Popular prestigious running and fundraising event expanding to 2-day festival and introducing new distance.
MONTREAL, October 27th, 2016 – Montreal’s number 1 Spring running event, the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal, is bringing in big changes for its 15th edition. The prestigious running and fundraising race is transforming into a weekend running festival for the first time on April 22 and 23, 2017, with races on Saturday and Sunday. A whole new distance, 10km, will also be introduced for the first time. All courses will remain on the iconic Gilles Villeneuve Formula 1 Circuit and the surrounding rounds of magnificent Parc Jean Drapeau.“We are thrilled to continue the growth and expansion of the Banque Scotia 21K weekend,” said Race Director Francois Lecot of the Canada Running Series. “The addition of the 10K has come from popular demand, and it will facilitate our continued evolution of the race as both a national sporting event and a vital community fundraising event, for both Montrealers and those using the run as a great reason to visit the city for a long-weekend in the Spring.”
The popular 5K will move to Saturday, April 22nd, 2017 with an 11 a.m. start, following the 10K that will start at 9 a.m. The 21K will remain on Sunday morning, April 23. This will be the 15th edition of the race, and Scotiabank’s 11th year as title sponsor. Interestingly, the event began as a 10K back in 1999, “La Grande Course de Montreal 10k”, before changing to the 21k and 5k event in 2003.
With more than 5,000 participants annually, the Banque Scotia 21K de Montreal is the largest Montreal road race in the Spring season, and the #1 fundraising road race of the year in Quebec, driven by the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2016, 66 local charities raised more than $1.2 million through the Challenge. Over the last eight years, the event has raised more than $5.3 million for young people and Montreal community charities. With the new two day format and the addition of the 10k race, higher participation and greater fundraising numbers for the 60+ local charities are expected!
The 21K also has a tradition of attracting some of Canada’s best distance runners. The event hosted the Athletics Canada National Half-marathon Championship from 2009 to 2014, and this past Spring Krista DuChene returned to take the women’s crown, and show her final “proof of fitness” before the Rio Olympics. Eric Gillis, who placed 10th in the Rio men’s marathon – the highest place for a Canadian man since Jerome Drayton’s 6th at Montreal 1976 – is a 4-time champion at Banque Scotia 21K de Montreal.
According to Carole Chapdelaine, Senior Vice President – Quebec & Eastern Ontario, Banque Scotia, “the event has helped make such a positive impact in the community, helping local charities make a difference. At Scotiabank, we are committed to giving back to the communites we live and work in, and we are delighted to support the continued growth of such a powerful event”
Registration for the 2017 Banque Scotia 21K, 10K and 5K runs, and for fundraising in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is now open at https://canadarunningseries.com/banque-scotia-de-montreal/inscription/
About Canada Running Series
Canada Running Series [CRS] is the nation’s premier running circuit with 7 events: 4 in Toronto, 2 in Vancouver and 1 in Montreal. It annually attracts some 60,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 mostly local charities. The Series includes the IAAF Gold Label Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization. It is strongly committed to staging great experiences for runners of all levels from Canadian Olympians and International stars, to healthy lifestyle people and charity runners, and to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process.
About Scotiabank
Through our global community investment strategy, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2015, Scotiabank contributed $67 million to help our communities 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 Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 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 88,000 employees and assets of $907 billion (as at July 31, 2016), 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 @ScotiabankViews.
For more information or interview requests:
Deborah Bourne
High Road for Banque Scotia
514-798-6149
Deborah.bourne@highroad.com
Jenna Pettinato
Canada Running Series
416-944-2765 ext 511
jenna@canadarunningseries.com
