Runners finish in front an enthusiastic and large group of fans and photographers behind race barriers.

Singapore sets new standard
for first-year event with 6,766
Official results posted, including Fortune 500 | 2004 Photo Gallery

Vivian Tang of G.K. Goh Stockbrockers wins the first Singapore female title.

SINGAPORE, April 28, 2004 - In the final moments before the debut JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge in Singapore, a traditional Chinese Lion Dance was performed in the starting chute. The lions are a symbol of joy and happiness and are believed to bring good luck and prosperity.

There was no more appropriate, cultural way to usher in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge's first-ever visit to Asia. And the prosperity of this event was illustrated by the throngs of runners who soon followed this ceremony.

A total of 6,766 participants from 261 companies - a record for a first-year event in JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge history - took part on a hot, muggy evening in one of Asia 's most prominent financial hubs. The event was staged at the Singapore Cricket Club - surrounded by the city's magnificent skyline - and the 5.6-kilometer course was all done on streets that are normally reserved for rush hour traffic.

A "special night" for Singapore business

"This is a special night for Singapore business," said Jeffrey Tan, president of Motorola Singapore. "You don't often get to run on these downtown roads, in this beautiful setting. It's unique, and shows how special Singapore is and how it embraces teamwork and fitness. We're a country with great perspective and balance."

Singapore 's participation nudged Johannesburg, South Africa from its perch as largest first-year in Corporate Challenge history. The hugely successful JoBurg event had 6,144 participants from 211 companies in its debut on March 4 of this year. That's nearly 13,000 new participants for the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series, virtually ensuring that this will be a record year for overall participation in the Series.

"If you look around us, you have all the major office buildings in Singapore, with windows looking down on this site and they're seeing something they have never seen before," said John Knight, COO for JPMorgan in Singapore.

Something else that has never been seen before at a Corporate Challenge event - eight men from the same company taking the first eight spots in the race.

Singapore police are one fleet force

Led by Rem Bahadur Magar in 19:05, the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police force dominated the men's event. The first five Gurkhas finished in under 19:15 and the top eight all under 20 minutes. In turn, the Gurkhas will earn the men's team title and be invited to participate in October's JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Championship in New York City.

OCBC gathers for a team photo in front of the Singapore skyline.

"I've never been to New York, all I know about New York is what I see on television shows," said Magar, the men's winner. "We are all good runners, and we train together, but we've never had a corporate race like this where we could train as a team for a big prize. We were all very excited."

The Gurkhas are a Special Forces unit, and widely respected in Singapore. "I love my job, love protecting people," said Magar. "And this brings us some attention, which is nice."

Unlike her male counterpart, women's individual champion Vivian Tang of G.K. Goh Stockbrockers is very familiar with U.S. soil. She was just there two weeks ago, running a 3:05 in the Boston Marathon.

"It was hot that day, but I was used to it from running in Singapore," Tang said. "I'm the top women's marathoner in Singapore, so I've had a lot of chances to race and do well.

"But," Tang continued, "this one was different because I could run with my colleagues. Being a stockbroker is stressful, there are very difficult days depending on the market. So running is a nice release, and when you can train together with your colleagues and go out there together, it makes it a better experience. I loved this."

Business community warms up quickly to first-year event

So apparently did the majority of the Singapore business community. Two dozen corporations took out hospitality marquees on the lush grounds of the Cricket club and the participants burst into excited applause when it was announced at the starting line that this was the largest first-year Corporate Challenge event ever.

"This shows that Singapore is a city in a class by itself," said Dr. Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, and the guest of honor on this night.

The neighboring Asian Civilisations Museum was the beneficiary of the evening, with Bart Broadman, Vice Chairman of JPMorgan Asia Pacific, making a donation to Dr. Kenson Kwok, the museum's director.

Ee-Ngoh Teo (36:35) of Westlb AG and Michael Craig ( 20:46 ) from Murray International Metals were the respective winners of The Business Times Most Fit Senior Executive Award.

Illustrating the can-do spirit that made this event happen in one of the world's loveliest cities, 14 different Singaporean government agencies fielded teams in the event. Every major Singapore daily newspaper provided on-site coverage.