Johannesburg successfully kicks off 50th year of Corporate Challenge Series

The 50^th year of the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge began with a sold-out crowd in South Africa with the type of camaraderie and competition that has come to define this worldwide team-building event series.

What began with a single race in New York City in 1977 now features 16 locations on six continents, and Johannesburg showed on this night that it is delighted to have its annual spot on the Corporate Challenge itinerary.

“Sasol has proudly participated in the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge in Johannesburg since 2005, and over the past 20 years it has become one of the highlights of our calendar,” said Jaqueline Ramabulana, Team Captain for Sasol, a global chemicals and energy company. “It gives our colleagues the opportunity to connect outside of the workplace, build relationships and cheer each other on while staying active. It’s one of the reasons we continue to return year after year. Congratulations to JPMorganChase on celebrating 50 years globally and 21 years in Johannesburg, we’re proud to have run alongside you for two decades.”

The 21^st running for the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge Johannesburg, the only Corporate Challenge ever held on the continent of Africa, drew a capacity crowd of over 14,000 participants from 252 companies.

The 10 largest companies were Investec (750 participants), Nedbank (632), Standard Bank (600), Rand Merchant Bank (450), Absa (404), Momentum Group (400), EY (350), KPMG (350), Liberty (350), and WesBank (250).

Standard Bank has been an annual participant since the event’s Johannesburg debut in 2004.

“I keep registering the Standard Bank Group for the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge because it’s more than a race—it’s where our people come together, move with purpose, give back to a meaningful cause, and reconnect beyond our day jobs,” said Noleen Jansen, Standard Bank’s Team Captain. “It’s teamwork, wellbeing, and impact rolled into one powerful experience.”

Implats, a platinum group metals producer, is another company that enthusiastically enters each year, and has had a great deal of success at the front of the running pack—earning multiple team titles in the male, female, and mixed divisions.

“Implats is proud to once again field a strong and enthusiastic team for the Johannesburg JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge,” said Blackie Swart, the Team Captain for Implats. “We have participated for many years and winning the Johannesburg team results has become a point of pride for our people. But beyond the results, we return each year because the Corporate Challenge brings our team together in a unique and energising way. It is a celebration of teamwork, wellbeing and shared purpose, and it reflects the resilience and spirit that define Implats.”

“The event has become an important fixture in our culture,” Swart continued, “and we’re excited to be part of this milestone 50^th global year.”

The competition over the 3.5-mile (5.6km) race course was once again especially keen, with three first-time winners prevailing in the individual categories.

George Kusche, running for Pepkor Lifestyle, earned the first-place male award, crossing the finish line in an impressive 16:55. Mari Rabie, representing Rand Merchant Bank, earned the female title with a time of 21:40. And Thabo Motloung from Motus Corporation was the non-binary individual champion in 30:54.

All three runners comfortably beat the top times from the 2025 Johannesburg race—17:20 for first male, 21:52 female, and 34:51 non-binary.

In what has also become an annual tradition in Johannesburg, the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge served as a benefit and awareness-builder for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation South Africa, which uses sport as a tool for social change. JPMorganChase has supported Laureus each year with the Corporate Challenge since 2014, 13 years in total. The non-profit was visible throughout the night with a Laureus water station on course and attendance from numerous Laureus well-known sports ambassadors.

The next stop in the 50^th year of the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge Series is approximately 5,400 miles from Johannesburg’s Wanderers Club—the Marina Bay district in Singapore. The 21^st running in Singapore will be held on Thursday, April 16.