London
London, the first European Corporate Challenge, is also the fastest globally
The 10th scheduled event of the 2024 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series proved once again that the 3.5-mile (5.6km) road race has staying power…and amazing runners.
The 36th edition of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge London in beautiful Battersea Park attracted a crowd of 27,057 entrants from 686 companies over two nights. That is consistent with the 26,530 entrants from 736 businesses that gathered last July, with the event regaining nearly 90% of its participation prior to the two-year (2020-21) COVID-19 layoff.
London, which has the distinction of being the first Corporate Challenge held in Europe, joined the Series in 1986. It has been held in Battersea since 1992 and owned and operated by J.P. Morgan and its predecessor firms for its entire London run. The continuity and quality has made this an event eagerly anticipated by the participating companies.
“The popularity of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge London is a source of great annual pride for all of us at the firm,” said Filippo Gori, CEO of EMEA, J.P. Morgan. “We had exactly 1,998 employees running and walking the race course over these two nights, and dozens of others who sweat every detail year-round to make this one of our most important relationship-building events of the year. We’ve had many successful races since 1986 and we’re going to continue to make it a fun occasion for the companies who join us each year.”
The 10 largest participating companies in Battersea were UBS (534 entrants), HSBC (500), Goldman Sachs (492), Morgan Stanley (475), BNP Paribas (440), PwC (400), Macquarie Group (346), Deloitte (300), Schroders (298), and Deutsche Bank (260).
It was the third Corporate Challenge Deutsche Bank has entered in the last five weeks – adding to the 106 it registered in New York on May 29 and the whopping 1,102 it had in its headquarters city of Frankfurt, Germany on June 5.
“Deutsche Bank proudly participates as one of the largest teams in this historic race, with record applicant numbers this year,” said Sophia Karski, Team Captain, Deutsche Bank. “As our employees cross the finish line, runners of all abilities celebrate their achievements having trained diligently in the months leading to the event.
“Our involvement with the Corporate Challenge highlights the ever-growing importance to fostering a healthy, connected, and motivated workforce,” Karski continued. “The event is a testament to the power of corporate sports events, enhancing employee well-being and solidarity in our numerous offices across the globe.”
And across the globe, Lucy Reid is one of the fastest full-time working female runners.
Certainly, in the recent history of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series, no-one is faster than Reid. The J.P. Morgan employee kept up her London dominance in the Thursday night race, winning the female division with a time of 18:33, which is the best female time to date in the entire 2024 Series.
This is no surprise from Reid. She also had the fastest Series time in 2022 (18:39) and 2023 (18:08). These three blistering efforts consecutively at Battersea also marks the only time in Series history a female has broken 19 minutes in three consecutive years at one Corporate Challenge.
Reid’s J.P. Morgan colleague Mark Ruby won the male division on Thursday night with a time of 17:06. That proved to be the best official time over the two nights, as Wednesday night’s male winner, Daniel Mulryan from Gill Jennings & Every, came home in 17:09.
Felicity Harrison, representing Crowe UK, clocked a 19:27 to win the female individual title on Wednesday night.
Due in part to the efforts of all those exceptional runners, London has the best average finish time of any location thus far in the 2024 Series.
The returning beneficiary for the 2024 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge London was Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. Centrepoint provides homeless young people with accommodation, support and life skills to help them grow beyond what has happened to them in the past and help them to realize their potential.
The partnership with Centrepoint was a driving force in the participation of asset management firm Schroders, which brought 260 employees to Battersea.
“We are delighted to support such a great charitable cause and help raise money for Centrepoint,” said Helena Conway, Team Captain for Schroders’ Sports and Social Network.
And Conway noted there were other tangible benefits for Schroders registering such a large team.
“The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is a wonderful event that brings Schroders colleagues and the industry together,” said Conway. “Making health and fitness fun and accessible to everyone is a priority to us and the Corporate Challenge is a fantastic example of this. The vibe is electric on the day and it’s great for colleagues old and new to catch up before, during and after the race.”
After a seven-week breather, the thriving 48th year of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series resumes on Thursday, August 22 in San Francisco. The 2024 Series through London has accumulated exactly 192,605 entries, and at that Bay Area event in August will exceed the entire 2023 entry total of 193,613, with five events in October and November remaining. Can any of those locations top the runners in London?
