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We are counting down to one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the Nelson Mandela Bay calendar, the Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa, which will take place on Sunday, 22 April 2012.

An event that has been wholeheartedly adopted by the city and its residents, the Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa has grown in popularity and is now entering its eighth year, showing no sign of slowing down!

Last year saw close to 1 800 athletes take on the gruelling 3.8 km swim, 180km bike and 42.2 km run, starting at Hobie Beach, weaving in and out of the Friendly City before fnishing under the famed Ironman South Africa fnisher arch.

Raynard Tissink and Chrissie Wellington set the event alight in 2011 with record breaking performances, and the gladiators of the Ironman arena will once again provide some epic tussles in their quest for African Ironman dominance.

If the PRO athletes provide the glamour to an event full of inspirational stories, the amateur feld is what gives the event the character and substance that makes it truly special. We can once again expect close to 2 000 athletes at the only Ironman on African soil hailing from 45 nations, with the majority of the South African contingent coming from Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.

Apart from the travelling athletes, the Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa turns Nelson Mandela Bay into a veritable cauldron of excitement and fun, as race day becomes a 17 hour long party and celebration of the human spirit. We can expect around 50 000 spectators over the course of the weekend, with crowds lining up along the course to spur the athletes on.

Ironman South Africa has always and continues to showcase Nelson Mandela Bay as a world-class sporting and holiday destination, and with the event being the only Ironman on the African continent. The event means a bumper tourism turnover

Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Cllr Zanoxolo Wayile, was at the starting line-up and at the fnish line at the Spec Savers Ironman event last year to support the athletes. Mayor Wayile welcomed the winner of last years event, Raynard Tissink, at the fnishing line.