A capacity 6,500 people have signed up in record time for this year’s Standard Chartered Great City Race, after the final places for the 5K corporate running challenge were snapped up a full 8 weeks before this year’s race, which takes place on 14 July.
The not-for-profit race will once again be raising vital funds for Seeing is Believing, Standard Chartered’s global initiative that tackles avoidable blindness around the world, with £5 from every runner’s entry fee going straight to the initiative.
With 80% of all blindness being preventable, Standard Chartered Bank is giving every team a special incentive to help raise further funds by announcing that it will match all donations pound for pound.
Now in its seventh year, the race invites companies to enter teams of four or more runners with their top quartet’s times combining to give their overall finishing time. This year’s race has attracted nearly 400 companies. The legal sector is proving to be the most active with the highest number of companies entered, closely followed by the banking industry; while the worlds of insurance, accountancy and media complete the line-up.
While sponsor Standard Chartered has 400 of its own staff and a further 200 VIP guests taking part, financial services group Investec are once again leading the charge of the rest of the teams with 200 runners entered, closely followed by leading legal firm Slaughter & May which has 124 staff signed up.
This year’s race will see a number of new initiatives unveiled in the build up to the race and today sees the launch of the race’s own dedicated Facebook page where the public can interact with a wealth of entertaining and engaging information about the race and find out how to raise funds for Seeing is Believing.
The new Facebook platform will also provide a forum for training and nutrition tips and an outlet for runners to share their experiences.
Richard Holmes, Standard Chartered, CEO Europe said, “Every year the race continues to go from strength to strength and the fact that all of the places have been taken a full two months early is testament to its incredible popularity in the City. It’s a wonderful event which provides a unique platform to pull the City together for a common cause, and provides companies with the opportunity to bring their employees together in a fun and relaxed team environment.”
David Bedford, Race Director said, “With demand for the race growing each year the event is firmly established as London’s premier corporate running challenge. Each year we work hard to give the participants a better experience and it’s hugely satisfying to see that City companies clearly value the whole event and are already looking forward to being part of it again this year.”
