Scotiabank Charity Challenge raises more than
$800,000
OTTAWA, May 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Kenya's 25-year-old Albert Korir won today's Scotiabank Ottawa
Marathon with a strong time of 2:08:03. Two Ethiopians –
Abera Kuma, 28 and Tsedat Ayana, 23,
finished close behind with times of 2:08:14 and 2:08:53
respectively.
In the women's category, Tigist
Girma, 25, from Ethiopia
pulled ahead of the pack just after the half-way mark to post a
personal best time of 2:26:34 – a full 10 seconds faster than her
2018 personal best set at the Guangzhou, China Marathon last December. This
marks the 10th year in a row that an Ethiopian woman
takes top prize in the marathon distance in Ottawa. Joining Girma in second and third
place were fellow Ethiopians Betelhem Moges, 28 with a time of
2:27:00, and Etaferahu Temesgen, 29,
with 2:28:44.
Placing eighth overall and the first Canadian man was
Reid Coolsaet, 39, from Hamilton. Crossing the finish line with
2:17:37, the two time Olympian was considered one to watch coming
into this year's race. Rounding out the top three Canadians were
Alister Gardner, 38, with a time of
2:31:54 and Francois Landry, 43, at
2:36:51.
Top Canadian woman and placing sixth overall today was
Dayna Pidhoresky, 32, from
Vancouver, who came in at 2:37:19.
Second and third place Canadian women were Krista Duchene, 42, with 2:38:46 and
Rachel Hannah, 32, with 2:41:31.
"We assembled a very competitive field of men and women elite
runners again this year and are pleased with the strong results
they delivered," says Manny
Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator, Tamarack Ottawa Race
Weekend.
2019 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend a resounding
success!
More than 32,000 runners participated in the six races that made
up Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend on May
25-26.
No course records were broken this year, but elite racers gave
spectators some exciting moments at the finish line of the
10K race with the top two women –
Kenyans Dorcas Kimeli and Valery Jemeli finishing just three
seconds apart.
Here's how final registration numbers for the 2019 Tamarack
Ottawa Race Weekend shaped up:
- Ottawa 2K – 2,861
- Ottawa 5K – 7,743 – (SOLD OUT)
- Ottawa 10K – 8,179
- Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon – 3,515 – (SOLD OUT)
- Scotiabank Ottawa Kids Marathon – 1,167
- Scotiabank Ottawa Half-Marathon – 8,738
TOTAL: 32,203
"We faced a number of unique challenges coming into this year's
races, what with road work and recent flooding forcing changes to
some of the routes," says John
Halvorsen, Race Director, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. "But
I am very happy with this year's memorable turn-out, thanks to the
athletes, our partners and especially the volunteers."
More than $800,000 raised
through fundraising through the Scotiabank Charity
Challenge
More than $800,000 was raised as
part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge by participants who used
the event to support one of 70 local charities.
Scotiabank has been investing in communities for 187 years.
Scotiabank believes in helping young people reach their infinite
potential, and many organizations who take part in the Scotiabank
Charity Challenge have a direct impact on young people in our
communities. At Scotiabank we are dedicated to supporting the
success of young people for the long-term. We recognize what is
possible when young people have the guidance, confidence and tools
they need to achieve their dreams.
"The Scotiabank Charity Challenge provides a simple way for
runners to support local causes that make a big difference in
people's lives," says Frank
Bilodeau, District Vice President, Ottawa Centre &
Gatineau at Scotiabank. "This weekend, racers demonstrated their
commitment to their community by raising more than $800,000 in support of local charities. We're
proud that the Scotiabank Charity Challenge continues to be an
important part of the weekend events, year after year and applaud
all racers for their efforts."
Background information:
- Top 20: 2019 Scotiabank Ottawa
Marathon
- Awards and prizes
- Charities in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge
About the Scotiabank Charity Challenge
The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program
that provides a simple way for runners in these races to support
local causes that make a significant impact on Canadian
communities. Participating charities keep 100 per cent of the
proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and credit
card fees. Scotiabank offers the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at
six sponsored marathon events across Canada including Montréal, Halifax,
Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Since 2003, over 70 million has been
raised as part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge across
Canada.
About Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
The 2019 Tamarack
Ottawa Race Weekend welcomed more than 31,000 participants in six
races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank
Half Marathon, the Ottawa
10K, the Ottawa 5K, the
Ottawa 2K and Scotiabank Ottawa Kids Marathon.
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is one of only two running
events in the world to host two IAAF Gold Label races: the
Ottawa 10K and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. The 2020
Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 23-24, 2020. For more
information: http://www.runottawa.ca
About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support
organizations that are committed to helping young people reach
their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and
Scotiabank's goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary
skills and resources they need to support their success. Together
with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level.
Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and
philanthropic activities, in 2018, Scotiabank contributed more than
$80 million to help our communities around the world.
Scotiabank is Canada's
international bank and a leading financial services provider in the
Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 million
customers become better off through a broad range of advice,
products and services, including personal and commercial banking,
wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment
banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 98,000
employees1 and assets of over $1
trillion (as at January 31,
2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:
BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information,
please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@ScotiabankViews.
SOURCE Scotiabank