And they’re off for the only J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in China from the new starting line at the Shanghai International Music Village.
 
SHANGHAI, November 14, 2019 – For its ninth running, the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Shanghai settled into a new home.
 
An excellent crowd of 5,664 runners and walkers from 213 companies gathered at the Shanghai International Music Village for the 3.5-mile (5.6km) race. It was the third different location for the Corporate Challenge in its nine years in China. The first four events (2011-14) were held on the Xuhui Riverside, the next four (2015-18) on the grounds of the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. 
 
Largely to provide plenty of light for the participants before the 4:56 p.m. sunset, the starting horn was sounded at 3 p.m. That matches Shanghai’s 2018 start time as the earliest for a regular Corporate Challenge event in the 43-year history of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series. The only earlier horn was 9 a.m. for the Corporate Challenge Championship when it was held on New York’s Park Avenue primarily on October Saturdays from 1985-2008. Most Corporate Challenge events begin in the 6 and 7 p.m. hours.
 
No matter the hour or location, over nine years the Corporate Challenge has proven to be a good draw in Shanghai.
 
“We are very pleased that J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge has become one of the major corporate events in Shanghai,” said Mark Leung, CEO of J.P. Morgan China. “It is our commitment to this vibrant city to provide an event of healthy competition, camaraderie and teamwork for our clients and the local business community.
 
“J.P. Morgan has been in China for close to a century,” Leung continued. “We believe that bringing this proprietary event to China for the ninth consecutive year is a further demonstration of the firm’s commitment to this critical market.”
 
At some offices within the Shanghai business community, the Corporate Challenge has become a can’t miss event.  For instance, for the fourth consecutive year, CIFM Asset Management was the largest participating company. CIFM brought 510 employees to the starting line, increasing from its total of 408 in 2018. 
 
Eaton was the second largest with 361 entrants, followed by owner and operator J.P. Morgan (317), Bosch (240), Disney (181), and EY Hua Ming (119).
 
In addition to quantity, Disney also brought outstanding quality to the event, with the top men’s and women’s finishers hailing from the iconic multinational entertainment company.
 

Yingli Jiang
Disney’s Yingli Jiang was thrilled to be the first woman to cross the finish line at the Shanghai J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge.

Yingli Jiang was the women’s winner with a time of 22:32. Her Disney colleague Jun Lin Li was the top man with a strong time of 18:52.
 

Jun Lin Li
Jun Lin Li of Disney registered a strong time of 18:52 to win the men’s race at the ninth annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Shanghai.

Hui Fang Ji from Bank of Communications was the runner-up woman in 22:55 with Liu Chen of China Merchants third in 23:34. Jun Xiang Wu from Porsche clocked a 19:13 to finish second among men, with Bank of Communications’ Ju Peng third in 19:26.
 
The Shanghai entrants realize their efforts will extend beyond the finish line. J.P. Morgan will donate in commemoration of their effort to the China Social Entrepreneur Foundation (YouChange Foundation) to support its Power Up Women program.
 
Aiming at helping underprivileged women to achieve financial independency and supporting the development of rural communities in the long run, the Power Up Women program will help the participants find quality jobs or start their own business through providing them with entrepreneurial and E-Commerce skills trainings. The program will also help the participants better manage their own finance through effective financial coaching.
 
“It is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the Power Up Women program at the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge,” said Ling Hui, Secretary General, YouChange Foundation. “Not only does this gain us race night exposure to business leaders from over 200 companies in Shanghai, but also worldwide awareness of the issue through partnership with the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series.”
 
Shanghai brought an end to the 43rd year of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series. Total 2019 attendance at 13 events in seven countries on five continents was 251,299 runners and walkers from 7,581 companies. This is slightly down from the 253,191 employees from 7,661 businesses registered in 2018. The all-time Series record is 267,960 entrants from 8,071 companies in 2014. 
 
The complete schedule for the 44th year of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series will be announced in early 2020. Check back to  www.jpmorgancc.com regularly for updates and follow the  Series on Facebook.