Sponsorship · Comrades 100

Every Step of the Journey.
Every Moment, a Story.

100 runners from 100 countries. 18 months of content. From the first training run to the homecoming. Every stage is a sponsorship opportunity — and every stage reaches a global running community.

The Participant Journey

This isn't a one-day event. It's an 18-month story arc across 100 countries. Each stage offers deep, authentic engagement with running communities worldwide. Your brand doesn't just appear — it becomes part of the story.

View the interactive timeline →

Your Sponsorship Timeline at a Glance
Feb–Mar 26
Foundation
Title sponsor
outreach begins
Apr–Sep 26
Recruitment
Gold + Silver
40–90 clubs
Oct–Nov 26
Platform
Club Platform live
All deals closed
Dec 26–May 27
Build-Up
Media explosion
Training content
Jun 2027
Race Week
Village branding
Live content
Jul 27+
Legacy
ROI reports
Flywheel begins
01

Training & Community Building

12+ months before race · Global · Every month

Every partner club adds "The Comrades 100 Long Run" to their calendar — the first Saturday of every month. 100 clubs across 100 countries run together on the same day. Our ambassadors are kitted in branded gear. Content flows from every continent.

This is the longest engagement window. Clubs film their runs, share on social, post to Strava. Runners train through their qualifier marathon. The story builds for a full year before race day.

Kit Sponsor

Brand your gear on 100 ambassadors in 100 countries. Monthly social content in your kit.

Nutrition Partner

Fuel the Long Run Sundays. Product in monthly running content worldwide.

Training Partner

Training plans, watch/tech integration. Data from 100 runners across 100 clubs.

Club Platform Sponsor

Your brand in the app 100 clubs use every week. Persistent, ongoing presence.

12
Months of content
100
Countries
1,200+
Social posts
02

The Flights

Race week minus 5 days · 100 airports worldwide

100 runners board planes from every corner of the planet. Airport selfies, boarding pass moments, "I'm on my way to Comrades" content. The countdown intensifies. Social media lights up as runners converge on South Africa.

Airline Partner

Co-branded travel content from 100 airports. "Flying with [Airline] to Comrades."

Travel Brand

Luggage, travel accessories, insurance. 100 packing-and-departure stories.

100
Departure stories
High
Emotional engagement
03

Arrival in South Africa

Race week minus 3–4 days · King Shaka Airport, Durban

Runners land in Durban to a hero's welcome. Branded welcome packs, flags, transfers to the Race Village. The first moment all 100 ambassadors begin to converge in one place. Content gold: the flag wall, the first group photo, the "I'm here" moment.

Welcome Experience

Brand the arrival. Welcome packs, branded transfers, airport welcome wall.

Transfer Sponsor

Branded vehicles from airport to Race Village. Logo on the journey.

Welcome Pack Sponsor

Your product in 100 welcome packs. First touchpoint on SA soil.

04

The Race Village

Race week · 5-6 days · KwaZulu-Natal countryside

Luxury glamping in the hills between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. This is where the 100 ambassadors eat, sleep, recover, socialise, and prepare. The Race Village is the beating heart of the experience — and it's where sponsors live alongside athletes for an entire week.

Meals, briefings, shakeout runs, social evenings, content creation — all happening at the Village. Every surface, every touchpoint, every moment is brandable. And it's all on camera.

Accommodation Sponsor

Name the Race Village. "The [Brand] Race Village." Premium visibility for the full week.

Food & Beverage

Feed 100 international athletes for a week. Branded meals, hydration, nutrition.

Wellness & Recovery

Massage, ice baths, recovery tech. Athletes on camera using your products daily.

Tech Sponsor

WiFi, charging, content creation stations. The digital backbone of race week.

5-6
Days on-site
24/7
Brand exposure
100%
Captive audience
05

Pre-Race Events

Race week · Wednesday to Friday

The Welcome Dinner — all 100 ambassadors together for the first time. Flags on the table, country introductions, the emotion of the moment. Then race briefings, route walkthroughs, kit prep, the shakeout run, and the final quiet evening before the big day.

Welcome Dinner Sponsor

Host the signature event. Speaking slot, branded venue, premium positioning.

Race Prep Partner

Kit check, final fuelling, pre-race briefing. Technical partner branding.

06

Race Day

The 100th Comrades Marathon · 90km · PMB → Durban

The day. 100 runners from 100 countries on the start line of the world's greatest ultramarathon. Cameras follow them for 90 kilometres. Supporters line the road. The stadium erupts at every finish.

This is the apex of 18 months of storytelling — and the content produced on this single day will be shared for years.

Roadside Branding

Banners, tents, and activation zones along the 90km route. Millions of spectators.

On-Camera Sponsor

Logo on ambassador kit, bibs, and headbands. Every photo, every video, every finish line shot.

Stadium Presence

Branding at the Moses Mabhida finish line. The iconic moment — medal around the neck.

