Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend Participants to Raise Funds for 64 Charities

OTTAWA, May 15, 2017 /CNW/ - Runners participating in Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend on May 27 and 28, 2017 can take an extra step to make their race count: join the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and raise money for one of 64 local and national charities.

"We're celebrating 150 years of Canadian history and Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, as Canada's largest running weekend, is the perfect stage for runners to demonstrate the generosity Canadians are known for," said Carole Chapdelaine, Scotiabank's Senior Vice President, Quebec and Eastern Ontario Region. "Whichever distance they tackle, runners can participate in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and help make a difference in the community."

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program that provides a simple way for runners to support the charity of their choice and make a significant local impact. Through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, runners who sign up for any of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend events can raise awareness and funds. Participating charities keep 100% of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank covers all transaction and credit card fees.

In addition to the money raised by runners, participating charities can also receive additional sums through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge Awards:

1.  Official Charity with the largest total dollars raised

1.  First place: $4,250
2.  Second place: $2,500
3.  Third place: $1,500

2.  Official Charity with the largest number of Fundraising Runners

1.  First place: $4,250
2.  Second place: $2,500
3.  Third place: $1,500

3.  Official Charity with the largest average dollars raised per Fundraising Runner

1.  First place: $4,250
2.  Second place: $2,500
3. Third place: $1,500

How to get involved:

• Fundraise: Event participants can visit RunOttawa.ca to sign up for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and raise funds as an individual or with a charity team. Have you already signed up to run? It's not too late to sign up as a fundraiser!
• Donate: Anyone can support a charity by making a one-time donation through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge page. Every little bit helps!
• Cheer: Come out and support your friends and family along the race route and as they cross the finish line. You can also show your support to runners online by using the hashtag #runScotia.
• Race: For information and schedules of the different events, please visit the Weekend Information section of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend website.
• The Ottawa 2K begins at 3 p.m. on May 27, followed by the HTG Sports Ottawa 5K at 4 p.m. and the Ottawa 10K at 6:30 p.m. The Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon starts at 7 a.m. on May 28, followed by the Scotiabank Kids Marathon at 8 a.m. and the Scotiabank Ottawa Half Marathon at 9 a.m. For full details, refer to the start-line information.

"Ottawa runners and their supporters have shown great generosity over the years at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend," said John Halvorsen, Race Director. "The Scotiabank Charity Challenge helps channel this generosity for 64 local and national charities, and makes it easy for runners to give back."

Scotiabank offers a Scotiabank Charity Challenge at six sponsored marathon events across Canada in Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.  Over the past two years, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend has raised over 1.6 million dollars.

Scotiabank believes in helping young people reach their full potential, and the Scotiabank Charity Challenge demonstrates this commitment to young people in our community, as many organizations that take part have a direct impact on local youth. Young people are our future leaders, and it's crucial to provide them with the skills and resources they need to succeed. Every step helps young people in our community.

About Scotiabank
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 88,000 employees and assets of $887 billion (as at January 31, 2017), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

About the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
The 2016 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend welcomed close to 47,000 participants in six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the Ottawa 2K and Scotiabank Ottawa Kids Marathon. Through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, runners raised close to $800,000 for local and national charities.

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is one of only two running events in the world to host two IAAF Gold Label races - the Ottawa 10K and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. The 2017 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place on May 27-28, 2017. Visit us at www.runottawa.ca.

SOURCE Scotiabank