Best corporate runners from across globe
excited about coming to Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG, 27 January, 2010 — When JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced late last year that — for the first time in its 34-year history, the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge® Championship would be conducted outside of the United States — it could not be totally certain what the reaction to such a precedent-breaking decision would be. It has since found out. The best corporate runners in the world are ecstatic at the prospect of coming to Johannesburg .

The JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Championship will be held on 4 March, beginning immediately prior to the 6:30 p.m. start of the seventh annual Johannesburg J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge® at the Wanderers Club. The Championship race will bring to Johannesburg 144 runners from Championship teams in the Series' 12 cities from around the world.

Remarkably, all 36 of the teams that were eligible for the trip after winning either the Men's, Women's or Mixed titles in their cities made the commitment to come to South Africa. Their comments — captured in a series of stories about the upcoming Championship on this website — make it clear: They are genuinely excited about not just racing in South Africa, but meeting its people and experiencing its history and culture. Following are a few of their reactions about their pending trips to South Africa:

"I thought traveling to New York City was great, but this is beyond anything I could imagine," said Christina Devries of the University of Rochester .

"The trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity and an honor,” said Angelina Anliker of CNA in Chicago.

"This is definitely a lifetime running highlight for all of us. This is beyond our expectations for all team members. We are looking forward to experiencing the culture and seeing the sites - hopefully a safari if we can fit it in," said Brian Harris of New York 's The Running Company.

“We are really excited by this opportunity! We cannot wait to discover South Africa,” said Wille Loo of Bikelabz in Singapore. 

"To get to run in Johannesburg ... was certainly beyond my expectations. Running is common currency across the world. I'm really looking forward to experiencing a race against people from different countries and cultures in the 'rainbow nation,'" said Jeff Cunningham of Deloitte in London.

"The prospect of competing in a country to which I've never been is all at once exciting, intimidating, and entirely welcome,” said Jacob Gomez of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

"The 2008 Championship I attended in New York was exhilarating, but I cannot wait to experience the passion of South Africa," said Adele Stach-Kevitz of Deloitte in London.

See more quotes and get an introduction to some of the runners who will be coming to Johannesburg at this Web Site's Championship section and reading their stories.