Uncle Toby's Super Series
Encyclopedia
The Uncle Toby's Super Series was a professional Iron Man circuit that ran from 1989 to 2001. It was considered by many to be the pinnacle of Surf Lifesaving and inspired many young kids to become involved in the sport. It also made the sport professional and gave the opportunity for contracted competitors to make a full time living from the sport.
Televised on Network 10, The Uncle Toby's Super Series became a major event on the Australian Sporting Calendar each summer.
won the race in its inaugural year and also the following year before The SLSA decided to discontinue the event.
From 1986 the SLSA created a semi-professional Iron Man circuit which was called the Kelloggs Nutri-Grain Iron Man Grand Prix. Although this series did give competitors a chance to win some prizemoney, it meant that the average competitor would struggle to make a living from the sport. Several competitors had ideas for a full professional sport and expressed their ideas to the SLSA however the SLSA were not interested and the tension began to rise eventually leading to 12 competitors forming a breakaway series with rival breakfast cereal Uncle Tobys
as main sponsor. The series was designed to attract more public interest and higher television ratings for what was a relatively new sport at the time.
The SLSA were totally against the Uncle Tobys Super Series and threatened the competitors with life bans. There was great tension between SLSA and the organisers especially considering that the biggest names in the series were also the biggest names in Surf Life Saving. In many ways it was similar to the World Series Cricket
situation that Australia faced in the late 1970s. Both sports were facing a breakaway series which was designed for television and to attract advertising while the formal competition was to continue despite losing its main drawcards.
comfortably won the race making him undefeated over the race from 3 attempts. The entire race was televised live and finished at sunset. Interest in the series was developing rapidly and despite television ratings were at an acceptable level.
The 1990/91 season was also won by Hendy with young competitors Guy Andrews and Jon Robinson finishing in second and third place respectively. The first race of the season was held in Hawaii making it the first overseas race. By now the series was beginning to make its presence felt and the competition was fierce, so much that Grant Kenny, who was a four-time Australian Iron Man champion, could only manage to finish as high as 17th in the overall series.
1991/92 was another successful year for the series and another successful year for Trevor Hendy. Despite being sick and missing the first race, Hendy recovered to win the series with Guy Andrews coming second again and Guy Leech in third. The season saw the Uncle Tobys series hold a prime-time race televised live at 6pm on a Friday night from Manly. It turned out to be a great ratings grabber with the sports two biggest names (Hendy and Leech) battling it out with Hendy narrowly winning in a sprint finish. The season also saw the emergence of talented Iron Man Jonathan Crowe who won his first Uncle Tobys race in round one in the Gold Coast Gold. The tragedy of the season was Jon Robinson being injured in a motorbike accident and missing the last 3 races. Robinson would not return for 2 years.
By now both the series and Trevor Hendy were becoming more and more well known. Hendy had won every series and had also won the Australian Championships in the same years. In the Australian Championships both the Uncle Toby's and Nutri-Grain competitors would compete together and the fact that Hendy had beaten all-commers left no doubt in the public's mind that he was clearly the best Iron Man in Australia.
1992/93 saw 5 races with 5 different winners before an epic final at Manly featuring 3 contenders for overall series victory. Guy Andrews had finished second to Hendy for the previous 2 years and when it came time for the final race both himself and Sean Kenny were on equal points with Hendy meaning the winner of the final race would win the series. Hendy had a disappointing race and was not in contention however Andrews and Kenny staged one of the most memorable battles in Iron Man history. Andrews initially led the race and Kenny began to close the gap eventually catching up to Andrews before a final sprint finish with Andrews then prevailing to take series victory.
If Trevor Hendy's desire to win had been absent in the 1992/93 season, his hunger certainly returned in 1993/94. Over the 7 race series, Hendy won 5 races and finished second twice. The season also saw the return of crowd favourite Craig Riddington who had missed the previous year with a blood clot in his arm.
It was around this time that Trevor Hendy would begin to turn his attention to kayak paddling in hope of making Australia's Olympic Team. Despite devoting most of his training time to kayaks, Trevor still remained competitive and managed to finish second in the 1994-95 series.
The Gold Coast Gold would return for the 1995/96 season and would be won by Scott Reeves. This was to be Scott's first and only attempt at the race. Guy Andrews would go on to win the series for the second time.
