What It’s All About

Our Story

Our Story

The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is a 3.5 mile (5.6km) race series that is a global celebration of teamwork, camaraderie and community, providing an opportunity to connect with clients and corporate neighbors.

Where We Run

Where We Run

With events in eight countries on six continents, The Corporate Challenge has proven to be inclusive with a 50/50 split of men and women from entry-level to CEO—runners, joggers and walkers are all welcomed.

The Championship

The Championship

All participating teams have a chance to qualify for The Championship, where the top male, female, and mixed teams from all the Series events compete for top honors in the corporate running community.
 

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Our Story

On the night of July 13th, 1977 in Central Park, a total of 200 runners from 50 companies entered an event called the Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge, named for one of J.P. Morgan's predecessor firms.

The first race was inspired by the firms sponsorship of New York City Marathon. Officials at the bank looked for a way to create an event solely for corporate runners, and at a distance for which even a busy executive would have time to train for.

Timeline

Date Description
1977: The Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge debuts with a single race in Central Park on the night of the New York City Blackout, July 13. Attendance is 200 runners from 50 companies.
1980: Event expands outside of New York City for first time, with race in Albany, NY.
1981: A second Upstate New York event is added, in Buffalo.
1982: Syracuse becomes third Upstate New York city. Event also expands for the first time outside of New York State with 1,200 entrants in Chicago.
1983: It is now the Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge Series after expansion to U.S. West Coast (San Francisco). First Championship event is held, on the harness horse track at Meadowlands Raceway in E. Rutherford, NJ.
1984: After successful test in New Jersey, The Championship moves across the Hudson River to Wall Street in Manhattan. Boston, a new addition this same year, is one of the participating cities.
1985: The Championship moves to 270 Park Avenue, beginning a 24-year run of staging the race in front of Bank headquarters.
1986: Series expands to London, with 5,000 runners from 440 companies entering.
1988: Attendance at three events in Central Park this year totals 55,046, a New York City record that stands to this day.
1989: Total Series attendance exceeds 100,000, with races now in 16 cities, including several metropolitan New York locations (Long Island, Stamford, Jersey City, Morristown, NJ).
1991 Rochester, NY joins the Series.
1992: After merger between Manufacturers Hanover and Chemical Bank, name of event changes to Chemical Bank Corporate Challenge Series.
1993: Frankfurt, Germany joins the Series, beginning modestly with 527 entrants from 57 companies.
1993: Three races in Central Park draw a total of 50,000 entrants.
1996: Chemical Bank mergers with Chase Manhattan Bank and name of event changes to Chase Corporate Challenge Series.
1996: One millionth entrant logged in Corporate Challenge Series history.
1999: Six Series events each attract more than 12,000 total entrants, including Frankfurt, which is now at 20,685.
2000: Sydney joins the Series, placing events now on three continents.
2001: Total Series attendance exceeds 200,000 for first time.
2001: J.P. Morgan & Co. merges with Chase Manhattan, name of event changes to JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series.
2004: Johannesburg, South Africa and Singapore join the Series, placing events now in 12 cities in six countries on five continents.
2005: For first time, total number of women entrants exceeded men entrants, Series-wide.
2008: Frankfurt attracts an all-time Series record 73,719 entrants for a single race. At that time, it was the largest number of entrants for any road race in history.
2009: The Championship has a year off as the rules of participation are re-tooled.
2010: The Championship moves to an "Olympic-style" rotation of host cities, conducting event in Johannesburg.
2011: Shanghai joins the Series, the first event ever held in China. The Series is now in 13 cities in seven countries. Additionally, Asia hosts The Championship for the first time, with Singapore having the honors.
2011: Name of event changes to J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series to reflect the expanding global nature of the Series. Chase brand still prominent at several U.S. races.
2012: Total Series attendance exceeds 250,000.
2013: 30th J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Championship is held, in Rochester, NY.
2013: Series sets record for all-time attendance with 262,311 total participants from 7,969 companies.
2014: Another high watermark for the Series, as entries hit 267,960, with 8,071 companies. Those are records that stand to this day. All 13 cities in the Series were either at full capacity or increased their participation from 2013.
2014: The Championship makes its first-ever appearance in Europe, with London's Battersea Park serving as the venue.
2015: The Championship meets The Champions. Series marquee event is held in San Francisco, with special appearance by the NBA defending champions Golden State Warriors, and World Series winning San Francisco Giants.
2016: 40th year of J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Central Park commemorated by The Championship returning to New York for first time since 2008.
2020: The Series now covers six continents with the addition of events expanding to Greater Philadelphia, Dallas – Fort Worth and Buenos Aires.

 

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