Mates celebrate life of ‘bulldog’ Mercer
EMOTIONS in the lifesaving community are still raw following the shock death of two-time ironman champion Dean Mercer.
But tears gave way to laughter at the Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club last night as friends shared their favourite memories of the much-loved father, mate and sportsman.
The club was packed, with Grant Hackett, Ky Hurst, Shannon Eckstein and Phil Clayton among the almost 100 people that shared stories of the 47-year-old, who died after a heart attack on Monday.
Champion ironman Shannon Eckstein remembered the lengths Mercer would go to at training.
“Dean was at Northcliffe a few years ago for the Coolangatta Gold, he was a tremendous trainer,” Eckstein explained. “He had some calf issues so his running wasn’t great, so he’d put a stationary bike on the water’s edge.
“He’d do his ski, paddle, stationary bike in his togs… on the water’s edge.”
That’s how passionate Mercer was about the gruelling race he famously never won, mainly due to the fact it went into hiatus between 1992 and 2005, the years in which Dean and brother Darren dominated the sport.
“He’d go for a swim, come back and get back on his bike instead of running to protect his legs and it was just really weird to see,” Eckstein said. “But that’s the lengths he went to for a Coolangatta Gold race.”
Eckstein said Mercer would have loved to see so many people gathered at Kurrawa, where he was director of surf sports.
“He did love a beer Deano, he loved to have a good time, so I’m sure he’d be up there looking down and loving everyone getting together and thinking about all the things he did,” he said.
For former ironman Phil Clayton, who helped organise the gathering, Mercer was a trailblazer.
“He’s just a mongrel, his nickname was the bulldog (because he worked so hard), you know, he paved the way for a lot of small ironmen, myself included,” Clayton said.
While Mercer was small in stature he managed to beat giants of the sport from a young age.
HE’S JUST A MONGREL, HIS NICKNAME WAS THE BULLDOG (BECAUSE HE WORKED SO HARD) ... HE PAVED THE WAY FOR A LOT OF SMALL IRONMAN, MYSELF INCLUDED PHIL CLAYTON
“My biggest one is he was the small guy and he beat the biggest guy in the sport, Trevor Hendy, twice,” Clayton said.
“We never thought we’d be able to beat the big guys, and once Dean came along we all thought we could. He did it from day dot.
“He’s such a wonderful guy, we want to celebrate his life and the amazing feats he accomplished.”