. The episode was based around the Iron Men visiting the Baywatch characters and staging a race against them. In the fictional race Trevor Hendy
narrowly beat Mitch Buchannon
who was played by David Hasselhoff
.
Jonathan Crowe, Guy Andrews and Trevor Hendy
all had speaking roles in the episode as did series promoter Michael Porra.
. Hurst would soon become the sports leading competitor and would later represent Australia at the 2008 Olympics.
The 1997-98 also saw Darren and Dean Mercer compete in the series for the first time however surprisingly neither of them were competitive.
By now the prizemoney for the entire series was at a total of $900,000. This was also to be the first season where series creator Michael Porra would not be involved with the series. Porra had also commentated every race since 1989. Guy Andrews went on to win the series for the third time.
The Sydney Olympics had been believed to be the main reason why sponsorhip had gone elsewhere as most companies wanted to be an olympic sponsor and this meant there was not enough leftover funds to put into sports such as Surf Iron Man.
As a result the escalating costs became too much and a decision was made to discontinue the series in June 2001.
, the two sports were vastly different which was evidenced by several athletes from each sport trying to compete in the other without great success.
Triathlon is a sport which is mostly lower body where Surf Iron Man is a sport that is mostly upper-body. Even though Surf Iron Men have running as part of their races, the running they do is mostly on sand which requires a different technique and works muscles in a different way to road running. Alternatively triathletes who compete on the road would have a difficult time adjusting to sand running. The technical/surf skills involved in Surf Iron Man races were also something that would take years to develop making the transition from triathlon very difficult.
Triathletes Spot Anderson and Rick Pallister competed in the Uncle Tobys series with very limited success. Alternatively elite Iron Man Guy Leech tried doing triathlons but struggled with road running and technical bike skills, was never competitive and retired not long after.
Guy Andrews remains the only competitor to claim succes in both sports being an Australian Age-Group champion in Triathlon/Duathlon and also completing an Ironman Triathlon in a respectable time despite losing a pedal. Original Uncle Tobys Iron Man Graham Bruce has also competed several Ironman Triathlons and has always been competitive in his age group.
- Olympic Gold Medalist in kayaks. Competed in the series sporadically from 1989-1995. Dominated board and ski legs but was very weak in the swim and run due to most of his training being centered around his kayaking.
Craig Hackett - Brother of Grant Hackett
. Won two races during his time in the Uncle Toby's Super Series.
Hayden Reece - New Zealand competitor who was one of the oldest in the series but still very competitive especially in the board and run legs.
Murray Cox - Was known as the fastest runner of all competitors. Also a strong swimmer. Cox finished second in the 1991 Gold Coast Gold. Retired in 1995.
Jonathan Crowe - Winner of 3 Uncle Tobys races. Starred in the Baywatch episode. Although Crowe lacked consistency, when in form he was always near the top.
Jon Robinson - One of the leading competitors during the early years, was tragically injured in a motorbike accident in 1991. Returned in 1993 but had limited success. Retired in 1996.
Guy Andrews - The only Iron Man to compete in every season of the Uncle Tobys Super Series. Series winner 3 times. Strong in all 4 disciplines and over both short and long distances. Had some success as a triathlete. Australian Iron Man champion in 1993. Went on to be a world ranked Adventure racer and Stunt Driver.
Scott Thomson - Competed for 10 seasons and was in the top 3 finishers in several races. Won the first race of the 1994/95 season. A very strong runner and swimmer. Retired in 1999.
Grant Kenny
- One of the main forces behind the creation of the series. Olympic Kayaker in 1984 and 1988. Despite being Australia's best Iron Man in the early 1980s, was never competitive in Uncle Tobys races as his attention by then had shifted to other areas. Became a commentator after retiring in 1992.
Craig Riddington - One of the highest profile Iron Men in the early years. Very popular with fans. Was always one of the strongest swimmers in the field and a great bodysurfer. Retired in 1996.
Guy Leech
- The long distance king in the early years of the series. Also one of the main forces behind the development of the series. Despite being a star in the 80's and early 90's, he ran into health problems later in his career before switching to triathlons and then retiring in 1995. Became a commentator after retiring. Guy Leech is still a celebrity today and regularly appears on television as an advocate for health and fitness.
