IRONMAN Announces Mossel Bay in South Africa as New Host City for IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon

October 6, 2021

- Inaugural edition of the race to take place on November 6, 2022 with general registration opening October 26, 2021 at www.ironman.com/im703-mossel-bay - Qualifying slots available for the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland

NELSON MANDELA BAY / LONDON / TAMPA (October 6, 2021) – IRONMAN announced today that it will add a brand-new event to its 2022 global race calendar with the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Mossel Bay triathlon in South Africa. The inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay triathlon will take place on Sunday, November 6, 2022 with general registration opening on Tuesday, October 26, 2021.

“We are excited about expanding our South Africa racing options into the Western Cape next year with the addition of an IRONMAN 70.3 race in Mossel Bay. Mossel Bay is a city that carries rich history and a beautiful tourist destination, catering to both internationals and locals alike,” said Keith Bowler, Managing Director of IRONMAN South Africa. “Mossel Bay provides ease of access for all travelers, with it only being a few minutes away from the George Airport; and only a four-hour drive from the city of Cape Town.”

Athletes and spectators can expect a fantastic race course in a race destination set on South Africa’s ever popular Garden Route. Offering the scenic beauty of the majestic Outeniqua Mountains, azure blue sea, rolling green hills and pastures, rich agriculture, and culture, athletes and their family and friends can also enjoy sights of fynbos, aloes, dolphins and whales. Post-race activities include enjoying the Mossel Bay Zipline, the largest over the ocean zipline in the world, spanning approximately 1 100 metres in length and reaching up to 80 kilometres per hour. With plenty of other activities to do such as sky diving and various boat adventures, this is a place one can only describe as paradise – a tourists dream.

“It is our honour and privilege to be associated with other successful organisations. Seeing that Mossel Bay is the best managed municipality in South Africa and IRONMAN is considered one of the most famous sporting brands in the world, we are excited about the economic injection for the town and global media exposure that the partnership will bring,” stated Alderman Dirk Kotze, Acting Executive Mayor of Mossel Bay.

Athletes participating in IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay will take on a 1.9km (1.2-mile) swim beginning opposite the iconic Santos Beach Pavilion and exiting the water at Santos Bay at De Bakke. From here, athletes head into Transition before taking on a one-loop 90km (56-mile) bike course. Athletes will cycle out and back on George Road, then Louis Fourie Road toward Albertina, onto the N2, before reaching the turnaround at Gouritz River valley just short of Herbertsdale on the R327. From here they will return to Mossel Bay as they prepare for Transition in De Bakke.

Lastly, athletes will take on a 21.1km (13.1-mile) two and a half loop run course which takes them past the harbour, through the historic Central Mossel Bay, the Dias Museum Complex, and The Point where the finish line beckons below the Cape St Blaize lighthouse.

IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay will be a professional and age-group race and will offer qualifying slots to the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship taking place in Lahti, Finland on August 26 – 27, 2023.

“We are excited to welcome Mossel Bay Municipality to the IRONMAN family as partners. Our goal was to identify a city in South Africa that could host an event and would bring a fresh offering while providing athletes with a world-class experience, and we have found that in Mossel Bay. We look forward to racing in this incredible landscape and city,” concluded Thomas Veje Olsen, Head of Operations for The IRONMAN Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

For more information on IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-mossel-bay or direct inquiries to mediasa@ironman.com.

For more information on the IRONMAN^® brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com.

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About Mossel Bay Municipality

Mossel Bay was officially proclaimed a town in 1848 and in 1852 it became a Municipality. As a result of the new municipal dispensation introduced by the South African Government in December 2000 the Municipality of Mossel Bay was merged with those of the much smaller Friemersheim, Great Brak River and Herbertsdale to establish the present-day Municipality of Mossel Bay. The municipal area, demarcation code WC043, is 2007 sq km in size and includes the towns and / or settlements of Mossel Bay, Boggoms Bay, Brandwag, Buisplaas, D’Almeida, Dana Bay, Glentana, Fraaiuitsig, Friemersheim, Great Brak River, Hartenbos, Herbertsdale, Hersham, KwaNonqaba, Little Brak River, Outeniqua Beach, Reebok, Ruiterbos, Southern Cross, Tergniet and Vleesbaai. It is situated on the N2 approximately halfway between the coastal cities of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It is bordered by the Municipalities of George to the east, Langeberg to the west and Oudtshoorn to the north. Its western boundary is the Gouritz River and its northern boundary the Outeniqua mountains. To the east it stretches to the Maalgate River. Its main economic activities are agriculture (aloes, cattle, dairy, ostriches, sheep, timber, vegetables and wine), fishing, light industry, petrochemicals and tourism.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^®, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events including Haute Route^®, and gravel racing like Gravel Epic^®, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance 

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, 1010data and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 17,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.