CALGARY, AB - May 31, 2015 /CNW/ - Close to 12,000 people took part in the 51^st annual Scotiabank Calgary Marathon, raising more than $1 million for 90 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

In the Canadian Half Marathon Championships Lanni Marchant broke her own course record with a time of 1:12:17 as did Kip Kangogo who crossed the line in 1:06:39. In the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon two additional course records were broken: in the women's race Lioudmila Kortchaguina ran to victory with a time of 2:48:24; and in the men's race Jonathan Kipchirchir Chesoo was victorious with a time of 2:17:12.

"We knew it would be tough to top 50 years, but ushering in a new era with the best in a Canadian competition for top prize money, while being broadcast live on the Internet is definitely the next step," said Executive Director, Kirsten-Ellen Fleming, of the Calgary Marathon Society. "It says this 'grassroots race has grown up and is evolving to exceed what the international running community expects in a world-class race while staying true to our Calgary roots."

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge raised $1 million and counting as of press time, well on our way to matching last year's race total of $1,297,886. Since the introduction of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge to Calgary in 2010, $4.8 million dollars has been raised for local charities.

"This year's Scotiabank Calgary Marathon was a tremendously successful and memorable race weekend," said Laurie Stang, Scotiabank's Senior Vice President, Prairie Region. "We particularly want to thank all those who made their run more meaningful by taking part in this year's Scotiabank Charity Challenge, raising money for local charities that make a huge impact in the community."

Scotiabank Calgary Marathon Results

Full Marathon Male

1. Jonathan Kipchirchir Chesoo, Eldoret, Kenya 2:17:12
2. Brendan Kenny, Dundas, Ontario 2:35:34
3. Nelson Ndereva, Toronto, Ontario 2:40:22

Full Marathon Female

1. Lioudmila Kortchaguina, Markham, Ontario 2:48:24
2. Catrin Jones, Victoria, British Columbia 2:50:58
3. Kanami Koshimizu, Calgary, Alberta 3:03:14

National 21.1K Championship Results

National 21.1K Championship Male

1. Kip Kangogo, Lethbridge, Alberta 1:06:39 
2. Reid Coolsaet, Guelph, Ontario 1:06:50
3. Trevor Hofbauer, Calgary, Alberta 1:07:22

National 21.1K Championship Female

1. Lanni Marchant, London, Ontario 1:12:17 
2. Natasha Wodak, Vancouver, British Columbia 1:13:29
3. Dayna Pidhoresky, Vancouver, British Columbia 1:16:10

10K Results

10K Male

1. Willy Kimosop, Lethbridge, Alberta 31:16 
2. Dancan Kasia, Etobicoke, Ontario 31:42 
3. William Madsen, Edmonton, Alberta 32:54

10K Female

1. Sarah MacArthur, Calgary, Alberta 36:52
2. Jodi Nesbitt, Red Deer, Alberta 37:47
3. Lisa Harvey, Calgary, Alberta 38:40

50K Results

50K Male

1. Justin Kurek, Calgary, Alberta 3:10:13
2. Chris Hooper, Calgary, Alberta 3:33:21
3. Trevor Baine, Calgary, Alberta 3:52:30

50K Female

1. Jessica Mueller, Calgary, Alberta 3:57:24
2. Jessica Laird, Edmonton, Alberta 4:06:25
3. Stefanie Gignac, Banff, Alberta 4:20:27

For more highlights and complete race results, please visit: http://www.calgarymarathon.com/results.html.

To see a list of charities involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, visit http://www.calgarymarathon.com/charity-challenge.html?lang=EN.

About Scotiabank
Through our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes 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 parts of Asia. We are dedicated to helping our 21 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 86,000 employees and assets of $837 billion (as at April 30, 2015), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using CNW. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankNews.

About the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon: 
A race for every age and ability, Alberta's Best Road Race 4 years in a row includes the 50K Ultra, Scotiabank 42.2K, Centaur Subaru 21.1K, the Jugo Juice 10K, the Goodlife Fitness 5K Family Walk & Run and the Scotiabank Kids Marathon. The largest race on the prairies has the largest high performance purse west of Toronto and attracts elite athletes from coast to coast as well as internationally. The event brings in $7 million annually to the local economy and gives back through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, scholarship programming and the Neighbourhood Spirit Challenge.