Newport Ironman Charlie Verco will enter the 2026/27 Iron Series as the No. 1 male seed, placing him at the front of the field as he pursues his first professional series championship. Verco claimed second overall last season behind six-time winner Ali Day, whose retirement guarantees a new men’s champion when competition begins at the Coolangatta Gold in October.
Verco represents Newport SLSC in elite competition after qualifying through the Tugun trials in September 2025 and defending his NSW Open Male Board title in March. His roots remain tied to North Bondi SLSC, where he began as an under-six Nipper and continues to patrol.
Course Record and Coogee Rescue Add to Verco’s 2026
Preparation for the upcoming campaign follows a strong winter in open-water racing. In July, Verco claimed his fourth consecutive Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu Paddleboard World Championship in Hawaii, crossing the roughly 52-kilometre Kaiwi Channel in about four hours and 18 minutes to break the previous men’s Unlimited Paddleboard course record set by Matt Bevilacqua in 2019.
Verco’s season also included a rescue away from organised competition. On 13 June, while training off Coogee Beach, he helped rescue a swimmer during a shark attack, using the long paddleboard he was training on to help bring the woman back to shore.
Surf Life Saving NSW later recognised Verco, Coogee SLSC member Ben Heenan and Tamarama SLSC member Kassandra McGregor with the state’s Rescue of the Year award for their response to the incident.
Title Race Runs Through Four Major Venues
Chasing the top prize will require Verco to compete against a field that includes Ethan Callaghan, Joe Collins, Callum Brennan, Jackson Borg, Dan Collins, Finn Askew, Conner Maggs, Sean Rielly, Kye Taylor, Zach Morris and Bevilacqua.
Opening points are on offer at the 25.6-kilometre Coolangatta Gold on 17 October, featuring a 14-kilometre ski leg, two-kilometre swim, four-kilometre board leg and 3.1-kilometre run. Racing then moves to Thirroul in November for Enduro and Super Sprint formats, followed by the Newcastle Specialist and Eliminator rounds in January.
Surfers Paradise will host the final leg in February, where progressive field reductions will culminate in a 12-man Grand Eliminator to decide the series champion.
Carrying the top seed for the first time in his career, last season’s runner-up will enter the campaign among the leading contenders for his first Iron Series crown.
Published 29-Aug-2026
