“I just wanted to do it and do as well as I could at it. To be on the trophy once, let alone six times, with the guys whose names are on it is a pretty amazing feeling, almost bizarre really.
“Darren Mercer’s obviously from the Illawarra as well and people like that are who I wanted to be like when I was a young kid.
“Hopefully I’m one of those guys for the kids now who want to be like me.”
Not yet 30, Day could well build on that number in coming years, but simply winning a third appeared a bridge too far after his 2013 triumph.
He shrugged off illness and near crippling stress fractures in his feet to become just the second two-time winner, but it took a mighty toll that kept him out of action for a year.
“I probably shouldn’t have done the race that year,” Day said.
“I had a preseason riddled with illness and injury, I had a couple of big and bad stress fractures in my feet and only made the decision to race that week.
“I ended up doing it and winning and it was one of the best days of my life because I’d overcome a lot of challenges and hurdles to get there.
“It was also a day that put me in a pretty big hole that almost made me not want to crawl back out and do the sport again because of the hole I’d put myself in getting up myself up physically and mentally prepared for a race like that.
“I had to take that whole next year off, I missed the best part of 12 months, missed the [Nutri-Grain] series, missed Aussies which was bloody tough.”
The doubts remained as he attempted a return, but he now feels that year off was the making of him.
“There were times I thought I wasn’t cut out for it anymore,” he said.
“Physically I didn’t think I’d ever get my body back in the shape that I needed to be to do a professional ironman race again. Now I look back on it as one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.
“Those first couple of months I just tried to go back for the enjoyment once I got going the confidence grew and grew and the break probably came at the perfect time.
“I don’t regret the decision to do the race that day and that 12 months off was probably what I needed to propel me into that next year and fire me up.”
It culminated in the best year of his career, winning the 2015 Gold in what’s still record time, and a breakthrough ironman series crown - edging out the G.O.A.T. Shannon Eckstein.
“Probably my proudest moment was winning that [2015] race after coming back,” he said.
“I had a wildcard into the series that year and ended up winning that first race and winning that series beating Shannon Eckstein by a couple of points.
“It was a special moment. I’ve had a few of those over the last couple of years so hopefully I can have a few more.”
That 2015 win remains his first and only series title, though he hasn’t finished off the podium in the ensuing years.
That includes last season where he was edged out by a single point by young-gun Matt Bevilacqua last season.
He’s leading the current series after three rounds and adding more series wins to his resume, as well as a national title, remain high on the career bucket list.
“I’d love to win a few more,” he said.
“I’ve been in the box seat a couple of times and lost them. If I came runner up this year it’d be my fourth or fifth time in the past six-seven years.
“I was obviously runner up to the greatest ever Shannon Eckstein a couple of times and I think Bevi’s going to be one of the best of all time.
“I’d love to tick another one of those next year and hopefully tick off an Australian ironman title as well. That’d sit pretty nicely with the Coolangatta Gold and the world title.
“I never would’ve expected to do the things I’ve done and win the things I’ve won when I was 18 years old.
“It’s more than enough but I’m a competitive person and I’ll keep working really hard to try and tick off a few more things while I can.”
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
