Both IronMan and IronWoman Series titles are still up for grabs heading into the final two rounds of competition, with men's defending champion Ali Day (72 points) trailing current leader Ben Carberry (75) by only three points on the overall leaderboard, while Georgia Miller (78 points) leads Lizzie Welborn (72) in the women's.
Here's a look back at the action which led up to how things currently stand in the Iron Series.
Round 1 - Manly Beach
Former Ironman champion Matt Bevilacqua and NSW Ironwoman Welborn opened the series with wins, with the lead changing in both races due in part to the tricky surf conditions on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Welborn came out of the water in 10th but managed to eventually pull ahead after the swim and board legs of the race.
“You couldn’t switch off in that race… the lead changed about 20 times and I just tried to keep it together and focus on the little things,” Welborn said.
“Being the only female NSW athlete this year really meant a lot to me, I wanted to prove that a NSW athlete can get the win."
Bevilacqua narrowly beat out overall defending champion Day in a sprint finish up the beach.
Round 2 - Manly Beach
Miller took home her first of three victories in the Ironwoman Series after a spectacular finish, which saw her contest in a sprint finish up the beach alongside three other athletes.
The 'Survival' eliminator format posed a huge test for both male and female competitors’ endurance, speed and power, with Jackson Borg claiming a maiden Ironman Series win after maintaining an early lead in the opening ski leg and managing to hold on through the swim and board legs of the race.
“I’ve 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 string things together, hang in there and that’s really what this format is about."
Current Series leader Carberry finished third in the race behind teammate Corey Fletcher in second.
Round 3 - Maroubra Beach
The Super Sprint format of the third round saw the Ironman and Ironwoman competitors try to conquer the unpredictable conditions at Sydney’s Maroubra Beach, resulting in many lead changes throughout both events.
With little separating the top six athletes at the end of the race, Miller managed to take the lead in the swim leg of the women's event after coming off her ski leg in third and dropping back to sixth on the board. This set up a sprint finish with Round 1 series winner Welborn where Miller ultimately prevailed.
“It’s incredible, that was so tight out there and really really tricky conditions and a long run," Miller said.
"Lizzie (Welborn) is a great runner, especially under fatigue, so I just had a single step or two up before she did so I think that ended up getting me over the line first.”
In the Ironmen Series, Carberry started off with a 12-second penalty and was in sixth place after the ski leg. He progressed up to fourth in the board before bringing it home in the swim as he expertly worked the Maroubra surf.
Round 4 - Maroubra Beach
Miller took a six-point lead over Welborn in the overall standings as she claimed her third consecutive win in the Ironwoman Series.
In the cutthroat Survival format, Miller steadied into second in the swim leg after trailing in eighth on the board, before setting up a strong run home on the final ski leg to power into first place.
Defending champion Day put his opening round injury woes behind him, leading from the start and going on to secure victory in the fourth round of the Ironman Series.
“I said to a lot of people yesterday that I felt like I was getting back in my groove and starting to chip away at it,” the Queenslander said.
“It just helps so much in the Survival format when you’re out in front. I was able to have waves to myself, have space today, have room to breathe, and have the time in between races to settle myself. I felt like the longer the day got, the better I got."
Carberry, who finished runner-up in the fourth round, remains ahead of Day by three points on the overall leaderboard heading into the final two rounds of the Iron Series.
Watch Rounds 5 and 6 of the IronMan and IronWowan Series on Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5 LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand.
