Guy Leech (born 29 February 1964) is a former

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

Ironman surf lifesaving champion.

Career

Leech rose to prominence in 1984 at age 19 when he won the inaugural Coolangatta Gold, an endurance Ironman surf lifesaving race inspired by the Australian film of the same name. The race, spanning 46 kilometres along the Gold Coast, involved swimming, surf ski paddling, board paddling, and running. Despite being relatively new to surf lifesaving, Leech’s victory established him as a leading endurance athlete in the sport. He defended his title in 1985, defeating

Grant Kenny Grant Hayden Kenny (born 14 June 1963) is an Australian former Ironman, surf lifesaver and canoeist. He won a bronze medal in the K-2 1000m event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Career Kenny made headlines in 1980 when, as a 16-year-old, ...

, and further solidified his status by winning the inaugural Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman event in 1986, held at Southport Beach, Queensland. In 1989, the launch of the rival

Uncle Tobys Super Series The Uncle Tobys Super Series was a professional Australian Ironman (surf lifesaving), 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 ...

marked a major shift in professional Ironman racing. Leech competed in and won the first race of the new series—reviving the 46-kilometre Coolangatta Gold distance—beating a field that included

Trevor Hendy Trevor Ronald Hendy, AM (born 7 August 1968) is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy competed in Ironman (surf lifesaving) races, winning the Australian Championship six times and co ...

and Grant Kenny. In 1991, Leech won the Molokai to Oahu World Championship of Ocean Paddling in Hawaii, completing the 55-kilometre Ka’iwi Channel crossing against top competitors like Dean Gardiner and Grant Kenny. In 1993, Leech was declared "Australia’s Fittest Athlete" after winning a made-for-television multi-sport event hosted by ''60 Minutes'', which tested elite athletes across ten disciplines of speed, strength, power, and endurance. Leech still trains daily and delivers training sessions with paddling and cross-training strength exercises.

Philanthropy and Advocacy

In 2006, Leech appeared in the second season of ''Australian Survivor'', a celebrity edition filmed in Vanuatu. Although he was initially voted out midway through the competition, a twist allowed him to return, and he ultimately won the series. Leech donated his prize money to fund the construction of two schools in northern Cambodia. In 2016, following the sudden cardiac death of his close friend Charles Stewart during a training session, Leech founded Heart180, a national initiative to improve access to defibrillators across Australia. The organisation’s goal is to ensure that no Australian is more than 180 seconds from a defibrillator in the event of a cardiac emergency. Since its inception, Heart180 has been credited with saving more than 100 lives.

Recent Projects

In 2025, Leech launched Younger Longer, a longevity-focused health and technology platform designed to help Australians take control of their well-being and extend their quality of life. Drawing from current science on movement, nutrition, and ageing, the platform offers evidence-based programs on balance, mobility, strength, fall prevention, mental health, and healthy lifestyle habits.

Personal life

Leech lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with his wife, Helen, and their two daughters, Paloma and Phoenix. As a young man, he worked at the Warringah Sports and Aquatic Centre and trained at the Manly Surf Club.

References

External links

* Living people Australian male triathletes Australian surf lifesavers Survivor (franchise) winners People from the Northern Beaches 1964 births Participants in Australian reality television series 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{Water-sports-bio-stub