JOHANNESBURG, January 24, 2023 – It’s comforting to be returning to a time where you can count on your favourite events appearing in their regular spots on the calendar.

Such is the case for the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Johannesburg, which has opened registration for its 18^th in-person running at the Wanderers Club.

The Corporate Challenge – which debuted in Johannesburg in 2004 and rapidly grew into South Africa’s favorite afterwork sporting/social event – was sidelined in 2020-21 due to COVID-19. But it returned on March 31, 2022, when 5,817 employees from 182 companies registered for the 5.6km run/walk. It was a promising first step back.

The 2023 Corporate Challenge is scheduled for Thursday, March 30, with a 6:30 p.m. race start at the Wanderers Club, and promises to have a crowd similar to  pre-COVID days. For example, 14,000 entrants from 343 businesses were at the Wanderers Club in 2019, just short of the local record 14,535 in 2018.

There was no shortage of energy or camaraderie at the 2022 Corporate Challenge, and companies can plan their 2023 participation and secure their spots now. Every business in Johannesburg is eligible to enter with a minimum team size of four employees, and maximum of 700. Entry fee is 200 ZAR per person and registration will remain open until March 3.

Beyond the 5.6km run/walk, the Corporate Challenge features world-class hospitality and entertainment within the famed cricket ovals at the Wanderers Club. Click here for details on the hospitality options and the process for reserving spots for teams of any size. Do we want to highlight this years exciting artist Shekhinah?

“J.P. Morgan has been proud and delighted to present the Corporate Challenge to Johannesburg since 2004,” said Kevin Latter, Senior Country Officer & Head of Investment Banking for J.P. Morgan Sub Saharan Africa. “Standing on the start stage each year, watching thousands of participants from hundreds of companies striding by, and then celebrating post-race at the Wanderers Club, it reminds me of what a close-knit, diverse, and motivated business community we have. The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge proves that South Africans have pride in where they work and are eager to show it.”

An entirely inclusive event, the Corporate Challenge has room at its starting line for runners and walkers of all skill levels. And the front of the pack competitors are quite talented. The first-place men’s and women’s individual winners in 2022 were Edward Mothibi of Implats Platinum, with a time of 17:13 (4:55 mile pace) and Lene Swart of FirstRand with a clocking of 22:41 (6:29 pace). Implats (men’s and women’s teams) and Momentum (mixed) proved to be the fastest businesses on the night.

The 10 largest companies in terms of entries in 2022 were Rand Merchant Bank (300 entrants), Liberty (298), Discovery Vitality RSA (295), EY (268), Anglo American (220), PwC (199), Rand Water (158), Implats (144), Transaction Capital (126), and Momentum (124). But these large businesses were joined on the race course by start-ups and small businesses from dozens of industries.

All entrants in the Corporate Challenge will also have their efforts commemorated by a charitable donation by event owner and operator J.P. Morgan to Laureus Sport for Good, which supports various sport for development programs around the world. This is the 10^th year that Corporate Challenge participants have aided Laureus’ important work.

Johannesburg is the first stop of the 2023 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series, which is scheduled to visit 15 locations in eight countries on six continents. This will be the 47^th consecutive year of operation for the Series dating back to 1977, with 45 years of in-person racing and two years of Virtual participation during the pandemic.