CALGARY, AB - May 26, 2015 /CNW/ - 13,000 runners will hit the streets of Calgary for the 51^st Scotiabank Calgary Marathon Race Weekend and raise funds for 90 local charities, including the 2015 Scotiabank Charity Challenge featured charities:

• Breast Cancer Supportive Care Foundation
• Developmental Disabilities and Resource Centre of Calgary (DDRC)
• The Heart & Stroke Foundation

For a complete list of charities participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, please visit the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon website.

Since the Calgary edition of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge was introduced in 2010, the fundraising initiative has raised $3.8 million for charities in the Calgary area. The participating charities keep 100 per cent of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank provides the fundraising platform and pays for all transaction and credit card fees.

"At Scotiabank, we are proud of the way that Calgary shows its support of the 13,000 runners, but also the way that this city has rallied around the 90 charities that we support through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge," said Laurie Stang, Scotiabank's Senior Vice President, Prairie Region. "The Scotiabank Charity Challenge has become such a special part of all of the road races that we support across the country, and it's no surprise that the people of Calgary continue to support these participating charities with open hearts and significant dollars."

"Sharing the experience of race weekend with our charity partners provides a lot of inspiration to many people," said Kirsten-Ellen Fleming, Executive Director of the Calgary Marathon Society. "Hearing the goals and motivations of participant fundraisers, then seeing them at the finish line achieving something they believe so strongly in, is really something special; it elevates the whole event."

Please visit the website at www.calgarymarathon.com for more information.

Part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a friendly competition between the charities for $25,000 in cash prizes consisting of $4,000 for 1^st place, $2,500 for 2^nd, and $1,500 for 3^rd in the following categories:

• The Official Charity that has the most fundraising runners.
• The Official Charity that raises the most fundraising dollars.
• The Official Charity that raises the largest amount of pledge dollars per fundraising runner.
• An additional $1,000 for the Official Charity of the fundraising runner with the largest total dollars fundraised.

How to get involved!

• Fundraise: Registered event participants can visit the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon website to sign up for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and raise funds for a local community charity, pledge or join a charity team.
• Donate: To support an event charity, visit the Scotiabank Charity Challenge to select an Official Charity and make a one-time donation.
• Cheer: Come out and support your friends and family along the race route and as they cross the finish line. You can also show your support to runners online by using the hashtags #runScotia and #RunCalgary.
• Race: The Scotiabank Marathon, 50K Ultra and Centaur Subaru 21.1K begin at 6:30 a.m. on May 31, followed by the Jugo Juice 10K at 7:00 a.m. and the GoodLife Fitness 5K at noon. For full details, refer to the Race Info.

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. With a team of more than 86,000 employees and assets of $852 billion (as at January 31, 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 Neighbourhood Spirit Challenge.