Brett Tyack - Victorian Iron Man who joined the series in the 1992/93 season and remained until the final season. Was always competitive without ever winning a race. Strong ski paddler.
Jay Gilbert - Brother of Karla, strong board paddler. Competed from 1990-1997.
Dwayne Thuys - Twice Australian Iron Man Champion. One of the original competitors from 1989. After competing for 10 seasons, Thuys finally won his first Uncle Tobys race at the age of 34 in front of a home crowd in South Australia. His victory was one of the most memorable of the series' 12 year history. Thuys was a very popular character. Retired in 1999.
Barry Newman - Another of the original Iron Men from the beginning of the series. Consistent competitor who retired in 1994
Sean Kenny - Talented Iron Man who won 2 races and in his career and missed out on claiming series victory by the narrowest of margins. Very strong swimmer. Not related to Grant Kenny.
Mark Bennetts Long time Surf Lifesaving competitor. Joined the series aged 34 after 20 years in the sport. Very good board paddler and runner. Retired in 1996.
Televised on Network 10, The Uncle Toby's Super Series became a major event on the Australian Sporting Calendar each summer.
The Beginning
In 1984 The Coolangatta Gold became the first ever professional Iron Man race with $20,000 prize money. Guy LeechGuy Leech
Guy Leech is a former Australian Ironman surf lifesaving champion.Now retired from formal competition, he won seven Uncle Toby's Super Series races and twice won The Coolangatta Gold. Leech remained undefeated over surf's toughest event and in 1989 won the Uncle Toby's version titled the "Gold...
won the race in its inaugural year and also the following year before The SLSA decided to discontinue the event.
From 1986 the SLSA created a semi-professional Iron Man circuit which was called the Kelloggs Nutri-Grain Iron Man Grand Prix. Although this series did give competitors a chance to win some prizemoney, it meant that the average competitor would struggle to make a living from the sport. Several competitors had ideas for a full professional sport and expressed their ideas to the SLSA however the SLSA were not interested and the tension began to rise eventually leading to 12 competitors forming a breakaway series with rival breakfast cereal Uncle Tobys
Uncle Tobys
Uncle Tobys is an Australian brand of breakfast cereals and other breakfast food products. The brand has a lot of history and is mentioned in a 1892 newspaper...
as main sponsor. The series was designed to attract more public interest and higher television ratings for what was a relatively new sport at the time.
The SLSA were totally against the Uncle Tobys Super Series and threatened the competitors with life bans. There was great tension between SLSA and the organisers especially considering that the biggest names in the series were also the biggest names in Surf Life Saving. In many ways it was similar to the World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
situation that Australia faced in the late 1970s. Both sports were facing a breakaway series which was designed for television and to attract advertising while the formal competition was to continue despite losing its main drawcards.
Initial Success
The first race was held in October 1989 which was to be a new version of The Coolangatta Gold which was now renamed The Gold Coast Gold. Guy LeechGuy Leech
Guy Leech is a former Australian Ironman surf lifesaving champion.Now retired from formal competition, he won seven Uncle Toby's Super Series races and twice won The Coolangatta Gold. Leech remained undefeated over surf's toughest event and in 1989 won the Uncle Toby's version titled the "Gold...
comfortably won the race making him undefeated over the race from 3 attempts. The entire race was televised live and finished at sunset. Interest in the series was developing rapidly and despite television ratings were at an acceptable level.
1989-1994: Cereal wars and Trevor Hendy's domination
As the first season progressed, Trevor Hendy and Guy leech were the two main contenders for overall victory with Hendy coming out on top. While this was happening, the Nutri-Grain/SLSA series was also taking place but was now suffering without its best competitors. Almost every Nutri-Grain race was won by Darren Mercer and the majority of competitors were aspiring to join the more elite and more lucrative Uncle Tobys series.The 1990/91 season was also won by Hendy with young competitors Guy Andrews and Jon Robinson finishing in second and third place respectively. The first race of the season was held in Hawaii making it the first overseas race. By now the series was beginning to make its presence felt and the competition was fierce, so much that Grant Kenny, who was a four-time Australian Iron Man champion, could only manage to finish as high as 17th in the overall series.
