Canadians Ben
Preisner and Natasha Wodak
win in front of a sold out field of 6,440
VANCOUVER, June 23, 2019 /CNW/ - The 2019 Scotiabank
Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k had
many highlights, with $1.2 million
dollars being raised for local organizations through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge, capping off a spectacular,
record-setting day. Milton,
Ontario's Ben Preisner had an
impressive Half-Marathon debut to take the men's title in 65:41,
while North Vancouver's
Natasha Wodak narrowly missed the
course record in a time of 71:21. They raced to victory ahead of a
sold out crowd of 6,440 participants, who came from 36 countries,
eight Canadian provinces and 27 American states.
"It was an honour to run alongside the many participants of the
Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k that ran for a purpose, raising $1.2 million dollars for 69 local
organizations as part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge," says
Lesly Tayles, Regional Senior Vice
President - BC & Yukon, at
Scotiabank. "At Scotiabank, investing in communities isn't new. For
187 years we have remained committed to building strong communities
and are focused on enriching the lives of young people and their
communities. We know that how we support young people today, can
prepare them for tomorrow, and that's why we want to help them
thrive. We want to recognize Canada Running Series and all the
volunteers of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and
5k for another great event and thank
all the racers who fundraised for their charity of choice."
Up front, Preisner made two decisive moves around Kits Point at
17K and then on the steep climb over
Burrard Bridge to break away from a lead pack of four. Wodak was
racing the clock today, chasing the course record that has stood
since 2003. "It got hard after 15K,"
she said, "then the bridge finished me off. I lost the 30 seconds
there!"
Wodak has had an impressive spring season, claiming the
10,000m National Championship, and
currently holds the 10k national road
title. She was recently selected to the Canadian team heading to
the World Championships in Doha,
Qatar in the fall. Dayna
Pidhoresky came in second with a time of 74:36. Vancouver's Briana
Hungerford was third, with a time of 78:21.
"It was an outstanding race day all around," says Race Director,
Ryan Chilibeck. "We saw some very
impressive times today, and record setting contributions through
the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. There were a lot of smiles
today."
Scotiabank is committed to helping young people reach their
infinite potential, by investing in the complete picture of their
development. We believe this is an investment in the
long-term security, stability and growth of our communities. Many
of the organizations that participate in the Scotiabank Charity
Challenge have a direct impact on young people. As a Bank, we
believe that Investing in young people is the pathway to community
prosperity and Scotiabank aims to make a measurable and lasting
impact on our global communities.
The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising
program that provides a simple way for runners in these races to
support local causes that make a significant impact on Canadian
communities. Participating charities keep 100 percent of the
proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all related transaction and
credit card fees. Scotiabank offers the Scotiabank Charity
Challenge at six sponsored marathon events across Canada including Montréal, Halifax,
Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Since 2003, over $74 million has been raised as part of the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge across Canada.
2019 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k Results
Half-Marathon Results
Half-Marathon Male
1.
|
Benjamin
Preisner
|
65:41
|
2.
|
Chris
Balestrini
|
65:59
|
3.
|
Julian
Heninger
|
66:19
|
Half-Marathon Female
1.
|
Natasha
Wodak
|
71:21
|
2.
|
Dayna
Pidhoresky
|
74:36
|
3.
|
Briana
Hungerford
|
78:21
|
5k Results
5k Male
1.
|
Christian
Gravel
|
15:47
|
2.
|
Mark
Klassen
|
16:19
|
3.
|
Richard
Keep
|
17:01
|
5k Female
1.
|
Sidney
Swierenga
|
17:56
|
2.
|
Courtney
McEwan
|
20:03
|
3.
|
Samantha
Barnes
|
21:33
|
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 and Instagram Hashtags: #ScotiaHalf #RunScotia
#InfinitePotential
About the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon &
5k
The Scotiabank Vancouver
Half-Marathon & 5k is organized
by the Canada Running Series, the nation's premier running circuit
with eight events: four in Toronto, two in Vancouver, one in Edmonton and one in Montreal. It annually attracts some
65,000 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.
We are passionately 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 the sport
of running."
About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support
organizations that are committed to helping young people reach
their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and
Scotiabank's goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary
skills and resources they need to support their success. Together
with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level.
Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and
philanthropic activities, in 2018, Scotiabank contributed more
than $80 million to help our communities around the
world.
Scotiabank is Canada's
international bank and a leading financial services provider in the
Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 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 99,000
employees and assets of over $1
trillion (as at April 30,
2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:
BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information,
please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter
@ScotiabankViews.
SOURCE Scotiabank