Three-time Ironman African Champion Ben Hoffman wanted to show the Port Elizabeth crowds he was the man to win this race after injury forced him to walk to the finish at the 2018 Standard Bank Ironman African Championships.
Hoffman was a cut above the rest of the pro men’s field as he claimed his third title in four years in front of hundreds of adoring fans on Sunday,
“Port Elizabeth has some of the best crowds in the world, and I think that is one of the main reasons we keep coming back.
“People really appreciate the sport and they appreciate the effort we give out there, I always feel like I am lifted up, especially on the run course, it’s a special vibe, and we are already looking forward to coming back in 2020,” Hoffman added.Having picked up an injury after a fall in the Absa Cape Epic only three weeks before the 2018 African Championships. In that race, he crossed the finish line almost four hours behind 2018 champion Kyle Buckingham, stopping his watch at 12:06:48, a far cry from his 2017 victory in 7:58:40, a course record which still stands today.  Hoffman said he had suffered a second injury sometime later and that saw him go close to a full year without any competitive racing as he walked the road to recovery.
“I wanted to come back here and show all of Port Elizabeth that I love this race, I take it super seriously and that I believe I am the man to win this race.
“So it was always on my mind and as soon as I got healthy again in December, I immediately turned my focus to coming back here and getting my third title.
"So to execute on that is beyond my wildest dream, but also, everything that I was focused on, so I’m just over the moon now to get the title,” the 2016 and 2017 winner added.
The Hoff, as he is affectionately known, will welcome his first child as his wife Kelsey is expected to give birth later this year.
About his feelings towards parenthood, Hoffman said: “As you said, last year was one to forget for a lot of reasons, It was a perfect reset for my mind, it was hard initially, but it put everything into perspective for me.
“Kelsey and I have been wanting a family, and after ending a tough year of racing, we realised that having a family is much bigger than racing, so we decided to make that our priority.
“I feel that now, having the break from racing and having a child on the way gave me the perfect mental refresher and I appreciate what I'm doing so much more and I’m just very excited to have a family and have something bigger and beyond racing for the rest of my life,” Hoffman said.
`Having secured his slot at the Ironman World Championships in Kona later this year, Hoffman said on Sunday his first priority was to enjoy the victory in addition to spending his time in the country with his wife Kelsey.“We are going to have a small vacation outside of Jo'burg, and we will go up to the Drakensberg area, which should be quite fun and relaxing,” Hoffman remarked.