Mossel Bay Named New IRONMAN South Africa Host City for 2027 African Championship

• IRONMAN South Africa announced Mossel Bay as a new full-distance race destination for the first time in 21 years
• Nelson Mandela Bay will transition to hosting the IRONMAN 70.3 African Championship, the first of its kind on the continent
• The 2027 calendar spans three events across Mossel Bay, Nelson Mandela Bay and Durban

Mossel Bay is set to become the third city in South Africa to host a full-distance IRONMAN race, following a major calendar restructure announced by IRONMAN South Africa on Tuesday, 4 August 2026.

The organisation confirmed that Mossel Bay will stage the ISUZU IRONMAN South Africa Mossel Bay African Championship on 18 April 2027, marking the first new full-distance race venue introduced in the country in 21 years.

Mossel Bay's race route

Athletes will begin the swim at Santos Beach and the De Bakke resort precinct. The bike leg will wind through the Garden Route and along the Mossel Bay coastline, covering open roads and rolling coastal terrain. The marathon run will take competitors through waterfront areas, historic landmarks and scenic coastal viewpoints across the city.

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Nelson Mandela Bay earns continental honour

Nelson Mandela Bay, which served as the home of the ISUZU IRONMAN African Championship for more than two decades, will now host the ISUZU IRONMAN 70.3 Nelson Mandela Bay African Championship on 31 January 2027. Organisers said this will be the first IRONMAN 70.3 event on the African continent to carry a regional championship designation, placing it alongside equivalent championships in Europe, North America, Latin America and the Middle East.

Since 2017, the Nelson Mandela Bay event has contributed an estimated R638.5 million to local economies, with more than 22,000 athletes having competed there since 2012.

Durban will retain its place on the calendar, hosting the ISUZU IRONMAN 70.3 Durban on 6 June 2027, offering what organisers described as ideal winter racing conditions.

Participants die during Ironman South Africa

Briefly News previously reported that the Ironman South Africa event ended with a tragic incident that led to the deaths of two participants

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The Southern Cape Police released an update concerning the unfortunate incident that took place at the competition in Mossel Bay

Source: Briefly News