1991/92 was another successful year for the series and another successful year for Trevor Hendy. Despite being sick and missing the first race, Hendy recovered to win the series with Guy Andrews coming second again and Guy Leech in third. The season saw the Uncle Tobys series hold a prime-time race televised live at 6pm on a Friday night from Manly. It turned out to be a great ratings grabber with the sports two biggest names (Hendy and Leech) battling it out with Hendy narrowly winning in a sprint finish. The season also saw the emergence of talented Iron Man Jonathan Crowe who won his first Uncle Tobys race in round one in the Gold Coast Gold. The tragedy of the season was Jon Robinson being injured in a motorbike accident and missing the last 3 races. Robinson would not return for 2 years.
By now both the series and Trevor Hendy were becoming more and more well known. Hendy had won every series and had also won the Australian Championships in the same years. In the Australian Championships both the Uncle Toby's and Nutri-Grain competitors would compete together and the fact that Hendy had beaten all-commers left no doubt in the public's mind that he was clearly the best Iron Man in Australia.
1992/93 saw 5 races with 5 different winners before an epic final at Manly featuring 3 contenders for overall series victory. Guy Andrews had finished second to Hendy for the previous 2 years and when it came time for the final race both himself and Sean Kenny were on equal points with Hendy meaning the winner of the final race would win the series. Hendy had a disappointing race and was not in contention however Andrews and Kenny staged one of the most memorable battles in Iron Man history. Andrews initially led the race and Kenny began to close the gap eventually catching up to Andrews before a final sprint finish with Andrews then prevailing to take series victory.
If Trevor Hendy's desire to win had been absent in the 1992/93 season, his hunger certainly returned in 1993/94. Over the 7 race series, Hendy won 5 races and finished second twice. The season also saw the return of crowd favourite Craig Riddington who had missed the previous year with a blood clot in his arm.
1994-1996: The changing of the guard
The 1994-95 season saw many new faces make their presence felt. Youngsters Phil Clayton, Scott Reeves and Simon Martin were showing their class while the likes of Scott Thomson and Guy Andrews (who were by now veterans) also remained at the top. The series was won by Michael King despite the fact that he did not win a single race in the seven race series. His consistency was enough for him to win based on overall points.It was around this time that Trevor Hendy would begin to turn his attention to kayak paddling in hope of making Australia's Olympic Team. Despite devoting most of his training time to kayaks, Trevor still remained competitive and managed to finish second in the 1994-95 series.
The Gold Coast Gold would return for the 1995/96 season and would be won by Scott Reeves. This was to be Scott's first and only attempt at the race. Guy Andrews would go on to win the series for the second time.
The Baywatch Episode
In 1996 20 of the contracted competitors were flown the USA to star in an episode of BaywatchBaywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
. The episode was based around the Iron Men visiting the Baywatch characters and staging a race against them. In the fictional race Trevor Hendy
Trevor Hendy
Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times...
narrowly beat Mitch Buchannon
Mitch Buchannon
Mitch Buchannon is a fictional character from the TV series Baywatch. He was played by David Hasselhoff in every season of Baywatch and Baywatch Nights plus in the first season of Baywatch Hawaii...
who was played by David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
.
Jonathan Crowe, Guy Andrews and Trevor Hendy
Trevor Hendy
Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times...
all had speaking roles in the episode as did series promoter Michael Porra.
1997-1998: The emergence of Ky Hurst
During the 1997-98 season, the sports newest superstar emerged in 16 year old Ky HurstKy Hurst
Ky Hurst is an Australian swimmer and ironman. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 10km marathon swimming event and finished in 11th place, after qualifying by finishing fifth at the 2008 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championship.He won a silver medal at the 1998 World Aquatics...
. Hurst would soon become the sports leading competitor and would later represent Australia at the 2008 Olympics.
The 1997-98 also saw Darren and Dean Mercer compete in the series for the first time however surprisingly neither of them were competitive.
By now the prizemoney for the entire series was at a total of $900,000. This was also to be the first season where series creator Michael Porra would not be involved with the series. Porra had also commentated every race since 1989. Guy Andrews went on to win the series for the third time.