Live Podcast Sponsor

Full-day live broadcast following all 100 ambassadors. Interviews, commentary, stories.

22,000
Runners on the road
2M+
Spectators
12+
Hours of live content
07

Post-Race Celebration

Race day +1 to +2 · Durban / Race Village

Recovery day. The celebration dinner. The medal ceremony. The tears, the laughter, the stories that will be told for the rest of their lives. Every ambassador has a finisher's story — and every story features the brands that were part of their journey.

Celebration Dinner

Host the post-race celebration. Speaking slot, toasts, branded evening.

Recovery Sponsor

Ice baths, compression, massage, nutrition. Athletes recovering in your products.

Awards Sponsor

Brand the medal ceremony. Trophies, recognition, "Ambassador of the Race" award.

08

Post-Race Experiences

Race day +3 to +7 · Cape Town or Kruger National Park

The race is done. Now South Africa shows what else it has. Half the ambassadors head to Cape Town — Table Mountain, the Waterfront, the Winelands. The other half head to Kruger National Park — Big Five, bush lodges, sunsets that change you.

This is where the content becomes aspirational. Running content meets travel content. Global athletes in iconic South African locations. Tourism boards and hospitality brands — this is your moment.

Tourism Partner

Position SA as the ultimate running + adventure destination. 100 ambassadors become 100 tourism advocates.

Hospitality Sponsor

Hotels, lodges, restaurants. International athletes experiencing SA hospitality on camera.

Experience Partner

Wine tours, safaris, shark diving, helicopter rides. Premium experiences, premium content.

3-5
Days of content
Travel
Content genre
Years
Content lifespan
09

The Homecoming

Post-race · Ongoing · 100 countries

The ambassador flies home. Medal around their neck. Stories to tell. Their club organises a homecoming event — an info evening where the ambassador shares their journey with the entire club community. We produce a personalised journey video for every single ambassador — their story, from application to finish line.

This is the flywheel. The club watches the video. Members see South Africa, the race, the experience. They say: "I want to go." You can't just do one Comrades. You have to do the up AND the down. That's multi-year return visits to SA.

Journey Video Sponsor

100 personalised films. Your brand in every ambassador's story. Shared to their whole community.

Club Event Sponsor

Brand the homecoming events. Product in 100 info evenings across 100 countries.

Social Campaign Sponsor

The long tail. Months of post-race content. "My Comrades Story" series across all platforms.

100
Journey videos
100
Club events
Multi-year
Content lifespan
Race Day Content

The Comrades 100 Podcast

A full-day live broadcast on race day. From the 4am start to the final finisher at the 12-hour cutoff. Live interviews with ambassadors at aid stations. Commentary following all 100 runners. Stories from their clubs watching back home. Expert analysis. Finish line moments.

12+ hours of live audio and video content. A single title sponsor owns this entire broadcast. Post-race, it becomes a highlight series — the best moments, the best stories, available as a podcast series for months afterwards.

This is the most concentrated sponsorship asset in the entire journey. One brand. One day. 12 hours. 100 stories.

South African Athletes

The Race Village — Open to SA Runners

The Race Village isn't just for the 100 international ambassadors. We're opening 200 spots for South African runners who want to be part of a premium race week experience.

Glamping, meals, transport, social events, race briefings — all in the KZN countryside between PMB and Durban. ~R8,000 per person. For SA runners who want more than just a race number and a hotel room. A community experience for the 100th Comrades.

This dramatically increases the commercial viability of the Race Village, creates a premium product for the SA running market, and puts international and local runners together — which is exactly the spirit of the thing.

Register interest →

The Route & Race Village Search Area

The 100th Comrades is a "down run" — Pietermaritzburg to Durban, roughly 90km through the Valley of a Thousand Hills. We're looking for the perfect Race Village location within a 40-minute drive of both the start and finish. Farms, estates, lodges — if you know a place, get in touch.

Start (Pietermaritzburg) Finish (Durban) Race Village search area (~40 min drive)

Why This Is Different

18-Month Story

Not a one-day logo placement. An 18-month narrative arc from training to homecoming, across 100 countries.

100 Club Communities

Direct access to 100 running communities worldwide. Your brand embedded in their weekly club life via the platform.

Authentic Content

Real athletes, real clubs, real stories. Not actors or influencers — communities. The most authentic sports content on the planet.

Multi-Year Flywheel

Ambassadors go home. Clubs want to come to SA. "You can't just do one Comrades." Repeat visits, repeat exposure, for years.

The Centenary

Once in 100 years. This will never happen again. Your brand associated with a historic sporting milestone.

No Money Until We Can Deliver

We don't take payments until viability is confirmed. Read our terms. We're building this right.

Be Part of the Story

Whether you're a global brand, a South African business, or a running industry player — there's a place for you in this journey.

Get in Touch View the full timeline → Or apply as a club →