Johannesburg - A display of competitive spirit among Gauteng’s corporates will come to the fore on March 6 as Johannesburg hosts the 11th annual JPMorgan Corporate Challenge.
A capacity field of 13 000 employees is expected to take part in the road race, according to the organisers.
The event, which takes place in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg, will see runners and walkers from more than 220 company teams join in the spectacle.
Global financial services company JPMorgan Chase founded the 5.6km challenge in its home city of New York, way back in 1977. The event has grown steadily ever since, and it now takes places in seven countries on five continents. The organisers have plans to expand it even further due to its popularity.
The 11th observance of the Johannesburg JPMorgan Corporate Challenge will start at 6.30pm and will be followed by a concert.
Besides giving thousands of employees an opportunity to participate in an evening of healthy competition, the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge has also become a useful avenue for making a difference.
Each year the JPMorgan Chase Foundation makes a donation on behalf of the race to a worthy non-profit organisation.
This year’s beneficiary is the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation, which raises funds to provide financial and practical support to more than 140 projects worldwide.
The foundation uses the power of sport to provide coaching and education to young people in some of the worlds’ most challenging and deprived environments.
For this year’s entries, Standard Bank leads the pack with a team of 750 full-time employees, followed by KPMG with 550 and Investec just behind with 500.
Business Report, South Africa’s national financial daily, is the official print media partner for the 2014 JPMorgan Corporate Challenge, the third consecutive year the newspaper will fulfil the role.
* Keep up with what is happening at the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Johannesburg CorporateChallenge or follow it on Twitter @JPMorganCC.