Singapore runners race along F1 course
in sixth J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge
Results | Photo Gallery

Runners race to the finish at the Formula 1 Pit Building area in Singapore's J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge. Distance of race Due to logistical challenges on event night, the race distance for the Corporate Challenge was 5.94km (3.69 miles) rather than the promoted 5.6km (3.48 miles). Follow this link to a pace calculator to determine what your time would have been over the 5.6km. Example: For a person who ran 25:00 over the 5.94km distance, that time would translate to 23:34 over 5.6km. The Corporate Challenge Administrative Team apologizes for any inconvenience.

SINGAPORE, April 16, 2009 — What do Fernando Alonso, Andrew Hallam and Vivian Tang all have in common?

They were dominant performers on the Formula 1 race course in Singapore.

This past September, Alonso thrilled a crowd of over 100,000 by winning the debut Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix auto racing event in the Marina Bay district. On this night, Hallam and Tang used their own two feet to motor to the men's and women's individual titles at the sixth annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Singapore.

The race featured a capacity crowd of 9,927 participants from 330 companies, and the majority of the course was on the same streets that the F1 drivers negotiated. The finish line and post-race staging area was in the Pit Building area.

Tang, representing CIMB-GK Securities, continued her personal domination of this race, winning her fifth women's individual title in six years, breaking the finish tape in 22:20, handedly besting the 25:42 posted by runner-up Harriette Purchase of Kinderbuzz. Tang has earned top honors at the Corporate Challenge 2004-06, and the last two years. She was second in 2007 to Commonwealth Games standout Suzy Walsham.

Hallam of the Singapore American School was the first finisher, earning the men's title in 20:25. He had turned in a third-place effort in 2007 and this time outdueled a pair of runners from Bikelabz, Melvin Wong (21:07) and Willie Loo (21:23). William Allen of Scotiabank was a strong fourth in 21:42.

“It was a really good race course,” Hallam noted. “I really liked the fact that it's the backdrop for the F1, it made it really cool. It was a little longer and more challenging than the previous years, but it's a fabulous course.”

Tang agreed that the course provided a suitable challenge.

A delighted Chiat Chiat of Starhub, LDT., gives a "high five" after finishing her race.

“It was a bit harder than past years, because there were more hills,” Tang noted. “But it was a good race. I was feeling a bit tired, but I'm fine now and definitely looking forward to coming back next year.”

Among the folks who work in corner offices, Mark Jansen of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Bank of America 's Janet Young were the standard bearers. They were the men's and women's Most Senior Executive winners, finishing in 22:13 and 34:05 respectively.

The competition was keen, but the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge's team-building element was what attracted a huge turnout from communications powerhouse Starhub.

“It has been a fantastic experience being out here with more than 400 (precisely 438) Starhubbers,” said Terry Clontz, the Starhub CEO. “This is the first time StarHub has sent such a big contingent to this race, and I can assure you that this is the beginning of many more. It's a great opportunity to promote camaraderie and healthy lifestyle for our employees.”

Andrew Hallam wins the male title (below), finishing first on the new course in a capacity field of 9,927 entrants.

Four other companies — PricewaterhouseCoopers (342), Citgroup (251), M1 (229) and Temasek Holdings (200) — entered more than 200 employees. But there were also dozens and dozens of companies that entered less than 10, as the Corporate Challenge proved appealing to all sizes and styles of businesses in the Lion City.

M1, a leading mobile communications provider, has participated in all six J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenges in Singapore. It is a neat fir for a company that has organizes regular employee activities such as jogging, bowling and football.

“As an organization, we strongly believe in the value of work-life balance and the company has policies and practices in place to help facilitate this,” said Karen Kooi, acting CEO for M1. “Through good times and bad, companies need to maintain strong staff morale and cohesion, which in turn strengthens the company. M1 has some 1,300 employees working in a spread of locations across the island. Events such as the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge provide an opportunity for our employees to get together for good fellowship and bonding while participating in a healthy activity.”

The sold-out crowd made a difference for the Asian Civilisations Museum, which received a donation from J.P. Morgan for each entry. The funds will go specifically to the ExplorAsian Zones at ACM — interactive displays dedicated to providing children and adults with a “hands on” learning experience.

The runners were flagged off at the start and greeted at the finish line by the evening's Guest of Honor, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports.

The 33rd year of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series continues in Chicago on Thursday, May 21. That will be one of eight Corporate Challenge races over a 29-day period, with more than 170,000 total participants.