SINGAPORE, April 23, 2015 – The 12th running of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge was held this evening with a capacity crowd of 14,264 runners from 297 companies.
The Corporate Challenge, Singapore’s first and most popular road race geared exclusively to the workforce, has reached a full capacity of entrants in 11 of its 12 years.
“The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is a unique, special night. Taking place in the middle of the city at the end of the workday, the event enjoys tremendous support from the community and we are very proud of its success,” said Edmund Lee, Senior Country Manager for J.P. Morgan.
Stuart Haynes of Morgan Stanley successfully defended the men’s individual title with a winning time of 17:59, breaking his record of 18:21 from last year. “I’m tired, but I’m really happy. The race was hard. The adrenaline was kicking in at the start, so I went way too fast and I was on my own the whole way. But I knew competition was behind me, so I just kept pushing and didn’t give up.”
Shirley Zhang of Heidrick & Struggles wore the women’s crown, breaking the finish tape in 22:15. “I was pleasantly surprised and happy when I came in first. It’s a great, great race, with a great atmosphere. I love it. It’s good for getting the company, Heidrick & Struggles, together and taking time off work. Everyone’s been really excited — we designed a shirt and we’ve been psyching each other up — so the team camaraderie really got me excited.”
The 5.6km race began on the Esplanade Bridge and finished adjacent to the F1 Pit Building at Marina Bay.
The 10 largest companies in terms of participation were: StarHub (639 entrants), Deloitte (500), PwC (500), ANZ (400), SAP (300), DBS Bank (262), Visa (255), BNP Paribas (200), Barclays (198), and SATS (180).
J.P. Morgan made a donation on behalf of each entrant to The Smile Mission, the fourth consecutive year that organization has served as the beneficiary.
“The funds will be directed to Asia Student Leadership Camp,” said Dr. Vincent Yeow, Chairman, The Smile Mission Limited. “The Camp will see over 200 participants, and is focused on exposing the next generation to Service, Leadership, Education and Volunteerism.”
Singapore is part of the worldwide J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series, which in 2015 will feature 13 races in seven countries on five continents. The next stop in the Series is May 21 in Chicago.
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