(Editor’s Note: Grete Waitz, a member of the Distance Running Hall of Fame and nine-time winner of the New York City Marathon, has been a spokesperson for the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge® for 16 years. She has attended more than 100 Corporate Challenge events in that time and is one of the foremost advocates for corporate health and fitness. She offers invaluable advice on training and staying healthy in this exclusive regular feature.)

A Success Story

Every now and then I take a look at the history of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge® and wish I could see the first race they had in Central Park in 1977. Seeing that would really show how much running has changed.

In that inaugural race, 200 runners from 50 companies gathered for what then was called the Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge®. This season, 51,140 runners from 1,831 companies participated in a single race in Frankfurt, and the Series will attract more than 200,000 participants.

But it's not just the numbers that have changed. So, too, has runing gear. Gone, thankfully, are the heavy cotton T-shirts and baggy shorts of the summer and sweatsuits over long underwear in winter. And don't forget the footwear. I remember my first pair of so-called running shoes in the seventies. In today's running world they would probably be decribed as streetshoes. The development in running shoe technology and running apparal over the past 30 years is amazing.

Yes, a whole lot has changed over the years in the world of running, but not the essence of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge.

The fact that the Series is still growing after being around for more than a quarter century says a lot about how unique it is. It remains true to its founding idea of encouraging corporate fitness. At 3.5 miles, its races remain a realistic goal that most employees can accomplish, particularly if they get a bit of training advice (more than a year's worth of my past training columns are available on this site).

The distance has always been the same as well as the team scoring. Why fix something if it isn't broken? This expression fits the Corporate Challenge very well. It should be the blueprint for other road races. Races are always changing trying to come up with new ideas to make them stand out, while the Corporate Challenge has stayed the same for 28 years and is still growing. So what's the secret?

From California to London and Singapore, the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge has been successful in bringing business men and women out of the working environment and into a competetive sporting event. The race is also a great opportunity to meet people from other areas of a company. Fitness and fun, teambuilding and camaraderie have always been the main goal of the series. The post-race atmosphere in company tents from Buffalo to Sydney is, as they say, priceless.

The races are always on time, T-shirts and post-race refreshments are given to everybody, and the winners receive well-deserved recognition and beautiful Tiffany awards. It doesn't matter if it is in Frankfurt, Germany, or Morristown, New Jersey, everyone gets first-class treatment and the energy level is just as high in both places.

In the 80s, the Series mostly attracted runners. Now, however, we see a nice mixture of runners and walkers. The Corporate Challenge welcomes everybody from the corporate world and has added a non-competetive class for those who just want to show their support and take it easy. This has been a good move since many men and women use power walking as a way to stay fit. And, some who start walking to train for a Corporate Challenge event, keep up the habit long afterward.

This season will be the best yet for the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge. In all the cities the numbers have been up from last year - even in the places where we have changed the time of year (Chicago) and moved the race to another venue (Rochester). I am pleased to see that runners and walkers continue to share our passion for this event.

The Series is more international than ever with Singapore and Johannesburg as new race sites in 2004. That means flags from five continents will be flying on New York's Park Avenue when this year's Championship is held in October. It will make winning, and competing, all the more prestigious and exciting. We've come a long way since that first race in 1977, something many hundreds of thousands of participants should, literally, feel very good about.

Why and when to stretch?
(June 2004 column)

How should you stretch? When? And for how long? Opinions vary even among the experts, but all of them agree that a regular, sensible program of stretching is important to a runner's health and development.

Ironically, many more people agree with that idea than practice it.

I admit that I have not always been good with my stretching. I am afraid that is the case with many of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge runners as well. Although I probably should have stretched more in my competetive days, I can't dispute the importance of doing so.

My husband, Jack, has enlightened me on the need to stretch, but not in the way you might expect. He has never stretched and even now when he tries to bend over to stretch the back of his thighs, he is so tight that his body remains in a 90-degree angle. Over the years he has had a number of aches and pains, like a sore knee, sore achilles tendons and calf muscle problems.

He usually solves these problems by taking days off from running. He knows very well he should stretch and especially now when he is older, but I guess you can't teach that old dog new tricks. I know he is not the only one, many runners skip stretching because it is boring or they don't have the time, others neglect it because they think they are getting away with it.

I have found that women are generally more disciplined about stretching than men. I am not sure why this is so. Perhaps it is easier for them to do so because many took dance or gymnastic lessons as young girls or did other activities where stretching and flexibility were emphasized.

Running is very hard on your body because of the constant pounding. It takes a big toll on flexibilty since the motion is very restrictive and repetitive.

You have to expect a certain degree of tightness, but proper stretching can reduce the risk of muscle pulls, strains and imbalances.

Stretching is best after your run when your muscles are warm and respond better than when they are cold. If you like to strectch before your run, make sure you go light. Save the real stretching until afterward, use those few minutes to relax and cool down.

The older you are, the more important stretching becomes. As you age your tendons and ligaments begin to tighten up and you lose your stride length.

So if you want to maintain your range of motion and not stiffen up you have to stretch regularly.

The exercises I suggest are not a burden for busy runners like yourselves.

Hold all stretches for about 10 seconds and repeat each exercise 5-8 times.
Always stretch till you feel a slight irritation. Never stretch to the point of pain and never stretch something that is torn or pulled.

As a runner, these stretches are the most important:

Quadriceps Stretch
	Lie on your left side and extend your right leg. Bring your left knee to your chest by hooking your left arm under the knee. This stabilizes the spine and pelvis. With your right hand, pull your right foot toward your buttocks. Switch legs and repeat.
Calf Stretches
	1)  Sit on the floor and extend your legs. Drape a rope or towel over your right foot and pull back on the toes until you feel the stretch in your calf. You can bend the left knee if it is more comfortable. Switch legs and repeat. 2)  Facing the wall at arm's length, place your right leg 1 to 2 feet behind the other leg. Leon on the wall and keep the right leg straight and the left knee bent. Keeping your right heel on the ground and your back straight, slowly lean into the wall. Switch legs and repeat. To stretch the lower calf and Achilles tendon, do the same stretch, but bend the right knee.
Hamstring Stretches
	Lie on your back with your legs straight. Lift you left leg, keep it straight, and use the strength of your quadriceps (front thigh muscle) to pull your leg up as far as you can. When you can extend the leg no farther, take the rope or towel and drape it over the bottom of you left foot. Hold the two ends of the rope or towel and gently pull your left leg toward your head until you feel the stretch. Concentrate on relaxing the hamstring muscle. Release to the non-stretch position while keeping the left leg straight. Switch legs and repeat.
Gluteal Muscle Stretches
	•  Sit on the floor with the right leg extended and the left leg bent. Cross your left foot over the straight leg and place it next to the outside of the right knee. •  Wrap you right arm around the outside of the left knee. Then twist your trunk to the left and gently pull the knee toward your chest. You should feel the stretch in the buttocks muscle on the left side of the body. Switch legs and repeat.