The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge 2017

Last evening, the 14th edition of the Singapore leg of the 5.6km J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge took place, flagging off from a new start point in Singapore’s historic Civic District – on St. Andrew’s Road, next to the Padang.

Click here to view the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 2017 photos.

The race is a part of a global series that began 41 years ago in New York’s Central Park and is the longest running corporate sporting event in the world. Singapore is the second stop of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Series 2017.

Gracing the Singapore event had been the guest of honour – Baey Yam Keng – Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

Runners though the race was well organised despite the earlier downpour

Runners taking part in the event, had thought that as a whole, the race had been quite well organised, despite the heavy rain that had threatened to derail the event prior to the flag off.

Ben Shannon, 30, an insurance analyst with AON Singapore, said, “The rain had caused some small issues at the starting point but overall the race had been done well. The organisation was excellent but I would say that the rain caused some issues at the start – but then again, there’s nothing that can be done about the weather.”

He added “What I really liked though was that everything was seamless. You could dump your bags with the lorry and they would drive to the finish line. You also get a free tee shirt, everything was all good.”

Had a great time with his colleagues

For Kevin Hack, 45, who works in management at Connell Brothers, he didn’t let the weather get to him and ended up having a good time with his colleagues. Said Kevin, “The race itself was very fun. I had a good time and the rain made it more exciting. At the beginning we did not know when it was going to start, but we knew it would happen. So we stuck to the plan. There was a delay but we raced and it was great fun. It was a bit congested at the start and we had to weave our way through the crowd but the distance was not so far so that was ok.”

He added “It was a bit chaotic at first; an hour before the start when it rained, nobody knew what was going to happen, but then things came together. The gates went up, the crowds came and everyone got together. The commentator fired us up, and things went smoothly. It would have been good, though, if they could have had live tweets going out to tell runners what was going on, and the changes in start time if it rained.”

Loved the concept of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge

But overall Kevin added that he had loved the concept of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, which is to encourage employees from large corporations to swap their office desks for an evening of fun, fitness and camaraderie. Said Kevin, “I think the concept is great. Everyone gets out; and we get to bond over not just the race, but also the build up. For example, the week before, or two days before, we are planning where to meet, and plotting our strategies on how to run the race. It also gets people, who would otherwise not run, to get out there and do it. Some people also trained together but I didn’t because I had to travel.”

His sentiments had also been shared by Helen Huang, 47, a lawyer with an international law firm. She said “The whole race is great and fantastic. I enjoy it every year. You get to meet new people and get the chance to talk to people whom you have seen in the corridors at work but previously didn’t manage to chat to. It’s really fun and I have taken part in this event for the past three to four years already.”

Organisers are pleased with the 2017 event

The organisers were pleased with how the race went. Said Edmund Lee, Senior Country Officer for J.P. Morgan Singapore, “The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is a commitment to the corporate community in Singapore bringing together executives and colleagues for an exciting evening of teamwork and healthy competition.”

He continued, “We were also delighted to flag off in the Civic District, a national heritage site, which is widely viewed as the birthplace of modern Singapore. The event continues to be a success with strong participation rates from the business community, clients and J.P. Morgan staff.”

Also saw organisers making a donation to MINDS

The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge also saw organisers J.P Morgan making a donation on behalf of all runners to the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) – the race’s new beneficiary. MINDS was also represented on the course, with more than 20 persons with intellectual disability participating in the run. They were accompanied by Olympian C. Kunalan, widely regarded as one of Singapore’s greatest athletes, to cheer on and inspire the contingent.

Said Keh Eng Siong, MINDS CEO, “We are grateful for the support by J.P. Morgan and honoured to be apart of the Corporate Challenge this year. It is also a great opportunity for MINDS and I am glad that we are able to send a team to participate in the run too. It’s especially special for the beneficiaries participating in the Special Olympics (Singapore) in the next couple of weeks, to meet with Kunalan and for him to share his experiences with the before the race.”

Besides MINDS athletes, also new on the course, had been incoming interns and analysts who will be joining J.P. Morgan in the summer. They had been invited to run alongside their former university peers who have since graduated and embarked on successful careers with the bank.