CALGARY, March 13, 2012 /CNW/ - Self-improvement, making it to the Boston Marathon, losing weight or achieving a personal best; these are all compelling reasons to sign up for one of the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon races taking place on Sunday, May 27, 2012. The Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge gives you forty-five+ more reasons to participate on the event. You can reach your personal goals and help participating charities raise over $600,000 in 2012.

"The Scotiabank Calgary Marathon has a rich history in our city, with thousands of people coming together to achieve personal and athletic goals," said George Marlatte, Scotiabank Senior Vice-President, Prairie Region. "Offering the Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge to spectators, donors and participants is our way of helping build further richness into the Calgary community. This year the Charity Challenge hopes to raise over $600,000 for local organizations who make such a difference in the lives of Calgarians."

Participating charities include:

""We challenge participants to get into the spirit of community and raise money or donate to one of these charities who are addressing important issues in our city," said Dan Ouimet, Chair, Calgary Marathon Society. "We are ramping up for our 50th anniversary celebration in 2014 as Canada's oldest marathon and we are focusing on increasing our impact from a health and wellness, recreational and social perspective through the Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge."

Participants can make their marathon, half-marathon, 10K or 5K race more meaningful by running or walking on behalf of one of the 40+ official charities.  Participants can visit www.calgarymarathon.com and register to fundraise for a charity or pledge a charity team by visiting the Charity section of the website.

Prizes of $3,000 for 1st place and $1,500 for 2nd place will be awarded to the leading charities in each of three categories - the charity with the most runners; with the largest amount of pledges raised; and with the most pledges raised per runner.  This year, the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon is aiming to reach over $600,000 in charitable donations.

About the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon: Canada's Oldest Marathon Turns 50 in 2014

Voted the 2010 & 2009 Best Road Race in Alberta, the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon is a challenging, competitive and fun event with a race designed for runners and walkers of any level. This umbrella event includes the Scotiabank Marathon, Centaur Subaru Half-Marathon, Jugo Juice 10K, AstraZeneca 5K Walk and Run and the Scotiabank Kids Marathon. In 2012, over 11,000 runners and walkers are expected to participate in the event and $600,000 is expected to be raised through the Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge, supporting over 45 local charities.

Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, 'Bright Future'.  Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

For more information about the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon, visit www.calgarymarathon.com.