The 2021 Ironman African Championships are here! Hosted on Sunday, November 21st in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth. What’s more, athletes stand a chance to qualify for the 2022 Ironman World Championships. Held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The Course
Athletes will be starting the race from 6:20 am onwards, with the first expected finish to be between 14:05 and 14:20. Participants must complete the course within 17 hours to qualify for ironman status. If you would like to check out the maps for the 2021 Ironman African Championships, their website has easy-to-access downloadable PDFs.
The Swim
The 2021 Ironman African Championships course starts with a 3.8km swim. Athletes will swim out from King beach for 1.9km before making a 200m u-turn around the buoys. Then swimming back towards the beach for the last 1.7km of the swim.
The Cycle
From their King Beach swim, athletes will jump onto their bicycles and tackle a 180.2km cycle that will travel parallel to the coastline all the way to Seaview Village and back to Kings Beach again. Over the whole cycle track, contestants will be encountering some spectacular views and the inclines that come with them, totaling about 1107m in elevation!
The Run
Finally, following their 3.8km swim and 180.2km cycle, participants can cruise through a 42.2km run. The running course consists of 4 laps, mostly parallel to the shoreline, each approximately 10.4km and with an overall incline of 87.4m.
Entry Requirements
This year’s 2021 Ironman African Championships are already at full capacity. However, should you be interested in entering in future events here is what you need to know.
Firstly, athletes must be at least 18 years of age. Secondly, there is of course a fee. Next year’s first-tier entry fee is R6999.00, the second-tier fee is R7599 and the third is R8699. Plus, a 3.5% transaction fee will be added for each tier’s payment. General registration for 2022 will reopen from 24th November 2021 with the deadline for the first-tier being 8th December 2021. Also, bear in mind that contestants who are not registered Triathlon South Africa members are required to pay a one-day TSA license fee at registration.
Participants do not need to perform any fitness tests, however, should you have any medical conditions a signed medical certificate must be provided, either at the time of entering or within 1 month after entering, to certify they are medically fit to enter the event.