This is a preview of the race – click on the names to read about impressive victories for Magnus Ditlev and Anne Reischmann.
The iconic IRONMAN South Africa celebrates its 20th year this weekend in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth with a strong field of professional athletes making the trip down to the southern tip of the continent.
The first full-distance race of the IRONMAN Pro Series will feature some of the world’s top triathletes competing for the $175,000 prize purse, with ranking points and five qualifying spots per gender for the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship races also up for grabs.
In our preview piece below, you can find all the information you need on start times and how to follow, plus a full rundown of the contenders in the pro races.
Start time and how to watch
The ISUZU IRONMAN African Championship takes place on Sunday, March 30, with the 3.8km swim kicking things off at Hobie Beach.
The men will start at 06:30 local time, with the women setting off five minutes later. With the clocks going forward in the UK and most of Europe just before, this corresponds to 05:30 BST and 06:30 CET.
The race will be broadcast live and for free across multiple platforms for viewers around the world including proseries.ironman.com, Outside TV for US and Canada viewers, DAZN, iQIYI and YouTube among others. We have embedded the livestream below so you don’t have to leave this page.
Live tracking will also be available through the Ironman Tracker app for iOS and Android.
Course
Nelson Mandela Bay – named after the world famous freedom fighter and icon of peace – hosts Africa’s most renowned triathlon.
The two-lap 3.8km swim starts and ends on the picturesque Hobie Beach. Athletes then run up the beach and up a set of stairs to pick up their bike for arguably one of the most spectacular courses on the IRONMAN world circuit.
This three-loop, 180km bike course features a combination of steady to challenging sections and some faster descent, along the beachfront section of Marine Drive, through the city and surrounding villages, with the return journey adding in sweeping views of the ocean, the rugged coastline and adjacent countryside.
Then, the flat, four-loop 42.2km HOKA run course takes athletes along the Bay’s spectator-lined beach front on a pedestrian pathway to the IRONMAN beach bridge and up the incline of Happy Valley to start a course which takes in city and ocean views before returning to the beach section for the finish line.
Pro Men
T100 World Champion Marten Van Riel headlines the men’s start list alongside IRONMAN World Championship runner-up Magnus Ditlev – the pair are currently ranked numbers one and four in the world respectively by the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO).
Great Dane Ditlev is all-in on the Pro Series this year as he plots his path to World Championship glory in Nice later in the campaign, and is many people’s favourite this weekend.
Middle-distance specialist Van Riel will be looking for a better result after the Belgian’s IRONMAN debut in Cozumel last year ended with a crash on the bike.
France’s Leon Chevalier bested Van Riel in Cozumel, and has experience on the South African course, winning the event in 2023.
But last year’s race winner Rasmus Svenningsson of Sweden cannot be overlooked. He also finished in third at the event in 2021 and fourth in 2023 – so Nelson Mandela Bay is a happy hunting ground for him.
Pro Women
The women’s race appears to be wide open with six triathletes ranked in the PTO’s top 50 all set to compete.
Defending champion Marta Sanchez claimed victory 11 months ago in a time of 9:15:36. The Spaniard raced three full-distance races in 2024 – winning at IRONMAN Barcelona in addition to her South Africa success and finishing sixth at the World Championship in Nice.
British star Ruth Astle, the 2021 winner, is also in the mix after an injury-plagued couple of years, while German Anne Reischmann, the 2024 IRONMAN Cozumel winner is likely to be a contender.
Locals will pin their hopes on Magda Nieuwoudt (ZAF), who will be lining up for her home race for the fourth time and hoping to improve on her previous best result of third place back in 2022.
Prize Money: What’s on the line?
The ISUZU IRONMAN South Africa African Championship triathlon will offer professional athletes a total prize purse of $175,000, with the male and female winner each enjoying a $28,000 pay day as well as 5,000 IRONMAN Pro Series points.
Five qualifying slots per gender will also be available for the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Nice (men’s race) and Kona (women’s race).
The prize money will be allocated ten-deep, as follows:
- 1st – $28,000
- 2nd – $17,500
- 3rd – $11,000
- 4th – $8,500
- 5th – $6,500
- 6th – $5,000
- 7th – $3,500
- 8th – $3,000
- 9th – $2,500
- 10th – $ 2,000
