Over $2,700,000 Raised at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
TORONTO, ON, October 16, 2016 /3BL Media/ - Toronto Mayor John Tory marked the official start of the 27th annual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday, October 16, welcoming over 25,000 people from more than 60 countries. The event raised $2,700,000 and counting for 182 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. This amount is a significant contribution to the more than $50 million raised nationally in the lifetime of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge since its inception in 2003.
Race day saw convincing victories despite the rain and humidity as runners brought their best to the streets of Toronto. Kenyan-born Philemon Rono broke away from Ethiopia's Seboka Dibaba for the win after a battle to the 37 km mark, finishing strong with a time of 2:08:27. Dibaba followed closely in second place with a time of 2:09:47. Only eight weeks after an impressive 10th place finish in the Rio Olympics, Eric Gillis took first in the Canadian Men's category with a time of 2:13:44, making this his sixth Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and winning the Athletics Canada National Championship for men. Gillis placed well ahead of Alberta's Kip Kangogo who finished in second place for Canadian Men with a time of 2:22:15.
Ethiopian-born Shure Demise ran to victory and became the first women's champion to successfully defend her title on the course, with a time of 2:25:18. She battled it out with Tadelech Bekele, also from Ethiopia, until she broke away in the last 5 km of the race. Bekele followed in close second with a time of 2:26:31. Brantford's Krista DuChene won the Canadian Women's race with a finish time of 2:34:02 only nine weeks after her performance at the Rio Olympics, winning the Athletics Canada National Championship for women. Guelph's Rachel Hannah followed very close behind with an impressive second place finish of 2:34:37.
"Today we saw residents of the Greater Toronto Area, as well as those who have travelled across the world for today's race, unite in an inspiring way. From talented runners to dedicated supporters cheering on race participants, we witnessed a great deal of athleticism, philanthropy and community spirit," said Alan Brookes, Canada Running Series Race Director. "In addition to the outstanding results, the spectator support from the Neighbourhood Challenge and donations raised through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge have made this day very special for our community."
The race also saw record-breaking moments as the indefatigable Ed Whitlock made history with the most impressive performance of the day, breaking the world record for fastest marathon in the 85 and over category. With a finish time of 3:56:38, he stripped 38 minutes off the old record of 4:34:55. Calum Neff of Houston, Texas claimed the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon while pushing a pram with a finish time of 2:31:26.
"We would like to congratulate all of the runners in the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, especially those who participated in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and ran for causes close to their hearts," said Kyle McNamara, Executive Vice President and Co-Head, Information Technology and Business Systems at Scotiabank. "It's inspiring to see the running community come together. Today, we are proud to announce that with the support of the local community, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge surpassed a fundraising total of $2,700,000 and counting -- helping to take our national fundraising even further past the $50 million national fundraising milestone achieved earlier this year."
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Results - International
Marathon Male
1. Philemon Rono, Kenya 2:08:27
2. Seboka Dibaba, Ethiopia 2:09:47
3. Albert Korir, Kenya 2:10:23
Marathon Female
1. Shure Demise, Ethiopia 2:25:18
2. Tadelech Bekele, Ethiopia 2:26:31
3. Rebecca Chesir, Kenya 2:28:54
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Results - Canadian
Marathon Male
1. Eric Gillis, Guelph, Ontario 2:13:44
2. Kip Kangogo, Lethbridge, Alberta 2:22:15
3. Jeff Costen, Toronto, Ontario 2:27:36
Marathon Female
1. Krista DuChene, Brantford, Ontario 2:34:02
2. Rachel Hannah, Guelph, Ontario 2:34:37
3. Dayna Pidhoresky, Vancouver, BC 2:40:41
For high-res images, please click here.
For more highlights and complete race results, please visit www.stwm.ca.
To see a complete list of charities involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, please visit http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/charities.htm.
About Scotiabank
Through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average $55 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world.
Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and parts of Asia. We are dedicated to helping our 21 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 87,000 employees and assets of $863 billion (as at July 31, 2015), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankNews
About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada's premier, big-city running event, and the Grand Finale of the 8-race Canada Running Series. In 2014, it attracted more than 26,000 participants from 60 countries, raised $3.67 million for 173 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and contributed an estimated $35 million to the local economy. In 2014, it also became the first marathon to be livestreamed globally on YouTube, attracting viewers from 115 countries. In 2015, it will host the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships and the international Bridge The Gap movement www.STWM.ca.
For media enquiries only:
Alexis Kronwald DeBruyn
Narrative PR
(647) 339-3116
alexis@narrative.ca
Kristin McCleister
Public, Corporate and Government Affairs
Scotiabank
(416) 317-5298
Kristin.mccleister@scotiabank.com
