Kip Kangogo runs to 6^th victory at the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon

VANCOUVER, June 25, 2017 /CNW/ - Kip Kangogo and Lyndsay Tessier raced to emphatic victories, ahead of a sold-out field of 6,700 runners from 27 countries in the 19^th annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k, this morning. The event also raised more than $970,000 and counting for 76 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

Fan favourite Kip Kangogo won his sixth Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon in eight years, staying close to Olympian Dylan Wykes for most of the race. The veteran runners battled it out until the 17^th kilometre, when Kangogo pulled away and was able to hold on for the win. Thomas Toth, who was selected to represent Canada in London at the IAAF World Championships in August, was third.

On the women's side, Toronto's Lyndsay Tessier was able to improve on her second place finish from last year for the win. She beat Dayna Pidhoresky, who was also selected to represent Canada at the World Championships. Dayna has been training hard, recently coming off a win at the Ottawa Marathon last month. Tessier took the lead at the 13^th kilometre mark and held strong for the win.  Bellingham runner, Courtney Olsen, was third. 

"We would like to congratulate all of the runners in the 2017 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k, especially those who participated in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and ran for causes close to their hearts," said Winnie Leong, Senior Vice President of the BC and Yukon Region at Scotiabank. "This year marks a special milestone for the race here in Vancouver. Thanks to the tireless fundraising efforts of our Scotiabank Charity Challenge participants, we've raised a total of $970,000 so far for our community – helping to bring our grand total to over $7 million since 2007."

"Today we saw residents of Vancouver and surrounding areas unite in an inspiring way – from talented runners to dedicated supporters cheering on race participants, we witnessed a great deal of athleticism, philanthropy and community spirit," said Clif Cunningham, Canada Running Series Western Race Director. "With the combination of outstanding running achievements and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for local charities here in BC, we couldn't have asked for a better day." 

Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5K Results:

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 and #runScotia

About the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon
The Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k is part of the prestigious Canada Running Series.  As one of Vancouver's premier running events, the "Scotia Half" attracts more than 6,500 runners and walkers of all levels, including many elite athletes and spectators to the city. Canada Running Series is the nation's premier running circuit with events in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.  It annually attracts over 60,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 charities. Canada Running Series is strongly committed to staging great experiences for runners of all levels from first time runners, charity supporters and Canadian Olympians; and to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process.  Our mission is "building community through running". For more information please visit: www.CanadaRunningSeries.com

About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their full 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 2016, Scotiabank contributed more than $70 million to help our communities around the world.

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 over $921 billion (as at April 30, 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.

SOURCE Scotiabank