Canadians Ben Preisner and Natasha Wodak win in front of a sold out field of 6,440 

VANCOUVER, June 23, 2019 /CNW/ - The 2019 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k had many highlights, with $1.2 million dollars being raised for local organizations through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, capping off a spectacular, record-setting day. Milton, Ontario's Ben Preisner had an impressive Half-Marathon debut to take the men's title in 65:41, while North Vancouver's Natasha Wodak narrowly missed the course record in a time of 71:21. They raced to victory ahead of a sold out crowd of 6,440 participants, who came from 36 countries, eight Canadian provinces and 27 American states.

"It was an honour to run alongside the many participants of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k that ran for a purpose, raising $1.2 million dollars for 69 local organizations as part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge," says Lesly Tayles, Regional Senior Vice President - BC & Yukon, at Scotiabank. "At Scotiabank, investing in communities isn't new. For 187 years we have remained committed to building strong communities and are focused on enriching the lives of young people and their communities. We know that how we support young people today, can prepare them for tomorrow, and that's why we want to help them thrive. We want to recognize Canada Running Series and all the volunteers of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k for another great event and thank all the racers who fundraised for their charity of choice."

Up front, Preisner made two decisive moves around Kits Point at 17K and then on the steep climb over Burrard Bridge to break away from a lead pack of four. Wodak was racing the clock today, chasing the course record that has stood since 2003. "It got hard after 15K," she said, "then the bridge finished me off. I lost the 30 seconds there!" 

Wodak has had an impressive spring season, claiming the 10,000m National Championship, and currently holds the 10k national road title. She was recently selected to the Canadian team heading to the World Championships in Doha, Qatar in the fall. Dayna Pidhoresky came in second with a time of 74:36. Vancouver's Briana Hungerford was third, with a time of 78:21.  

"It was an outstanding race day all around," says Race Director, Ryan Chilibeck. "We saw some very impressive times today, and record setting contributions through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. There were a lot of smiles today."

Scotiabank is committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential, by investing in the complete picture of their development. We believe this is an investment in the long-term security, stability and growth of our communities. Many of the organizations that participate in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge have a direct impact on young people. As a Bank, we believe that Investing in young people is the pathway to community prosperity and Scotiabank aims to make a measurable and lasting impact on our global communities.

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program that provides a simple way for runners in these races to support local causes that make a significant impact on Canadian communities. Participating charities keep 100 percent of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all related transaction and credit card fees. Scotiabank offers the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at six sponsored marathon events across Canada including Montréal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Since 2003, over $74 million has been raised as part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge across Canada.

2019 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k Results

Half-Marathon Results 

Half-Marathon Male

Half-Marathon Female

5k Results

5k Male

5k Female

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 #RunScotia #InfinitePotential

About the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k
The Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k is organized by the Canada Running Series, the nation's premier running circuit with eight events: four in Toronto, two in Vancouver, one in Edmonton and one  in Montreal.  It annually attracts some 65,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 mostly-local charities.  The Series includes the IAAF Gold Label Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization.

We are passionately committed to staging great experiences for runners of all levels from Canadian Olympians and International stars, to healthy lifestyle people and charity runners; and to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process.  Our mission is "building community through the sport of running."

About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite 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 2018, Scotiabank contributed more than $80 million to help our communities around the world.

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in the Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 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 99,000 employees and assets of over $1 trillion (as at April 30, 2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

SOURCE Scotiabank