For 14 years, Nelson Mandela Bay has hosted the Ironman event, a world-class spectacle that has grown in stature among the family of nearly 50 other full-distance events held around the globe.
The Ironman African Championship in SA is also regarded as one of the most efficiently run and well supported events in the Ironman stable.
I can vouch for this, having had the opportunity to race an Ironman event abroad and also having attended the 2017 World Championship.
My good friends and training mates also have praise for the local event given their extensive experience with races across the world.
So for 14 years the city of Nelson Mandela Bay, the host sponsors, has delivered without fail – but what is about to happen on September 1 and 2 is something many have never experienced.
It is for this reason I think most Bay citizens are not ready.
A short drive down to Hobie Beach will reveal a race village that is slowly starting to rise from the ground, fencing and scaffolding that is reaching for the skies, a clear sign that the days are few.
I get it that Ironman triathlon is a niche sport that has a lot of growth opportunities, and events like the upcoming world champs can only add fuel to the growth of the sport.
The sport can only grow with effort and commitment from those who benefit from it.
The city, for example, directly benefits from hosting such events through direct and indirect spend by visitors and businesses.
It is only proper then for the city to show initiative and take ownership of programmes that aim to grow the sport, for its own sustainability.
For two weekends the Mandela Bay Development Agency and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality held triathlon development clinics for children aged between 10 and 14 years.
The purpose of these development clinics was to introduce these young ones to the many possibilities that sport can offer in terms of a career.
Even though many were taught running and cycling skills, a lot of them were oozing natural talent that only needs to be harnessed and nurtured well into the future.
It is my hope that this cityled programme becomes a permanent feature of the city’s sporting triathlon calendar.
On Saturday the municipality will host the final event in this development series and this time Gqebera will be the host venue along Heugh Road.
It was not long ago that one Hanson Singaphi from Gqebera became the first African child to grace the Ironman World Championship stage in Kona Edge, Hawaii, last year.
Hanson now runs the City Ambassador project in his township, helping previously unemployed youth find a purpose in life.
These City Ambassadors wake up at 4am and climb on to their bicycles to carry out their civic duties, keeping our streets safe while earning a respectable income.
Gqebera has many challenges but the ambassador programme is just one way to alleviate the pressure, thanks to the hosting of the Ironman 70.3 world championship.
Nelson Mandela Bay will make history as the first African city to host this mega event.
We say Molo to the world.