JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Sydney – Record-breaking 2012 comes to close with first crowd of 8,000+ in Sydney

SYDNEY, 14 November 2012 — Sydney closed the record-breaking 36th year of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in appropriate fashion tonight — setting an attendance mark of its own.

The 12th running of the Corporate Challenge in Sydney attracted a crowd of 8,072 entrants to Centennial Park, easily breaking the previous record for participation set in 2007. For good measure, Sydney also established a record for the number of companies participating with 356.

The figures in the final race of 2012 for the 13-city Series that makes stops in seven countries were noteworthy because they helped push the corporate running circuit to an all-time high of 253,034 entrants from 8,022 companies. The previous record for largest number of participants in the Series was 248,168 set in 2011.

“I think the fact the challenge is a global series makes it unique and also that it’s very much a team based event,” said Rob Priestley, J.P. Morgan’s CEO for Australia and New Zealand and the host of the evening. “As a result I think the event really appeals to companies and employees in Australia on the basis that it is team orientated

 

.Paul Robertson, Executive Director of race beneficiary Financial Markets Foundation for Children, (left) receives a donation from Rob Priestley, J.P. Morgan's CEO for Australia and New Zealand.

“What you see is that there are firms very similar to ours really getting behind the event,” Priestley continued. “It’s a great opportunity to get out there with your colleagues and participate in some healthy activity, while at the same time building relationships with your colleagues and participating companies.”

The records in Sydney and in the Series are a testament to companies such as recruitment consultancy Michael Page International, which had one of the largest teams in tonight's race.

"We have been involved in the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge for many years now, and it’s an honour to be part of a record turnout in 2012," said Ross Kleinman, Marketing Executive at Michael Page. "The promotion of fitness and camaraderie in the workplace is a key part of the Michael Page culture, and we look forward to continuing our participation in the event in years to come."

Kleinman went on to explain that the Corporate Challenge is hardly a one-day affair at Michael Page.

"We try to build up an internal buzz about the event long before race day," Kleinman, who serves as company captain, said. "In the lead up to the race, we hold training sessions each Tuesday night, which encourages people to build up their fitness and spend some time with colleagues outside work. For us, having a great turnout at the event is a demonstration of our core values in action: take pride, be passionate, never give up, work as a team and make it fun!"

 

Kirsten Molloy of Allianz Australia wins the women's title by edging former champion Laura James of Macquarie (background) by eight seconds.

Michael Page was one of 10 companies that had 100 or more entries in the event. Westfield, the Australian shopping centre leader, nearly doubled its 2011 participation — from 111 to a 2012-best 219. Transport for New South Wales entered 208, followed by Rabobank (177), Perpetual (157), GE Capital (150), Michael Page (136), Macquarie Group (117), American Express (109), Origin Energy (104), and Westpac (101).

Origin Energy puts its large team together with the goal of promoting camaraderie in its workplace.

"The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is a great way to get a lot of employees involved in being active together, as anyone can participate, regardless of their running ability," said Aviva Leitch, the team's captain. "Events like this also provide one of the few opportunities throughout the year to pull together a large group of employees from across the business.

Martin Dent of the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education smiles after winning the men's title.

"Socialising is often constrained to business units and teams, and so external social activities are really important for building intercompany networks. From the moment we board a bus together to get to the event, to the post-race drinks that we organise, the whole event promotes a sense of being one team and competing together, which is great for Origin as a whole," Leitch added.

And fun it was, on many levels. Even before the official race began, participants were treated to a special pre-event wheelchair exhibition race featuring three-time Paralympic gold medalist Kurt Fearnley.

It was appropriate that Fearnley, who earned two medals at the London Paralympic Games earlier this year, led the way for the crowd. Fast behind him was the men’s winner — Martin Dent of the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.

If Dent’s name is familiar to you, it should be. He made the Australian Olympic Marathon team for London. The 33-year-old finished 28th in one of the world’s most prestigious races.

Running now for his government company, Dent eased to victory in 16:11. Thomas Crasti of KPMG was a solid second in 17:32, edging Andrew Tuckey of Insurance Australia Group.

Kirsten Molloy of Allianz Australia ran a 20-minute flat to win the women’s race, outdueling a pair of past champions — Laura James of Macquarie (2nd in 20:08) and Andrea Ilakovac of KPMG (4th in 20:33). Megan Towill of COAG Reform Council was the third-place finisher in 20:31.

Centennial Park was misty about an hour before the race, and while there was cloud cover at the start, it was dry and perfectly suitable for good running and post-race partying conditions.

The race's other big winner was the race beneficiary, Financial Markets Foundation for Children, which supports programs across Australia that improve the health and welfare of children. Since its inception in 1990, the Financial Markets Foundation for Children has allocated more than $15 million dollars to more than 200 projects.

Tonight's record turnout was great news for the Foundation, which will receive a donation from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation on behalf of the race participants. The donation is part of a long-standing tradition of contributing to local beneficiaries in each of the Series' seven countries and 13 host cities.

More than US$600,000 in total was donated in 2011

The news was applauded by participating companies.

"It's great that there’s a charitable aspect to the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge — it’s all part of being a socially responsible corporation and being proud to work for your organisation," said Origin Energy's Leitch.

Three-time Paralympic gold medalist Kurt Fearnley (second from left) rolls off the starting line in a special pre-event wheelchair exhibition race before the start of the largest J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge ever held in Sydney.

For commercial law firm Middletons, the charitable aspect of the Corporate Challenge fits in well with its own program and company culture.

"Our corporate social responsibility program ensures that we consider the long-term sustainability of the communities and environment in which we operate," said Tim Webster, a Partner at Middletons. "The program also allows Middletons' staff to get involved in a range of community activities such as the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, which promotes a healthy workforce and raises funds for charity. The firm is also heavily involved in pro bono work, volunteering and other workplace giving initiatives."

Moody’s, a leading provider of credit ratings globally, and the Sydney office of the Kennedys law firm, were chosen winners of the creative t-shirt contest, in public voting held at www.facebook.com/sydneycorporatechallenge. Each will receive $1,000 from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to donate to the charity of their choice.

And, even as the last bits of post-race hospitality were being enjoyed by the participants, the plans for 2013 had begun.

“We have a long-term commitment to this market,” said J.P. Morgan’s Priestley. “Earlier this year we moved into new headquarters, which underscores our long and successful history in Australia and highlights the growth of our franchise and the strength of our brand and client relationships. The Corporate Challenge is another great example of our commitment to the corporate and broader community.”

(For comments on JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series features, or suggestions for feature stories, please contact Alan Tieuli at series-info@jpmorganchasecc.com).

 

Source: JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Sydney