Nineteen year-old Steve Lucas (Joss McWilliam) is living in the shadow of his successful brother Adam (AFI Award winner Colin Friels). Burdened by his father's overpowering desire for sporting glory, Adam is pushed into one of the toughest training regimes of his life to win the coveted Coolangatta Gold Tri-Aquathon at any cost. Steve then sets out on his own to also compete in one of the most gruelling endurance tests of Australian sport: a marathon combining a 20 kilometre beach run, 6 kilometre swim and a 17 kilometre surf ski from Surfers Paradise all the way along the beach to Coolangatta and back to the start. Also featuring Nick Tate, Robyn Nevin and Ironman Grant Kenny, The Coolangatta Gold celebrates a well-established tradition of surf-lifesaving, heralding the dawn of the iconic Ironman Classic, where titans of sand and surf compete for the ultimate accolade.

-- Synopsis from the National Film and Sound Archive