Trisha Byler of DuPont added to her outstanding J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge resumé with a third consecutive women’s individual title in Rochester.
It’s fair to say that Trisha Byler of DuPont is a fan of Downtown Rochester.
“I love the atmosphere of the (J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge) in Downtown Rochester,” Byler told Wendy Mills of Spectrum TV in a pre-race interview aired live the morning of the 29th running of the Corporate Challenge here in the Flower City. “There’s a post-race party that is so much bigger than it ever was. The challenge is the course. It’s a little hillier and more open, so you have the elements hitting you. The team aspect of it is just amazing. I love working with my co-workers and we support each other, and we are always pointing each other out before the race and cheering for each other at the finish line. It’s so supportive.”
About 12 hours following that interview, Byler crossed the finish line as the first women’s finisher for the third year in a row at the Rochester race. Perhaps not coincidentally, that also matches the number of years this race has been held Downtown after moving from the suburban campus of Rochester Institute of Technology in 2017.
Byler’s winning time was 19:52 (5:40 pace), and she held off a strong 19:56 effort from runner-up Kathryn Potter from Victor Central Schools.
Tim Chichester, running for Arkport Central School, led the field of 7,781 participants to the finish line, earning the men’s individual title with a sizzling time of 17:22 (4:57 pace). It was his first Corporate Challenge title and, based on the 46-second distance to second-place runner Paul Suflita of Wegmans, possibly not his last.
Suflita was in the winner’s circle in the participants’ category. His employer Wegmans formed the largest team for this year’s race, registering 590 of its employees. Five other companies signed up 100 or more – Paychex (388 entrants), Rochester Regional Health (361), Harris Corporation (155), University of Rochester (134), and City of Rochester (104). Impressive totals were also submitted by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (97), The College at Brockport, SUNY (96), and Canandaigua National Bank (83).
Those large companies fueled an overall turnout of 7,781 racers, joggers and walkers from 319 companies. Most of the participants celebrated post-race at a post-race party within beautiful Frontier Field, culminating with a fireworks show.
The Downtown Rochester race course was a lure for a solid crowd of 7,781 entrants at the 29th J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in the Flower City.
This was the 24th consecutive year that Paychex, a leading payroll and human resources provider, has participated in the Corporate Challenge, dating back to events at both Highland Park and RIT.
“We are so proud of our longevity because we think it is reflective of our spot as one of the largest employers in Rochester,” Becky Cania, the co-team captain for Paychex, told Spectrum TV. “We are a company based in the suburbs, so to have something in the city, that supports the city…we love it. It’s a pride point for our employees.”
United Way of Greater Rochester, whose mission is to unite the good will and resources of the Greater Rochester community so that everyone can thrive, was the beneficiary of the event, with JPMorgan Chase donating in celebration of all Corporate Challenge participants. The donation is earmarked for the United Way’s Community Fund and will help support 75 partner programs that provide a safety net of services to help people across all stages of life and levels of need.
Corporate Challenge participants can continue to partner with United by giving at their workplace. If your workplace does not run a United Way campaign, contact United Way and they can help you start one. Learn more about United Way’s many leadership development programs to help you or your team members gain the skills to lead on boards and committees in the community. United Way can help you find the opportunities that best fit your passion and time commitment.
The 43rd year of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series has two stops next week. The first is overseas, Wednesday, June 12 in Frankfurt, Germany. The second is just west on I-90, Buffalo on Thursday, June 13.
