Runners gather for a pre-race photo in front of one of the numerous corporate tents that dot Delaware Park each year for the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge.

Secure your spot now for Buffalo's
'corporate social event of the year'
Register online for Buffalo's JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge

BUFFALO, March 4, 2008 – For nearly three decades, the truest sign that summer has arrived is the pitching of tents in Delaware Park. That will be the case again in 2008.

The 28th annual JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge will be held in Buffalo on Thursday, June 5, with a 6:45 p.m. start. An estimated crowd of 12,000 runners and walkers from 400 companies is expected to take part in the 3.5-mile run/walk.

And while the competition out on the course will be keen, it's the post-race camaraderie for which this event is best known. Approximately three-quarters of the participating companies will rent tents, cater food and host their summer outings. The setting has earned this event the nickname “corporate social event of the year.”

Registration is now open and all interested companies are urged to begin their planning now. The 2007 Corporate Challenge crowd of 11,500 participants was the biggest since 2001 and that places a premium on securing your entry early, and ordering your tent, food and beverages. It also provides motivation so you can get a head start on your training.

All entrants in 2008 and JPMorgan Chase & Co. will be Teaming Up For A Greener Tomorrow, with the Corporate Challenge executing best practices to reduce the event's impact on the environment. For example, registration for the event will be exclusively online, t-shirts will be printed using soy ink, and most of the materials used by race organizers on-site will be recyclable. Shuttle transportation to Delaware Park will also be offered.

Each participant will also be giving back to the community as the JPMorgan Chase Foundation will make a donation for each entry to a not-for-profit organization. Information on this beneficiary will be announced prior to race night.

In addition to the elements of camaraderie and philanthropy, there is also strong competition at the front of the pack and 15 companies will earn an invitation to the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Championship in New York, to be held on October 4. The top five men's, women's and mixed teams will be invited. The top Buffalo finishing teams at the 2007 Championship were Newfane Central Schools (ninth place in mixed category), Roswell Park Cancer Institute (21 st in women) and Moog (23 rd in men).