The Ironmen and women are back in Coolum!

The third series of the iron man is coming to Coolum on  December the  19th.

The Iron man series began in 1984 and since then it has been very popular and has inspired our young kids. These days you can see the evidence on any patrolled beach  especially on Sundays. I admit, I have found myself sometimes slightly hung over with coffee in hand keenly watching my son and others going through their drills at nippers on a Sunday morning.

There are four discipline in the iron man series; ski,swim,run and paddle; the distance for each discipline changes all the time.

Did you know that regardless of the location competitors don't know until the last minute which format the race will be held!?!

One of the most important components of training as an iron man is perfecting your transition from one discipline to another, keeping momentum is important.  Imagine waking up on race day not knowing which combination you will get as long as your physically fit and most importantly mentally ready to race.

There's was a time when people thought that the iron man was just another form of triathlon, but in fact the two sports are totally different. While iron men and women use a lot of upper body work and technical skills in the water, the triathlete uses more leg work and has to be more technical on the bike. While one runs on the sand the other runs on the road and not many sportsman have perfected both.

Our local hero's.

Running hot at the moment with a chance of pushing personal best times and closing ranks on the big boys is our own local superstar, Rhys Duury and Corey Jones, and also a quick mention to grammar school students 16 years old Jordan Mercer competing as an Ironwoman.

Other Sunshine Coast competitors to watch out for are:

Matt Poole - Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club

Dylan Newbiggin - Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club

Alex Tibbits - Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club

Alicia Marriott - Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club

Gemma Newbiggin - Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club

Rebecca Creedy - Met. Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club

Allira Richardson - Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club

Danielle Allen - Alexandra Headlands Surf Life Saving Club

The events official website has a full list of competitors, as well as a rundown of their backgrounds and achievements.

Male competitors - http://surfironmanseries.com/ironmen
Female competitors - http://surfironmanseries.com/ironwomen

Tony's top tips for the not so ironman!

Here is a mini circuit you could to help keep up with those ironman and lose some weight along the way!

Lions park -  Fitness, all body strength

1. Run/Walk  along the track ( that meets up with Stumers Creek Road, should take 5 to 8 minutes)

2.15 push ups (on toes/knees)

3.15 squats

4.15 step ups (use the equipment on circuits or the bench seats)

5. 15 Pull ups

6. 15 Sit-ups

Complete 1-6 it  should take 10 minutes, repeat the steps 3 times, then slowly increase to 5 times.

Follow this and you will be ready to take on those ironmen and women!