25 August 

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Ambassadors

Melinda Gainsford-Taylor

Melinda Gainsford-Taylor AM is one of the truly great runners of Australian athletics history.

In the 2017 Australia Day Honours List Melinda was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). For her significant service to athletics as a sprinter, at the national and international level, and as a role model for young athletes.

Melinda is a three time Olympian and is the current Australian Record Holder in the 200m. Melinda also held the Australian Record in the 100m, for some 20 years, until it was recently broken by Melissa Breen.

Since retirement Melinda has been a National Selector for Track and Field and involved in extensive media and corporate work. Melinda also conducts athletics coaching clinics around the country to inspire young children to pursue their dreams, coaching kids from all sporting codes to help them with explosive speed and is currently expanding this business into local sporting clubs and schools.

Melinda ran her first half marathon on the Gold Coast in July 2011. But most importantly Melinda’s biggest achievement has been becoming the mother of two beautiful children, Nicholas and Gabriella and lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with husband Mark Taylor. She is proud to be a Beach2Beach Ambassador for 2021.

Isabella Lombardo

Isabella Lombardo has been appointed as an ambassador for the Beach to Beach Charity Fun Run and Festival.

Isabella was born with Cerebral Palsy and was initially told she would never walk or run, destined to live her life in a wheelchair. However, as Isabella’s condition worsened with her growing body, her family sought out additional treatments. They travelled to the United States for a life-changing surgery that remarkably improved Isabella’s condition, reducing much of her pain and allowing her to stand, take steps, and even run with the assistance of a walking frame. Additionally, they visited Mexico multiple times for Bone Marrow stem cell treatments, further enhancing Isabella’s quality of life.

Isabella’s journey was supported by Rotary, who recognized the potential to assist her further. With her condition steadily improving, Isabella is now participating in the Beach2Beach 3km event. Her unwavering determination and positive attitude make her a true inspiration.

Isabella’s story has resonated with people worldwide, garnering media attention including coverage by “60 Minutes” which followed her journeys to the United States and Mexico. Her role as an ambassador signifies her status as a trailblazer for other children facing similar challenges. Her story has also prompted advancements in medical care in Australia, making the surgery that transformed her life more accessible to others. Isabella embodies unimaginable triumph, defying the odds and spreading hope wherever she goes.

Tom Carroll

At the age of eight, Tom first stood on a tiny Coolite. Twice champion of New South Wales and twice winner of the prestigious Pro Junior (1977 and 1980), he joined the IPS World Tour in 1979. After a steady rise Carroll locked into the top five in 1982 and dominated the 1982 World Cup at eight-to-ten foot Sunset. Winning three consecutive events and becoming the first goofyfoot to earn a professional world title.

In 1985, he took a personal stance against South Africa’s policy of apartheid, contributing to the loss of his title to Curren. Carroll’s boycott of the South African events established him as a freethinking leader, and this inspired other pros to join his cause.

By the late ’80s, while fighting to reclaim his lost title, Carroll became the acknowledged master in Hawaii. His ascendancy at Pipeline from finalist in his first attempt in 1979 to the first three-time Pipe Masters champion.

During Carroll’s 14-year tenure on the world tour, he racked up 26 victories (third behind Curren and Kelly Slater), finished in the top five a record nine times and never wavered as the most powerful surfer on earth.

Today Carroll is a facilitator of the Vedic Meditation technique and still thrives on his engagement with the ocean on a daily basis no matter what type of conditions prevail or time of year out may be. Becoming an ambassador for the Beach2Beach shows his strong ties with the local community.

Steve Menzies

Local sporting legend, Steve ‘Beaver’ Menzies, has again accepted an invitation to remain a Beach2Beach Ambassador. Steve joins newly appointed Ben Said and long-time Ambassador, former World Ironman Champ., Guy Leech.

Steve is of course one of the greatest players ever to wear the maroon and white of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. The 180 tries he scored for Manly remains the third highest total ever in the history of Australian first grade rugby league… and of course, it must be remembered that Steve played the bulk of his career in the forwards!

In total, Steve played 510 first grade, State of Origin and Test Matches, scoring an incredible 251 tries. 

Guy Leech

Guy Leech is a former Australian Ironman surf lifesaving champion who also won the World Ironman Championships as well as the World Ocean Paddling Championship in Hawaii. He won seven Uncle Toby’s Super Series races and twice won The Coolangatta Gold and then the Uncle Toby’s version of that famous event, titled the ‘Gold Coast Gold’, after the sport had become professional.

During his entire career, Guy remained undefeated over surf’s toughest event. He was once dubbed Australia’s Fittest Athlete by the Australian Institute of Sport. He has been a valued Ambassador of the Beach2Beach for almost a decade.