VANCOUVER, BC–(Marketwired – June 26, 2016) – Over 6,500 people took part in the 18th annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k on Sunday, June 26. The event raised more than $860,000 and counting for 81 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. This amount is a significant contribution to the $50 million raised nationally in the lifetime of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge since its inception in 2003.
Race day saw momentous victories on a sunny Vancouver morning as runners brought their best to the scenic course, stretching from UBC to Stanley Park. Kenyan-born Kip Kangogo of Lethbridge, Alberta owned today’s race, as he has since his Canadian debut in 2009, leading the men’s pack and winning his fifth Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon in eight years with a time of 01:07:03. Kenya’s Pius Kipsang Korir followed in second place, with Kangogo’s fellow Kenyan Canadian, Willy Kimosop in third for the men’s event.
Romanian born American, Adriana Nelson came to Vancouver looking for a half-marathon win, and led the women’s pack from the beginning. She ran to victory three minutes clear of second place, Lindsay Tessier from Toronto.
“We would like to congratulate all of the runners in the 2016 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k, especially those who participated in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and ran for causes close to their hearts,” said Winnie Leong, Senior Vice President of the BC and Yukon Region at Scotiabank. “This marks a special year for the race here in Vancouver. With the support of the local community, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge reached a fundraising total of $860,000 and counting — helping to take our national fundraising even further past the $50 million national fundraising milestone achieved this past week.”
The race also saw record-breaking moments as Jason Cole and Rand Surbey broke the Guinness World Record for fastest half-marathon pushing a wheelchair. The powerhouse duo had a strong finish in the race and in their fundraising efforts, raising over $15,000 for the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. The Scotiabank Charity Challenge also saw a record broken as Cassie and Friends Society raised over $120,000 this year, surpassing the most a charity has raised through the Challenge in Vancouver, annually.
“Today we saw residents of Vancouver and surrounding areas 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 Clif Cunningham, Canada Running Series Western Race Director. “With the combination of outstanding running achievements and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for local charities here in BC, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k Results:
Half-Marathon Results
Half-Marathon Male
1. Kip Kangogo – Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada TIME : 01:07:03
2. Pius Kipsang Korir- Kenya TIME : 01:07:29
3. Willy Kimosop – Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada TIME : 01:08:11
Half-Marathon Female
1. Adriana Nelson – Boulder, Colorado, USA TIME : 01:14:35
2. Lyndsay Tessier – Toronto, Ontario, Canada TIME : 01:17:30
3. Robyn Mildren – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada TIME : 01:18:55
5k Results
5k Male
1. Alistair Kealty – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada TIME : 17:07
2. Dorian Baysset – Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada TIME : 17:56
3. Samuel Yeung – Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada TIME : 19:28
5k Female
1. Olivia, Willett – Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada TIME : 18:57
2. Carina Blafield – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada TIME : 20:12
3. Hannah Ye – Leesburg, Virginia, USA TIME : 20:22
To see a list of charities involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, please visit the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k website.
For more highlights and complete race results, please visit: www.vancouverhalf.com
Twitter Hashtag: #ScotiaHalf and #runScotia
About the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon
The Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k is part of the prestigious Canada Running Series. As one of Vancouver’s premier running events, the “Scotia Half” attracts more than 6,000 runners and walkers of all levels, including many elite athletes and spectators to the city. Canada Running Series is the nation’s premier running circuit with 8 events: 4 in Toronto, 3 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. We are 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. Our mission is “building community through running”. For more information please visit: www.CanadaRunningSeries.com
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 89,000 employees and assets of $895 billion (as at April 30, 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.
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