With just days to go before the much-anticipated Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nelson Mandela Bay this weekend, preparations for the global showpiece remain on track.
Around five thousand athletes will be making their way to the City for the event.
One of those athletes is South African Pieter du Preez, who was the first quadriplegic competitor to ever complete the triathlon.
In an interview with Algoa FM, Du Preez, who was paralysed from the chest down following a motorcycle accident in 2003, said he was extremely excited to be taking part in the competition again this year.
"I was 23-years-old (when the accident happened) still doing my honours part-time. I did my degree in actuarial sciences and my honours in investment management. I was actually on my way to a Chiropractor when a car knocked me off my bike. So, instead of hitting my spine into alignment, it knocked my spine completely out of alignment, quite ironically," he said.
He explained that most people think that if you are a quadriplegic, you can only move your head.
However, he said that it actually simply means that you broke your neck, and depending on which level it broke, you could either have only movement of your head or limited hand and arm function left.
"I'm a level C6 (quadriplegic), so physically what that means is I can literally only move my wrists, my biceps and my shoulders. I have got no triceps function and I can't move my hands or fingers at all. I am completely paralyzed from the chest down. So if you want to equate that, it's about 15% of the function that an abled body person would have".
Despite the tragedy of the accident almost 15 years ago, Du Preez said he tries to remain an inspiration to others.
"It was a tough journey but I always say, I am a man of faith and my faith definitely saved me. My situation is a bit different because I had a lot of support, but for me its very weird because I feel like I was born to be a quad, I carried on, I took it in my stride".
Du Preez will compete in all three legs of the race starting with a 1.9-kilometre double-arm backstroke swim. Thereafter the bicycle leg of the race will commence. He will compete using a handbike where he will cycle for 90 kilometres. In the final leg, he will compete using a three-wheeled race chair where he has to push on with his arms for 21.1 kilometres to the finish line.
He said his training has been going very well and hopes to complete the race within a time of six and a half hours if the weather forecast holds.
Isuzu, the title sponsor, named him an ambassador for the brand for this weekends' event which he said would be spectacular.