James Sullivan @ J.P. Morgan Challenge

Next month, the 15th edition of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge will be taking place.

Come April 26th, thousands of runners from hundreds of corporations across Singapore are set to throng the Central Business District to take part in the 5.6km run – which is Singapore’s biggest corporate sporting event.

The event is way for James to embrace his passion for running

To James Sullivan, Head of Asia Ex-Japan Equity Research at J.P.Morgan, the Corporate Challenge is a way to embrace his passions for running and at the same time, to take part in a larger event that has ties to the Singapore community.

James himself had first gotten into running as a kid

He said, “I got into running as a kid. The importance of running was maybe something I did not fully understand till I couldn’t run. There was a period of time I could not run for close to a year and it really hit me how much I had missed running.”

These days, James loves running to and from work.

Camaraderie and team bonding is apparent at the event

Grouped into teams of four, teams often train together in the lead up to the event with some continuing their group training routine even after the event has ended. So camaraderie and team bonding are at the heart of the Corporate Challenge, indeed.

This is apparent at J.P. Morgan, according to Steven Billiet, CEO of Asset Management at the company. Steven, who has run the race four times, started a J.P. Morgan running club in the build up to his first event and this weekly running routine, soon turned into a year round running club.

Said Steven, “Part of the motivation for the group runs was that it gave the runners something to work towards as they geared up for the race. But the runs proved to be so valuable from a team building point of view, that we kept them going throughout the year and even increased the frequency to twice a week. We are still running today.”

Also a great way to network with colleagues and clients

The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is not only about running though. It is also a great way to network with colleagues and clients – known for the upbeat atmosphere and the post race celebrations, the event is a great way to meet new people and make friends.

I had been present at last year’s edition of the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge and the mood is definitely infectious, with colleagues congregating together after their run and talking together, as well as clients meeting and chit-chatting to each other on topics other than work.