The 18th edition of the ISUZU IRONMAN African Championship is set to take place on March 5, 2023. This early season event offers men’s and women’s qualifying slots to the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France, on September 10, 2023 (men), and Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on October 14, 2023 (women).
The professional men and women’s field will also be racing for a piece of the US$150,000 total professional prize.
The South African event has a strong field of professional athletes lining-up in Nelson Mandela Bay. The professional field features Olympic Games gold medallist, Alistair Brownlee, who will be racing the ISUZU IRONMAN African Championship for the first time. The professional men’s field will also feature Leon Chevalier (FRA), Clément Mignon (FRA), Rasmus Svenningsson (SWE) and one of the fastest professional cyclists, Cameron Wurf (AUS).
In the absence of defending men’s champion, Kyle Buckingham (RSA), fellow South Africans Bradley Weiss (RSA) and Matt Trautman (RSA) who took second and third places respectively last year will again be targeting a home win this year.
In the smaller women’s field, with the absence of defending champion Daniela Bleymehl (GER), a new champion will be crowned. Laura Philipp (GER) will face competition from Magda Nieuwoudt (RSA) who podiumed at the event last year. The women’s field will also feature the likes of Fenella Langridge (GBR), Giorgia Priarone (ITA), Jade Roberts (RSA), Penny Slater (AUS) and Laura Zimmermann (GER).
The event returns to the original swim course venue, where athletes will take on a 3.8km swim at Hobie Beach, followed by a 180.2km bike. The run will take athletes along the beach fronts of Summerstrand and Humewood to Flat Rocks. Athletes will complete a 42.2km run before heading down the red carpet to the finish line.
The ISUZU IRONMAN 70.3 Nelson Mandela Bay will also be taking place on the same day and athletes will take on the same course, completing half the distance. This will be an age-group only race; and athletes will swim 1.9km at Hobie Beach; bike 90.1km and run 21.1km before finishing on the red carpet at Hobie Beach.
