Kiama's Ali Day hungry to push forward in race for Nutri-Grain Ironman glory

Almost a month after the Kiama superstar kicked off his campaign with a strong start at Manly, the next two rounds of the gruelling competition will take place at Maroubra Beach on Saturday and Sunday.

Day sits equal on top of the men's leaderboard alongside Joe Collins after the pair both claimed a victory and a second place in the opening two rounds last month.

The results mean that this year's point-score race sits on a knife-edge, with Day and Collins both eager to edge ahead of their rival at Maroubra, before the series wraps up on the Gold Coast in February.

While Day could be forgiven for feeling the nerves in his pursuit of a fifth Ironman title, it's the opposite for the Warilla-Barrack Point SLSC junior, who feels full of energy after returning to the Illawarra for his Christmas break.

"I love and I'm obviously proud of where I'm from. It's just nice to go back to where you're from and be around family and friends, and such a familiar surrounding helps you switch of. So I'm forever grateful that I was brought up in that area," the 33-year-old told the Mercury.

"You can plan until the cows come home, but so much of our sport - particularly around this time of year - is about being adaptable. And we've got heaps of races this year, not only the Nutri-Grain Series, but the Summer of Surf too. So in your diary, you can have this session played and that session played to do during the Christmas break, but it's also important to switch off and enjoy it.

"I felt like I had a really good balance and when I'm happy, I'm healthy. And when I'm those things, I'm generally in good shape, so my preparation has been good."

Day added that the two rounds at Maroubra would play a key role in how he fares for the rest of the series, with Collins shaping as his biggest threat of taking the title.

"I had Joe earmarked to be the guy that would be the big mover this year," he said.

"He's had a few race wins now and he's got experience, and he knows how to win and prepare for these races. And then you've got your Matt Bevilacqua and Ben Carberry, who is obviously also from the South Coast - those two went head to head in the series last year.

"It's a marathon, even though it's only six rounds. So much can happen in the next four races, particularly in our sport with mother nature. But I think the defence is coming from those three guys."