The ideal mix of fitness and camaraderie in the beauty of Delaware Park, the 30th annual Chase Corporate Challenge in Buffalo will be held on June 10. Registration has opened for Buffalo's biggest corporate social event of the year.

Registration opens for 30th annual
Chase Corporate Challenge in Buffalo
Register online for Buffalo's Chase Corporate Challenge

The 30th annual Chase Corporate Challenge® in Buffalo will be held on Thursday, June 10, with a 6:45 p.m. race start at Delaware Park. You can reserve your company's spot in what has become Buffalo's corporate party of the year by registering online now.

The 3.5-mile team road race has a history in Buffalo that stretches back to the spring of 1981, when 425 runners from 60 companies gathered for the first Corporate Challenge event to be held outside of New York City. The idea quickly caught on with Buffalo's corporate community, and today a sea of tents and the smell of barbeques fill Delaware Park as hundreds of teams annually enjoy an evening of out-of-the-office camaraderie.

Last year, 9,990 entrants representing 392 companies were set into motion at the starting line by Mayor Byron Brown and Eric County Executive Chris Collins, making the race one of the largest in Western New York. At the end of that race, three Buffalo teams — Amherst Central Schools, Moog, and M&T Bank — won titles and earned trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the first JPMorgan Chase Corporate Chase Challenge Championship ever held outside of the United States.

A similar trip awaits the three team champions this year, but there are three rule changes that are new for 2010:

The entry fee for the 2010 Chase Corporate Challenge in Buffalo is $30 per entrant and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation will make a donation for each entry to a Buffalo-area worthy not-for-profit organization that will be announced prior to event night. Please check back to this website for updates about the race beneficiary.

Members of the Amherst Central Schools team - which won Buffalo's Women's team title last June - pose after finishing seventh in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Championship in Johannesburg on March 4. Pictured from left are: Joelle Mann, Jennie Brinkworth, Jennifer Acker and Amy Fakterowitz.

All entrants for the Chase Corporate Challenge in Buffalo must be part of a corporate team, with each team needing to register a minimum of four employees. There is no limit to the number of employees that can be on a company team.  Awards will be given to the fastest five men's, women's and mixed teams. If you require assistance registering your company or have any questions please email Buffalo@jpmorganchasecc.com or call (716) 332-3504.

Again this year, the Buffalo Corporate Challenge will be part of the “Teaming Up For a Greener Tomorrow” campaign, which uses best environmental practices in the organization of the event. Thanks in part to your responsible choices last June — registering online, recycling waste and taking alternative transportation to race site — the Corporate Challenge has been recognized for its efforts and the Series has made a significant, positive impact on the environment.

So, don't miss the celebration at the 30th annual Chase Corporate Challenge in Buffalo's Delaware Park. Organize your team, start training and register today.

FOOTNOTE: Buffalo's teams in the March 4 JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa, represented the city well against the top corporate running teams in the world. Buffalo's finishes were:

• Male — Moog, Inc., was 12th. The team was made up of Jerry Irving, Kenneth Newbury, Ralph Reitz, and Ryan Collins.
• Female — Amherst Central Schools was 7th. The team was made up of Amy Fakterowitz, Jennie Brinkworth, Jennifer Acker, and Joelle Mann.
• Mixed — M&T Bank was 8th. The team was made up of Aubrey Courtney, David Keenan, John Dugan, and Nora Langer.

Your team could be one of Buffalo's representatives in the next Championship, so enter now.