In need of a sponsor

[Walter Groenewald 1]

 

🚴‍♀️ Hi everyone! I need your help and support 🧡

I’m super excited (and a little scared 😅) to share that I’ve officially started training for my very first 70.3 Ironman happening on 16 November 2025!

This year has been full of new challenges for me — from starting my own business to now taking on one of the toughest endurance events out there. I’ve decided to push myself in every possible way this year… physically, mentally, and personally.

Here’s the thing — I’m starting completely from scratch. I have no gear, no setup, and I’m trying to figure it all out as I go. But I believe in starting where you are and making it work with heart and hustle.

So I’m reaching out to this awesome community to ask:

👉 If anyone knows of a brand, shop, or individual who might be willing to sponsor or support me in any way — whether it’s gear, training help, or even advice — I’d love to connect.
👉 I’ll be documenting the full journey (ups, downs, everything!) and I’m totally open to collabs or any way I can give back in return.

Whether it’s tri gear, cycling kit, nutrition support, training help or just a few words of encouragement — it all means the world to me right now.

Thanks so much for reading this. If you know anyone I should speak to, please drop me a message or tag them here 🙏

Let’s do hard things and inspire others along the way 💪

Walter

 

[NC_lurker]

A good start would be including where you're based and what you can do for a potential sponsor....

[Eugene]

The problem is that there are a few thousand people entering and 95% all would like a sponsor and some free bees. 

You have to offer a potential sponsor  something different to the other people. 

A couple of years ago, I had to try and organise a sponsor for a team. It was a mission, they wanted to know about TV coverage, how strong our team was etc

[Guest Mike Dewing]

Think most of us are in need of a sponsor.. 🤣🤣

[Zebra]

…as per the above posters; potential sponsors need it laid out - in writing    - what you can do for THEM; you may under-achieve or even over-deliver, but they NEED a value proposition to begin to PICTURE likely R.O.I.

One more thing; the person in the company (marketing) may have togo UP the chain for approval - say to Director/CEO - to get funds for you - make THEIR job easy by giving them the ‘ammunition’ to assist you….

[Shebeen]

17 hours ago, Walter Groenewald 1 said:

 

 

🚴‍♀️ Hi everyone! I need your help and support 🧡

I’m super excited (and a little scared 😅) to share that I’ve officially started training for my very first 70.3 Ironman happening on 16 November 2025!

This year has been full of new challenges for me — from starting my own business to now taking on one of the toughest endurance events out there. I’ve decided to push myself in every possible way this year… physically, mentally, and personally.

Here’s the thing — I’m starting completely from scratch. I have no gear, no setup, and I’m trying to figure it all out as I go. But I believe in starting where you are and making it work with heart and hustle.

So I’m reaching out to this awesome community to ask:

👉 If anyone knows of a brand, shop, or individual who might be willing to sponsor or support me in any way — whether it’s gear, training help, or even advice — I’d love to connect.
👉 I’ll be documenting the full journey (ups, downs, everything!) and I’m totally open to collabs or any way I can give back in return.

Whether it’s tri gear, cycling kit, nutrition support, training help or just a few words of encouragement — it all means the world to me right now.

Thanks so much for reading this. If you know anyone I should speak to, please drop me a message or tag them here 🙏

Let’s do hard things and inspire others along the way 💪

Walter

 

Do you have 20k instagram followers (or have podium ambitions)?

If not, don't even bother cold calling to sponsors. You are not unique, there are masses of people doing this sort of event. The people who will sponsor you are close to you and view you as unique.

You have three options -

*raise some money from the three Fs who don't expect any return on their investment - Friends, family (google the other one)

*go this one alone. Document the whole journey unsponsored. if you create an inspiring and engaging story theme, then you have an actual pitch under the "Sponsor wanted" title

*can't believe I'm actually saying this, but chugging is an option. that's a portmanteau for "Charity mugging". Go and do this in aid of a charity, raising funds as part of the drive. There's a host of people who do this and then channel some of the funds towards their costs - sometimes transparently. It's incredibly unethical in my book, but lots of shysters out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dave303e]

2 hours ago, Shebeen said:

*can't believe I'm actually saying this, but chugging is an option. that's a portmanteau for "Charity mugging". Go and do this in aid of a charity, raising funds as part of the drive. There's a host of people who do this and then channel some of the funds towards their costs - sometimes transparently. It's incredibly unethical in my book, but lots of shysters out there.