1999-2001 Series decline and lack of sponsorship
During the late 90's the series began to struggle to attract sponsorship. As a result prize money became less and the amount of contracted competitors decreased from 20 to 12. Television coverage also decreased. Originally each race would normally be a 3 hour broadcast and there would also be a 1 hour highlights package shown later that night. By the late 90's the entire broadcast was limited to 2 hours and this also included the Ironwomen races. The profile of leading competitors was not as great as the Iron Men of the early 90's when the series was at its peak.The Sydney Olympics had been believed to be the main reason why sponsorhip had gone elsewhere as most companies wanted to be an olympic sponsor and this meant there was not enough leftover funds to put into sports such as Surf Iron Man.
As a result the escalating costs became too much and a decision was made to discontinue the series in June 2001.
Comparisons with Triathlon
Although many people considered the sport to be another form of TriathlonTriathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
, the two sports were vastly different which was evidenced by several athletes from each sport trying to compete in the other without great success.
Triathlon is a sport which is mostly lower body where Surf Iron Man is a sport that is mostly upper-body. Even though Surf Iron Men have running as part of their races, the running they do is mostly on sand which requires a different technique and works muscles in a different way to road running. Alternatively triathletes who compete on the road would have a difficult time adjusting to sand running. The technical/surf skills involved in Surf Iron Man races were also something that would take years to develop making the transition from triathlon very difficult.
Triathletes Spot Anderson and Rick Pallister competed in the Uncle Tobys series with very limited success. Alternatively elite Iron Man Guy Leech tried doing triathlons but struggled with road running and technical bike skills, was never competitive and retired not long after.
Guy Andrews remains the only competitor to claim succes in both sports being an Australian Age-Group champion in Triathlon/Duathlon and also completing an Ironman Triathlon in a respectable time despite losing a pedal. Original Uncle Tobys Iron Man Graham Bruce has also competed several Ironman Triathlons and has always been competitive in his age group.
Series Results
| Season | Winner | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Sixth | Seventh | Eighth | Ninth | Tenth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989/90 | Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times... |
Guy Leech Guy Leech Guy Leech is a former Australian Ironman surf lifesaving champion.Now retired from formal competition, he won seven Uncle Toby's Super Series races and twice won The Coolangatta Gold. Leech remained undefeated over surf's toughest event and in 1989 won the Uncle Toby's version titled the "Gold... |
Craig Riddington | |||||||
| 1990/91 | Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times... |
Guy Andrews | Jon Robinson | Craig Riddington | Guy Leech | Barry Newman | Hayden Reece | Scott Thomson | Dwayne Thuys | Jay Gilbert |
| 1991/92 | Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times... |
Guy Andrews | Guy Leech Guy Leech Guy Leech is a former Australian Ironman surf lifesaving champion.Now retired from formal competition, he won seven Uncle Toby's Super Series races and twice won The Coolangatta Gold. Leech remained undefeated over surf's toughest event and in 1989 won the Uncle Toby's version titled the "Gold... |
Scott Thomson | Craig Riddington | |||||
| 1992/93 | Guy Andrews | Sean Kenny | Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times... |
Guy Leech | ||||||
| 1993/94 | Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times... |
Michael King | Guy Andrews | |||||||
| 1994/95 | Michael King | Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy Trevor Hendy is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy dominated Ironman races, winning the Australian Championship 6 times and coming second on 3 occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series 4 times... |
Phil Clayton | Scott Thomson | ||||||
| 1995/96 | Guy Andrews | Scott Reeves | ||||||||
| 1996/97 | Scott Reeves | Trevor Hendy | ||||||||
| 1997/98 | Guy Andrews | |||||||||
| 1998/99 | Ky Hurst Ky Hurst Ky Hurst is an Australian swimmer and ironman. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 10km marathon swimming event and finished in 11th place, after qualifying by finishing fifth at the 2008 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championship.He won a silver medal at the 1998 World Aquatics... |
|||||||||
| 1999/00 | Ky Hurst Ky Hurst Ky Hurst is an Australian swimmer and ironman. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 10km marathon swimming event and finished in 11th place, after qualifying by finishing fifth at the 2008 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championship.He won a silver medal at the 1998 World Aquatics... |
|||||||||
| 2000/01 | Ky Hurst Ky Hurst Ky Hurst is an Australian swimmer and ironman. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 10km marathon swimming event and finished in 11th place, after qualifying by finishing fifth at the 2008 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championship.He won a silver medal at the 1998 World Aquatics... |
Notable Competitors
Clint RobinsonClint Robinson
Clint Robinson is an Australian sprint kayaker and surf lifesaver who has won a complete set of medals at the Summer Olympics ....
