With only a few days left before the start of the biggest sporting event of the year takes place in the Friendly City for the first time, athletes from all around the world have converged in the city to compete in the 2018 Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championship on Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2.
The much-anticipated triathlon, which is being held on African soil for the first time, will be the highlight of this coming weekend in the Bay with the women’s race on Saturday and the men’s race on Sunday.
The event expects to attract more than 4 500 athletes from over 100 global qualifying events in locations such as Australia, China, Spain, South Africa and America.
The well-known The Bold and the Beautiful actress‚ Katherine Kelly Lang, who plays the role of Brooke Logan, will also be competing in this year’s Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
“This is an exciting time for our city with athletes representing more than 90 countries, territories and regions from around the world, expected to compete at this year’s Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Around 10% of these athletes are South Africans and 90% are international athletes,” said Siya Ndzimande, spokesperson for Ironman South Africa.
The triathlon will offer a $250 000 (around R3.5 million total professional prize purse, which will be distributed to the first through to tenth place finishers in both the men’s and women’s races. The men’s and women’s winners get an equal amount.
Participants will range in age from 18 to over 75.
The event will be broadcast live for the world to see all athletes compete for this year’s Ironman title.
“This will be broadcast live on SuperSport and Facebook Watch.
“We are among only a handful of events to be offered a live streaming show by Facebook. The world’s eyes are going to be on Nelson Mandela Bay,” Ndzimande said.
The championship is part of a week-long festival, which will include a range of lifestyle events for the community and visitors to enjoy.
“Everything is in order and we are excited to showcase Nelson Mandela Bay to the world,” Ndzimande added.
In the build-up towards the 2018 Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championship, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality held a MOLO Festival of triathlon for all residents to enjoy and participate. This is a strategic intervention at repositioning Nelson Mandela Bay as an iconic sports tourism destination.
Kupido Baron, media management officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, said that the municipality had taken every possible precaution to ensure the success of the event. The municipality has spent R400 million to host the event.
“The roads have been upgraded, toilet facilities next to the beachfront have also been upgraded and water tanks have been fitted so that we can continue with our water saving initiatives,” Baron added.
A seasoned local organising committee that has been appointed by the municipality has been meeting weekly for a period of time to ensure progress on preparatory work.
“The South African Police Service, Metro Police, Ironman South Africa and all municipal departments are represented on the body,” Baron said.
In addition, visitors and residents can enjoy the free City Sightseeing Hop On and Hop Off Bus Tours.
The Ironbus service is a guided sightseeing tour that will allow visitors to get on and off at any point along the circular route.
This allows visitors to experience various attractions, get off and explore and then get back on the bus to continue the tour. More information on the bus services is available on the Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism website.
“This year’s Ironman World Championship will definitely be one for the books and we are extremely honoured to host this event,” Baron said.
Sporting events for Ironman
Residents of the Bay can look forward to exciting sporting events at this year’s Ironman World Championships.
Athletes will take on a 1.9km swim at Kings Beach, followed by a 90km cycle through town heading towards Seaview and returning to transition at Hobie Beach. Capping the triathlon off will be a 21km run along Marine Drive.
Sporting events for Ironman
Residents of the Bay can look forward to exciting sporting events at this year’s Ironman World Championships.
Athletes will take on a 1.9km swim at Kings Beach, followed by a 90km cycle through town heading towards Seaview and returning to transition at Hobie Beach. Capping the triathlon off will be a 21km run along Marine Drive.
Road closures
There will be road closures from 05:00 on Saturday and Sunday, September 1 and 2. All the roads connecting along Walmer Boulevard, Heugh Road and Buffelsfontein Road will be closed.
Crossover points will occur at various intersections. A full road closure is adopted for all roads connecting into the route of Mount Pleasant to Kini Bay and back to the start and finish point at Hobie Beach.
Marine Drive will be closed to all residents from 05:00 from Admiralty Way to Driftsands Drive as this forms part of the cycle and run route. The road will reopen at 17:30 on Saturday and 18:00 on Sunday.
There will be a controlled one-way traffic flow between Lodge Road and Brookes Hill Drive for access to the hotels. Hotel guests and residents from La Roche Drive to Ocean Avenue will be able to use a coned off lane to exit their properties.
Alternatively, vehicles can be parked at a nearby area off course. For more information on road closures, visit the PE Express Facebook page for the full map.