I absolutely hate chugging. No you are not doing this for charity. You are doing it because you want to do it. If there was no such thing as charity you would still be doing it. So just own it and do it and pay your own way.
If you wanted to support the charity you would run the campaign and not do the event. Your entry fee, travel, accommodation etc would also go to the charity.
 

rant over...

Negotiate with the Mrs, budget hard and go do what you want to do with your money. You will enjoy the event more and the only pressure is your own. This is a personal journey you are undertaking to challenge yourself and learn more about yourself. You don't need to involve random people to add pressure to it.

 

[Headshot]

Cant resist - speak to Tawn Bewsher - I hear he has sponsorship packages going cheap. Maybe you can run for Endura SA or his Events Business. Be careful though - he's a bit of a slow payer...

[Guest Mike Dewing]

28 minutes ago, Headshot said:

Cant resist - speak to Tawn Bewsher - I hear he has sponsorship packages going cheap. Maybe you can run for Endura SA or his Events Business. Be careful though - he's a bit of a slow payer...

Strong contender for comment of the year.!!☠️🤣

[BuffsVintageBikes]

19 hours ago, dave303e said:

I absolutely hate chugging. No you are not doing this for charity. You are doing it because you want to do it. If there was no such thing as charity you would still be doing it. So just own it and do it and pay your own way.
If you wanted to support the charity you would run the campaign and not do the event. Your entry fee, travel, accommodation etc would also go to the charity.
 

rant over...

Negotiate with the Mrs, budget hard and go do what you want to do with your money. You will enjoy the event more and the only pressure is your own. This is a personal journey you are undertaking to challenge yourself and learn more about yourself. You don't need to involve random people to add pressure to it.

 

My opinion differs from yours, why can't the two be mutually beneficial? You have a personal goal and the charity has a need. Charities the world over support these initiatives for this very reason.

[bleedToWin]

I'm with Dave on this one.

"Hey random colleague of mine, do you want to fund my extremely expensive hobby and also donate to [insert cause], or do you not care about the [insert horrible things] happening in the world?"

If you corner me with this one and really press the issue I'll donate directly to the charity and send you the certificate... 🤷‍♂️

[Zebra]

I feel i am with Buff on this one; for as long as i remember, people have ridden/run/walked for (real) charity, raising GOOD funds, for GOOD causes….

All that may have changed - possibly - are that some multi-stage events have become SO expensive that there are few(er) individuals that can afford to partake, and thus the charity option, where some funds go to charity, some funds go to entry fees…

But, globally, many millions of people still raise much-needed funds for charities, whilst giving EXPOSURE to that charity by competing in a well-publicized sporting event…

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater; a FEW individuals may ‘chug’, as you say; the vast majority that ‘use’ charity-raising do it for honest/solid reasons.

(the CTCT often has in excess of 300 individuals raising for this or that charity, most-all I would guess are ‘real’).

nice debate!
Chris

[shaper]

Can do it all in one, do a charity and race https://www.ironman4thekidz.co.za/

You can register as a hero and raise funds, also raise awareness of why you want to do an Ironman and get sponsorship as well as maybe the entry paid.

[Shebeen]

5 hours ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

My opinion differs from yours, why can't the two be mutually beneficial? You have a personal goal and the charity has a need. Charities the world over support these initiatives for this very reason.

Easy. You just need to separate the two as separate financial activities.

Pay for your own expenses, people can donate to a fundraising link that goes to the charity? - AWESOME

Join the inflated entry price charity batch at a race? - good on you!

This years Comrades got so flippen close to R6m with a dedicated platform for it - RAD! https://charity.comrades.com/comrades-marathon-2025

 

Pull the heart strings, get people to put money into your bank account with your promise that you will donate it to the dogs/baboons/owls/unicorns in need so you can do your racething in their name. Ag nee man. I'm really regretting raising it in the first place.

 

[Shebeen]

2 hours ago, shaper said:

Can do it all in one, do a charity and race https://www.ironman4thekidz.co.za/

You can register as a hero and raise funds, also raise awareness of why you want to do an Ironman and get sponsorship as well as maybe the entry paid.

Someone external to the event still needs to pay the entry, right?

 

[shaper]

3 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

Someone external to the event still needs to pay the entry, right?

 

Yes, but in this case from reading what the OP wrote "I’m super excited (and a little scared 😅) to share that I’ve officially started training for my very first 70.3 Ironman happening on 16 November 2025!"

He has already entered?  Or at least that is my interpretation