MONTREAL, QC - April 27, 2014 /CNW/ - It was a record year for the 2014 Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal et 5k today as the charity challenge raised over $825,000 for 51 charities. The unstoppable Eric Gillis placed first for the third consecutive year at the Athletics Canada National Half-Marathon Championships that was full of surprises. Over 5,700 runners took to the scenic streets of Parc-Jean Drapeau today.

Finishing ahead of strong competition, Olympian Eric Gillis from Guelph, Ontario took the Athletics Canada National Half-Marathon Championships title with an impressive time of 1:04:28 after battling it out for 14 kilometres with Sami Jibril of Athletics Toronto (1:06:06) and David Le Porho from Montreal (1:08:31).

Rachel Hannah (University of Toronto Track Club) set a best time of 1:13:38 to capture the women's title, trailed by Erin Burrett from Nanaimo, B.C. (1:15:03). It was an emotional finish for Krista DuChene who led most of the race but finished third due to a hip injury (1:16:37).

"Today's race was an incredible one, with talented elite athletes and recreational runners coming together to both strive for personal bests and raise money for worthy causes in the community," said Francois Lecot, Race Director, Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k. "I'd like to congratulate all the athletes and their supporters for their efforts today. I'd also like to give a special thanks to the city, the STM and all the volunteers for making today such a success."

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge surpassed its $700,000 target goal and raised more than $825,000 as of press time for 51 charities, including this year's featured charities, MAB - MacKay Foundation, Generations Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. This exceeds by far last year's total of over $680,000.

"This year's Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal et 5k was a tremendous success and all participants should be proud of what they accomplished today," said Laurence Levy, Scotiabank Vice President of the Montreal and East District. "We want to give a special thank you to all those who took part in this year's Scotiabank Charity Challenge making their run even more meaningful by giving back to the charities which do so much for our community. We are thrilled that we surpassed our goal of raising $700,000."

Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal Results:

Half-Marathon Male

1. Eric Gillis - Guelph, Canada - 1:04:28
2. Sami Jibril - Toronto, Canada - 1:06:06
3. David Le Porho - Montreal, Canada - 1:08:31

Half-Marathon Female

1. Rachel Hannah - Toronto, Canada - 1:13:38
2. Erin Burrett - Nanaimo, Canada - 1:15:03
3. Krista DuChene - Brantford, Canada - 1:16:37

5k Results

5k Male

1. Kyle Desormeaux - Ottawa, Canada - 15:53
2. Kenny Beaudette - Sherbrooke, Canada - 15:56
3. Trevor Dieleman - Ottawa, Canada - 16:27

5k Female

1. Catherine Cormier - Quebec, Canada - 16:50
2. Lucie Joly - Montreal, Canada - 20:14
3. Martine Parent - Montreal, Canada - 20:45

Now in its fifth year, the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal is the Athletics Canada National Half-Marathon Championships and helps kick off the 2014 Canadian Championship Series.

Athletics Canada National Half-Marathon Championships Results:

Canadian Championship Male

1. Eric Gillis - Guelph, Canada - 1:04:28
2. Sami Jibril - Toronto, Canada - 1:06:06
3. David Le Porho - Montreal, Canada - 1:08:31

Canadian Championship Female

1. Rachel Hannah - Toronto, Canada - 1:13:36
2. Erin Burrett - Nanaimo, Canada - 1:15:01
3. Krista DuChene - Brantford, Canada - 1:16:35

To see a list of charities involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, please visithttp://www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf_en/montCHARITY.htm

For more highlights and complete race results, please visit 
http://www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf_en/index.htm

Twitter Hashtag: #SCOTIA21KMTL

About Scotiabank:
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through Bright Future, our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level across six pillars: health, education, social services, arts and culture, environment and sports. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average some $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

About Canada Running Series:

Canada Running Series [CRS] is the nation's premier running circuit with 8 events: 4 in Toronto, 3 in Vancouver and 1 in Montreal. It annually attracts some 60,000 participants and raises more than $5 million for some 250 mostly-local charities. The Series includes the IAAF Silver Label Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National 10K and Half Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization. It is strongly 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. 

For more information:

Deborah Bourne
High Road Communications 
deborah.bourne@highroad.com
514 908-0110 ext 319 

Diana Hart
Scotiabank
diana.hart@scotiabank.com
647-821-3849