July 23rd, 2012 
On July 12, 2012 in the heart of downtown Boston, in blistering 85-degree heat and humidity, over 12,000 runners toed the line of the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge race. Teams from 629 of Boston’s companies came out and completed the 3.5-mile course that looped from the Boston Common to Kenmore Square along Commonwealth Avenue.
This is the twenty-ninth year of the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge and eighteenth year for the Boston race since being added to the global race series. The annual series aims to promote fitness in the corporate environment while simultaneously promoting teamwork and team spirit. Teams of four employees are scored in the divisions of Men, Women and Mixed Gender, and the first place team from each city is sent to the following year’s world championship race. The championship race location is rotated through the cities that participate in the series. In the past it has been in cities such Singapore and Chicago, but the 2013 championship location has yet to be announced.
Kyle MacQueen of Wellington Management Company breaks into a big smile as she wins the 2012 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Boston in 19:38. (Photo Credit: jpmorganchasecc.com)
Portions of the Boston race proceeds were donated to two local organizations, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Horizons for Homeless Children. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy works to enliven and preserve a string of parks stretching from Back Bay through Brookline into Dorchester. It includes prominent spots like the Boston Common, Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park. Funds will be used to support their Youth Leadership Program. Funds were also donated to Horizons for Homeless Children, who will use the funds to support the care and early education of nearly 300 Boston children who have experienced homelessness.
With regard to race winners, while official team results have not yet been released, based on the individual results it looks like the men’s team from Raytheon and the women’s team from PUMA took the top spots.
This was my third year participating in the challenge and every year I have a fantastic time. Despite the hot weather, everyone was in great spirits as we charged the streets of Boston. If you missed out this summer make sure to sign up next year, it sells out quickly!
Learn more about the Boston race and how you can get involved on the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge website.
Members of Wayfair ran in memory of Sylvan Walton, an analyst who died while snowboarding in February. (Photo Credit: .jpmorganchasecc.com)