- Olympic Gold Medalist in kayaks. Competed in the series sporadically from 1989-1995. Dominated board and ski legs but was very weak in the swim and run due to most of his training being centered around his kayaking.
Craig Hackett - Brother of Grant Hackett
Grant Hackett
Grant Hackett OAM is an Australian former swimmer most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This achievement has led him to be regarded as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history...
. Won two races during his time in the Uncle Toby's Super Series.
Hayden Reece - New Zealand competitor who was one of the oldest in the series but still very competitive especially in the board and run legs.
Murray Cox - Was known as the fastest runner of all competitors. Also a strong swimmer. Cox finished second in the 1991 Gold Coast Gold. Retired in 1995.
Jonathan Crowe - Winner of 3 Uncle Tobys races. Starred in the Baywatch episode. Although Crowe lacked consistency, when in form he was always near the top.
Jon Robinson - One of the leading competitors during the early years, was tragically injured in a motorbike accident in 1991. Returned in 1993 but had limited success. Retired in 1996.
Guy Andrews - The only Iron Man to compete in every season of the Uncle Tobys Super Series. Series winner 3 times. Strong in all 4 disciplines and over both short and long distances. Had some success as a triathlete. Australian Iron Man champion in 1993. Went on to be a world ranked Adventure racer and Stunt Driver.
Scott Thomson - Competed for 10 seasons and was in the top 3 finishers in several races. Won the first race of the 1994/95 season. A very strong runner and swimmer. Retired in 1999.
Grant Kenny
Grant Kenny
Grant Hayden Kenny OAM is an Australian former Ironman, surf lifesaver and canoer.- Career :Kenny made headlines in 1980 when he won both the Australian Junior and Open Iron Man Championship on the same day as a 16 year old. Kenny then won the Australian Open Ironman Title for the following three...
- One of the main forces behind the creation of the series. Olympic Kayaker in 1984 and 1988. Despite being Australia's best Iron Man in the early 1980s, was never competitive in Uncle Tobys races as his attention by then had shifted to other areas. Became a commentator after retiring in 1992.
Craig Riddington - One of the highest profile Iron Men in the early years. Very popular with fans. Was always one of the strongest swimmers in the field and a great bodysurfer. Retired in 1996.
Guy Leech
Guy Leech
Guy Leech is a former Australian Ironman surf lifesaving champion.Now retired from formal competition, he won seven Uncle Toby's Super Series races and twice won The Coolangatta Gold. Leech remained undefeated over surf's toughest event and in 1989 won the Uncle Toby's version titled the "Gold...
- The long distance king in the early years of the series. Also one of the main forces behind the development of the series. Despite being a star in the 80's and early 90's, he ran into health problems later in his career before switching to triathlons and then retiring in 1995. Became a commentator after retiring. Guy Leech is still a celebrity today and regularly appears on television as an advocate for health and fitness.
Brett Tyack - Victorian Iron Man who joined the series in the 1992/93 season and remained until the final season. Was always competitive without ever winning a race. Strong ski paddler.
Jay Gilbert - Brother of Karla, strong board paddler. Competed from 1990-1997.
Dwayne Thuys - Twice Australian Iron Man Champion. One of the original competitors from 1989. After competing for 10 seasons, Thuys finally won his first Uncle Tobys race at the age of 34 in front of a home crowd in South Australia. His victory was one of the most memorable of the series' 12 year history. Thuys was a very popular character. Retired in 1999.
Barry Newman - Another of the original Iron Men from the beginning of the series. Consistent competitor who retired in 1994
Sean Kenny - Talented Iron Man who won 2 races and in his career and missed out on claiming series victory by the narrowest of margins. Very strong swimmer. Not related to Grant Kenny.
Mark Bennetts Long time Surf Lifesaving competitor. Joined the series aged 34 after 20 years in the sport. Very good board paddler and runner. Retired in 1996.