J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge – J.P. Morgan celebrates 90 years in China with spectacular Shanghai debut race

SHANGHAI, October 20, 2011 — Welcome to the family, Shanghai! An energetic crowd of 3,888 runners and walkers from 158 companies came together on a comfortable, dry late afternoon/early evening along the banks of the Huangpu River for the inaugural J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge® in the world’s largest city proper.

The 5.6-kilometre road race was the centerpiece of J.P. Morgan’s 2011 celebration marking its 90th year of commencing operations in China.

 

Runners stretch out in a long line along the Huangpu River course.

This was the first addition to the Corporate Challenge since 2004 and the third-largest debut event in the 35-year history of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series. The 5 p.m. start time, necessary due to the seasonal sunset, was also the earliest flag-off hour for a non-Championship event.

“We were considering how to celebrate the historic occasion of our 90th Year in China and decided that hosting the Corporate Challenge would be perfect,” said Zili Shao, Chairman and CEO, J.P. Morgan China. “We had high standards for the event, and with the enthusiasm of the companies, the actual entrants and the great assistance of the Shanghai government, it has far exceeded our expectations.”

Shao emphasized that the 35-year history of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge played a big role in the initial success of this race.

“Companies knew about the Corporate Challenge,” he said. “It has a heritage that speaks for itself around the world. Being able to bring the message of a healthy lifestyle and healthy competition for Shanghai was an honor. This event is going to grow and grow.”

Indeed, 39 of the companies that had runners crossing the Xuhui Riverside finish line had also entered other Corporate Challenge races in 2011. For example, it was the seventh Corporate Challenge of the year for PricewaterhouseCoopers (205 entrants), General Electric (138), Morgan Stanley (95) and Deloitte (31). Ernst & Young (38) and Deutsche Bank (27) were competing in their sixth CC of the calendar year and 14 other companies in their third or more.

“Personally, I’ve participated in five different Corporate Challenge cities over the years,” said Don McCree, Global Chief Executive Officer, Treasury Services for J.P. Morgan. “So I can say from experience that this is a magical night for us at J.P. Morgan to be able to share something that is very special to us from a global perspective with the China marketplace.”

Making history as the first J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge champions in Shanghai are Angeline Ding of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Curtis Barclay-Grundler of Targus (in inset photo).

Curtis Barclay-Grundler, representing Targus, and Angeline Ding of PricewaterhouseCoopers made history — being the first man and woman respectively to break a J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge winner’s finish tape in Shanghai.

Barclay-Grundler eased in ahead of the men’s field with a winning time of 18:45, more than a minute ahead of Eleven Ni (19:54) of Agility Logistics and Jussi Taipale of PricewaterhouseCoopers (22:06).

Ding had a first-place women’s time of 23:22, 17 seconds ahead of a challenge from Sarah Edson of EF. Sharon Lim of Design Duncan Miller Ullmann was third in 26:22.

All entrants made a winning contribution in one tangible way: the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, in celebration of the Corporate Challenge, made a donation to Right to Play China, a not-for-profit organization committed to enhancing the holistic development of migrant children through advance education programs, sports and play.

SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation) won the Largest Participation Award with a whopping 293 entrants, a phenomenal number for a debut event.

Eaton Corporation gathers for a pre-race photo.

Eaton Corporation, a power management company, had an impressive gathering of 152 and for its own special occasion — the eve of the 100th Anniversary of the company.

“Our actual 100th is tomorrow, so we couldn’t ask for better timing,” said Curt Hutchins, President for Eaton Pacific. “We have a very active health and wellness initiative at Eaton so there was no better way to bring together our group in an enthusiastic way that matches our culture.”

As Hutchins spoke, Eaton employees were jubilantly waving miniature Eaton flags and displaying their company spirit wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Ideals That Endure.”

“The Corporate Challenge is a unique environment to show the pride you have in your company,” Hutchins noted.

The event captured the attention of the local and national media with on-site coverage provided from China Business News, China News Agency, Xinhua News Agency, Shanghai Evening Post, China Daily and Shanghai TV, among others.

Shanghai is known for its fashion sense and it came across well on the course, with Nestle, Orrick and Paul Hastings winning the T-Shirt competition for the fanciest racing wear. Each company will receive a $1,000 donation from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to designate to a charity of their choice.

The inaugural J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Shanghai was done in close collaboration and cooperation with the Shanghai Sports Bureau, the Xuhui District and the Xuhui Sports Bureau.

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

 

Source: J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Shanghai