It’s now 15 years in the books for the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Singapore, the first Asian event ever held in the Corporate Challenge Series.

Now in its 15th year, it is safe to say the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge has developed a loyal and growing following in Singapore.

A crowd of 14,256 entrants from 390 companies took part on this overcast, breezy evening, making the 11th year that the event has reached a full capacity of entrants. Grace Fu, Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, was the Guest of Honour and flagged off the first wave of runners on St. Andrew’s Road in the historic Civic District, then entered the second wave to tackle the 5.6km course.

Singapore joined the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series in 2004, attracting a crowd of 6,766 runners, with a start and finish line adjacent to the Padang.  It was the first Corporate Challenge event ever held in Asia.  In addition to more than doubling the number of entrants over 15 years, the event continues to evolve thoughtfully.

“The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is an incredible commitment to the corporate community in Singapore that brings thousands of executives and colleagues together for an evening of teamwork and fun. We were excited to flag off the race in the Civic District – the birthplace of modern Singapore – for the second year in a row,” said Edmund Lee, Senior Country Officer for J.P. Morgan Singapore. “The 15-year milestone was another success for the Corporate Challenge that brought the business community, clients and J.P. Morgan staff together for a very special night.”

The vibrant crowd included a total of 13 companies that entered 150 or more employees, with StarHub leading the way with 602.  J.P. Morgan registered 542 of its workforce, followed by Deloitte (501), SAP (325), Visa (250), Cisco (225), Standard Chartered (204), PwC (200), Oracle (199), Microsoft (169), BNP Paribas (164), ANZ (152), and SATS (150). StarHub has entered 4,807 employees since 2011, easily the largest company in that timeframe.

Motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson is one of the companies that embraces the Corporate Challenge.

“Harley Davidson stands for freedom.  The JPMorgan Corporate Challenge is a great opportunity for us as an office to get out and demonstrate who we are as an individual,” said Marc McAllister, Managing Director, International Markets for Harley-Davidson. “Participating is a great way to show our freedom and our spirit. If I had to choose between running and taking my motorcycle, it’s a toss-up for me.  But I am going to keep running until I have to stop.”

There was no stopping the winners on this, which included true Corporate Challenge royalty.

Suzy Walsham is officially the fastest woman in the history of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series.  She posted an incredible time of 18:38 in winning the 2007 race here, the best women’s finishing time in any city over the 42 years of the Series.

Walsham, representing Symantec, was back on this night to win her fourth Corporate Challenge title in Singapore, posting a time of 19:34. Baoying Lim of MOH Holdings was second in 21:58 and two-time champion (2015, 2017) Jasmine Teo of Bloomberg ran third with a time of 22:19.

This Walsham’s fourth Singapore title.  She also broke the tape first here in 2013 and 2014.

“I’m pretty tired but super happy to have won,” said Walsham. “It’s such a great event; there is a lot of camaraderie and it’s fantastic to work with my colleagues as a team.”

MOH Holdings has the makings of a fantastic Mixed Team time, as Gen Lin Foo and Joshua Li crossed the men’s finish tape together, hands locked in celebration, both timed at 18:15.  Gen Lin Foo, who touched the line first, was awarded the men’s title, his second here (2012).  Steffen Pfeifer of event owner and operator J.P. Morgan was a solid third in in 19:24.

For the second consecutive year, J.P. Morgan will commemorate the efforts of each entrant by making a charitable donation to MINDS, one of the oldest and largest non-governmental organizations catering to the needs of persons with intellectual disability in Singapore. It aims to provide equal opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities to receive education and later, to be integrated as contributing and responsible citizens to society.

Singapore was the second event of the 42nd year of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge  Series, following Johannesburg on April 5.  The Series continues Tuesday, May 22 when the Series visits Rochester, New York.