Nelson Mandela Bay is set to host the 16th annual Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship in 2020
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (18 June 2019) IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Group company, announced that the 16th Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship will be hosted on Sunday, 29 March 2020 in Nelson Mandela Bay.
“We have been working hard with our partners to secure the best possible race experience for the 2020 Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship, and we are happy to announce that general registrations will be open on Monday, 24 June 2019” says Keith Bowler, IRONMAN South Africa Managing Director.
“We had an incredible event this year with 1 980 athletes taking part, of which 26 percent were first-timers and 30 percent of the field being international. Only 8 percent of the field was from the host city (Nelson Mandela Bay), showcasing the magnitude of the event not only internationally but nationally within South Africa.”
“The event always brings a buzz of excitement to the city as each athlete travels down with their loved ones, bringing with them an average of 3 people, totalling 6 000 people into the city for multiple nights – which has a massive economic impact for the city. You can sense how much our residents love this event, as each year we get over 2 000 volunteers wanting to be part of the experience.” adds Bowler.
The Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship course is characterised by pristine, golden beaches, stunning coastal beauty on the bike course and an electrifying urban run making it one of the most popular IRONMAN events on the circuit. “We are happy to be keeping the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay. The local community does an excellent job of hosting our athletes, from the volunteers to family and friends cheering on the side of the road. The city takes ownership and the atmosphere is unbelievable” says Paul Wolff, IRONMAN South Africa Director of Operations.
There will again be the two build-up events taking place a day before the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship next year. The first will be the Isuzu Corporate Triathlon Challenge powered by Algoa FM which is 10% of an IRONMAN distance. Following this, the Spur IRONKIDS will start at the McArthur Pools & Leisure Centre, where the kids will swim 100m and run 1.2km to finish on the red carpet at Hobie Beach. Both events were sold out this year, highlighting just how popular these events are.
General entries to the 2020 Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship will open on Monday, 24 June 2019 at 16:00pm. After the recent success of the 2019 event, entries are expected to sell fast.
About Ironman
A Wanda Sports Holdings company, IRONMAN operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, Iron Girl®, IRONKIDS®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon® Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, premier marathons including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 200 events across 50 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
About Wanda Sports Holdings
Wanda Sports Holdings is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape – in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media and marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Wanda Sports Holding incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN, and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.
