Toronto's premier running event breaks multiple Canadian records and raises $2.7 million for 127 local charities

TORONTO, Sept. 26 /CNW/ - More than 20,000 runners took to the streets in perfect weather conditions along Toronto's lakeshore today for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM). With more than $2.7 million raised and several course records broken, including the four fastest men and women's times ever on Canadian soil, 2010 marks the most successful year in the marathon's twenty-one year history.

For the third consecutive year, Kenneth Mungara from Kenya won the men's marathon, breaking his own record for fastest time in Canada. In a dramatic sprint to the finish line, Sharon Cherop, also from Kenya, narrowly edged out Tirfi Tsegaye of Ethiopia for the women's title. In an amazingly close finish, the top four women all broke the record for fastest women's marathon time on Canadian soil. The marathon also saw Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, ON finish with the fastest time ever run by a Canadian on Canadian soil.

"The 2010 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon was truly astonishing, not only because of the number of record-breaking wins but also the amount of money raised for local charities," said Alan Brookes, Race Director. "With over 20,000 people running, including Canada's very own Eric Gillis, Reid Coolsaet, and Matt Loiselle, we had world-class talent on the streets of Toronto. Watching Reid qualify for the next Olympic Games right here at home was truly inspirational."

"The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon brings together athleticism, philanthropy and community spirit from all over the world," said Robin Hibberd, Executive Vice-President, Retail Products and Services, Canadian Banking, Scotiabank. "This year, not only did we raise $2.7 million for 127 registered charities, we were also the only North American city to host the Marathon Flame on its world tour for the 2,500th anniversary of the first marathon."

"I think that the marathon ideals of world peace, fair competition, participation in sport as a way of life - of setting goals and through courage and determination in achieving them - these are ideals that all Torontonians can embrace," said Mayor David Miller who was the official starter of today's marathon. "I'm proud that we proclaimed this Marathon Week in Toronto and salute all the triumphant finishers."

Marathon Highlights

    -  Men's Race - Kenneth Mungara shattered his own Canadian marathon
       record by 34 seconds and was crowned Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront
       Marathon champion for a third consecutive year, with a finishing time
       of 2:07:57. The top four men in the marathon distance also broke the
       previous record for fastest time on Canadian soil (2:08:32).

    -  Women's Race - It was a tight and incredibly fast race to the finish
       line for the women's marathon, with the top four breaking the Canadian
       all-comers record previously set by Lidia Simon of Romania at the
       World Championships in Edmonton in 2001. Sharon Cherop from Kenya
       ultimately took the top spot for the women's race with a finishing
       time of 2:22:42, just one second ahead of Tirfi Tsegaye of Ethiopia.

    -  Canadian Race - Reid Coolsaet of the Speed River Track Club in Guelph,
       ON, smashed his personal best of 2:16:53 with an international-class
       time of 2:11:22, qualifying him for the 2012 Olympic Games. This was
       the fastest marathon run in Canada by a Canadian, and eclipsed the
       mark of 2:11:34 previously set in 1995 by the current Ontario Minister
       of Labour, the Honorable Peter Fonseca. Reid's clubmate Eric Gillis
       finished next at 2:12:07, a two-minute improvement on his personal
       best.

    Half-Marathon Highlights

    -  Milton, ON phenomenon, Ed Whitlock ran a world-record for 79-year-olds
       in the half-marathon, with a time of 1:34:27. Whitlock also currently
       holds the world-record for the fastest marathon in the 70 plus
       category (2:54:49), set at STWM in 2004.

    -  Dagim Yeshitela from Mississauga, ON won the men's half-marathon, with
       a time of 1:03:24. In the women's race, Toronto's own Nicole Stevenson
       took the women's title at 1:18:06.

The full list of results for the 21st Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is available at www.stwm.ca

The Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge and Neighbourhood Challenge together surpassed the $2.5 million target with a final total of more than $2.7 million. This remarkable achievement exceeds last year's total of $2.36 million. In addition, Scotiabank will award $6,000 to the three charities with the most runners, the largest amount of pledges per runner and the most money raised in pledges.

Along the marathon course, 12 Neighbourhood Cheering and Entertainment stations encouraged the runners to the finish line, with Swansea/Bloor West/High Park winning this year's Neighbourhood Challenge. To honour their exuberance and support, Scotiabank awarded them a charity bonus of $6,000 for having the most people, best costumes, best entertainment - and above all, creating the most noise.

About Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
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The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada's premier Fall Marathon, and the country's No. 1 big-city marathon. It holds the record for the fastest men and women's marathons on Canadian soil (2:07:57 run in 2010 by Kenneth Mungara and 2:22:42 run in 2010 by Sharon Cherop, both of Kenya). For the third consecutive year, the event has been awarded a prestigious Silver Label by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) making it Toronto's only annual international athletics event, and one of only five internationally recognized IAAF Label marathons in North America. The event attracts participants from over 40 countries and in 2010 raised $2.7 million for 127 local charities. For more information, visit www.stwm.ca.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2009 the Bank provided about $39 million in sponsorships and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas of healthcare, education, sport, social services and arts and culture. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

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