TORONTO, Oct. 17, 2019 /CNW/ - On Sunday, October 20^th, more than 26,000 elite and recreational runners from over 70 countries will hit the streets for the 30^th edition of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM). Over the weekend, the event is expected to bring more than $28 million in economic activity to the GTA.

STWM is more than a great running event – through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, the race raises money for nearly 200 local charities focused on helping young people reach their infinite potential and building vibrant communities. Participating charities keep 100 per cent of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and credit card fees. The Scotiabank Charity Challenge began in 2003 with 32 charities and has since grown to close nearly 550 charities at six events nationally, with close to 200 taking part this year at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

This year, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (IAAF Gold Label race) is renewed as the Canadian marathon championships and will be the Official Athletics Canada Marathon Trials for Tokyo 2020. The first Canadian male and female finishers will receive automatic pre-selection for the Tokyo 2020 marathon next August, providing they achieve the 2:11:30 (M) and 2:29:30 (F) standards.

If they do not go under those standards on October 20^th, a place will still be held open for them until May 31^st next year, to allow them to attain standard at another eligible marathon. Anyone else hoping to represent Canada in the marathon in Tokyo will have to wait until June 1^st, 2020, before selections are announced.

The race week media schedule is as follows:  

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18^th

ELITE ATHLETE PRE-RACE MEDIA CONFERENCE

Elite athletes in attendance will include:

RUNNING, HEALTH & FITNESS EXPO and Packet Pick-up

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19^th

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP RUN & Meet the Pacers

International Friendship Run, hosted by John Stanton Sr., Founder of the Running Room. Run leaves promptly at 9:30 a.m.

RUNNING, HEALTH & FITNESS EXPO and Packet Pick-up

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20^th

MEDIA ACCREDITATION PICK-UP/ INFORMATION DESK
Marriott Hotel, Lobby
525 Bay Street
Open: 6:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

MEDIA WORKROOM / POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE
Marriott Hotel, Trinity Ballroom salons 1 & 2, lower level
525 Bay Street
Open: 6:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. EDT

RACE TIME STARTS

KEY EXPECTED FINISH TIMES

The finish line for ALL distances is Queen and Bay at the southeast corner of Nathan Phillips Square.

Photos and brief interviews are available at the finish line for a limited number of accredited media.

ALL media require accreditation to access designated press areas (including finish line).

For media interested in access on race weekend, including press conferences, start/finish lines and Media Centre, credentials are an absolute requirement. Please apply here: http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/media/#media 

Please email media@canadarunningseries.com if you have any questions.

POST-RACE AWARDS CEREMONY

POST-RACE MEDIA CONFERENCE

LIVE STREAM BROADCAST VIA STWM.ca

A world-class field will compete for prize money, prestige and possible Olympic selection at the 2019 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 20th and once again the entire race will be available via live stream. As in previous years, the broadcast will be free, and available to everyone, with no geo-blocking.

The IAAF Gold Label race broadcast can be found at www.stwm.ca, at athleticscanada.tv and in an exciting "first" carried in its entirety on Facebook "Live". Our live stream broadcast will begin at 8:00 a.m. EDT.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Join the conversation on race day and interact with our Twitter Team, by including @towaterfront42k and @scotiabank in your posts. Use the following hashtags on Twitter and Instagram:

#TOwaterfront42K
#ItsYourMoment
#InfinitePotential
#ScotiabankCharityChallenge
#runScotia

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada's premier, big-city running event, the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships, the Marathon Trials for Tokyo 2020 and the Grand Finale of the 8-race Canada Running Series. In 2018 it attracted more than 25,000 participants from over 70 countries raised $3.5 million for 188 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and contributed an estimated $28 million to the local economy. The livestream broadcast was watched by more than 54,000 viewers from 146 countries. http://STWM.ca 

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 100,000 employees and assets of over $1 trillion (as at July 31, 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