Vodacom the official communications partner to IRONMAN 70.3 Durban

The Standard Bank IRONMAN 70.3 Durban triathlon is set to be a hugely successful sporting event for the city, with entries selling out within months. This is the second IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon on South African soil, the first being the extremely well-supported Standard Bank IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa, hosted in Buffalo City in January.

The race will see 3,000 athletes competing in a 1.9km swim at Snake Park Beach, followed by a 90.1km bike ride along the M4 towards Zimbali and finishing off with a 21.1km run which will take the athletes along the Promenade through to the finish line at Suncoast.

Vodacom has committed to being IRONMAN's official communications partner for the past six years, providing vital connectivity for those competing, for the organisers as well as the spectators. This includes both the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay and the Standard Bank IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa hosted in Buffalo City with the Standard Bank IRONMAN 70.3 Durban - the first IRONMAN event outside of the Eastern Cape - now joining the South African triathlon calendar.

Growing the network, improving lives

Barnwell said that Vodacom is constantly looking for ways to invest in the province and improve network capabilities for improved business solutions.

"Through this valuable partnership, Vodacom will be supporting the growth of triathlons in the country as well as donating much-needed funds towards Durban-based children's charities through the IRONMAN 4 the Kidz Charity Trust," he said.

Vodacom will ensure the event will run smoothly across a number of communication platforms including race timing, media centre and medical tent, all of which need to function without interruption. Vodacom will also be providing fast, stable and reliable network services and coverage to the entire race area and surrounds, including the aid stations, race office and registration venues.

Image by Chris Hitchcock

Another handy feature is Vodacom's Track an Athlete service which allows spectators, family and friends to follow a competitor's progress using an SMS system. The spectator merely SMS's the athlete's race number to 39408 and they will promptly receive an SMS with updates on the participant's whereabouts as they pass certain checkpoints along the course.

Sponsorships and donations

The Vodacom Track an Athlete service has a once-off fee of R15, a portion of which will be donated to the IRONMAN 4 the Kidz Charity Trust. Founded by ex-Springbok, Garth Wright, and his business partner, Gary Stephenson in 2005, the non-profit organisation raises much-needed funds for children's based charities in the areas where IRONMAN races take place in South Africa.

In addition to Vodacom's donations, funds are raised through corporate sponsorships and online donations. The Trust raised an impressive R2 million earlier this year from the Standard Bank IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa in East London and the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay. To date, more than R10 million has been raised for children's-based charities since 2005. Funds raised from the Standard Bank IRONMAN 70.3 Durban will form part of the IRONMAN 4 the Kidz Charity Trust's total for 2016.