The inaugural Ironman 70.3 Triathlon race is just two weeks away from kick off in Rubavu, Western Province.

The highly-anticipated race, slated for August 14 in Rubavu, is one of a series of long distance triathlon races organised by the World Triathlon Corporation.

Below are important things you need to know about the race which is coming to Rwanda for the first time.

The race

Organised locally by Global Events, the highly-anticipated race is one of a series of long distance triathlon races organised by the World Triathlon Corporation.

Rubavu was approved as the race host city after Ironman Group in January added Rwanda to the 2022 race calendar of the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon becoming only the fourth African country, besides South Africa, Morocco and Egypt, to host the Ironman 70.3 events this year.

Ordinarily, most Ironman events have a limited time of 16 or 17 hours to complete the race, depending on the course. 

The mandatory cut off time to complete the 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim is 2 hours 20 minutes, while the mandatory bike cut off time for when an athlete must have completed their swim, transition and bike varies generally between 10 hours and 30 minutes. 

Any participant who completes the triathlon within these time constraints is designated an Ironman.

The impact on tourism

Rwanda has been banking on hosting sports and entertainment events as part of efforts to establish itself as the MICE destination.

MICE last year contributed 13 per cent of the country’s total revenues through the sports and conferences that Rwanda hosted.

The fact that Ironman 70.3 Triathlon race is followed by 21 million people on social media worldwide gives Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive, Clare Akamanzi confidence that making the race competitive and entertaining will give the country targeted visibility and hence get people from across the globe attracted to participating in the next editions.

"Through the race, people will be able to know the beauty of our country, especially Rubavu which will be hosting the event. It is a place that creates an environment of competition for athletes,” she said.  

"The place is suitable for such a big event like Ironman 70.3 and, most importantly, security will be assured throughout the course of the race for visitors to compete safely,” she added.

Registration for the race

An estimated 200 athletes, including five Rwandans, have so far confirmed their participation for the inaugural edition of the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon race, a number which is far less than the targeted 1500-2000 that was expected when Rwanda was announced as the new on the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon destination back in January.  

Michel Murame, the race director, told journalists that the fact that not so many people are aware that the race is coming to Rwanda for the first time has affected the number of athletes who registered to participate.

South Africa and Kenya athletes so far lead the way with most athletes registering to participate while only five have so far registered to represent host nation Rwanda.

Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive Clare Akamanzi pledged to mobilize more athletes, to register with a target to see at least 500 athletes confirmed for the race on the D-day.

To achieve the target, Murame told the press last week that more Rwandans will be encouraged to participate in the race and use home advantage to put up impressive performances.

"We want to see more Rwandan athletes registering to join the race. The tournament is going to take place in their home town. Their participation is not just seen in the competition perspective but also a sign of showing commitment to make people love the sport,” he said.

To ensure that more athletes come to the event, registration has been pushed to August 4 from the initial July 27.

Logistics

Many athletes are expected to come for the race with their families so that they extend their stay for some more days to visit Rubavu and other touristic places across the country.

The athletes will be accommodated at different hotels located in Rubavu District for them to be able stay near the race venue.

Rubavu Mayor Ildephonse Kambogo said that the hotels are prepared enough to welcome the athletes and their families and promised to serve them with excellent hospitality.

"The District has been discussing with Hotel owners and all I can say is that they are ready to deliver good service to help our guests enjoy a worthwhile stay during and after the race,” Kambogo said.

Itinerary

Athletes participating in Ironman 70.3 Rwanda will take on a 1.9km swim at the waterfront of Lake Kivu, a 90km bike course, and a multi-lap 21.1km run course that spans the shoreline of Lake Kivu.

The athletes will begin with swimming after which they will ride bikes from the lake to Pfunda and cross the road to Karongi and return to Kivu Serena Hotel, then head to Kigufi and Kivu Paradise Resort and return to Kivu Serena Hotel in a distance that covers 45 km.

They will do another round to cover the required distance of 90km.

The last part of the race will see athletes run a distance of 21km starting from Kivu Serena Hotel and head to Grande Barriere and Airport and continue to Petite Barriere then cross Rwanda Revenue Authority to return to Kivu Serena Hotel.

They will do three rounds in the same itinerary to cover the 21km required.