Eckstein's jump from surf series champion to Kona Ironman competitor sparks debate, highlighting the evolution and crossover appeal of endurance sports.
In brutal heat, Taylor Knibb held off a fierce challenge from Ashleigh Gentle to win both the Dubai T100 and the inaugural World Championship title.
French phenom Sam Laidlow proves that breaking the bike course record in Kona is amazing, unless you forget that pesky thing called a marathon comes next.
Brisbane's Ellie Salthouse clinched her second Melbourne 70.3 title after a gripping 19km duel with Sweden's Anna Bergsten, breaking away in the final kilometers to win in 4:03:30.
Jarrod Osborne powered through the field from a 13th place swim to outrun Olympian Jake Birtwhistle in the closing kilometers, setting a new course record of 3:35:21.