OTTAWA, ON - May 19, 2015 /CNW/ - More than 48,000 participants competing in this year's Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (May 23-24) will have the opportunity to take part in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and raise money for one of 40 local charities.

"The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada's largest running weekend, and we are proud to provide all the runners in the nation's capital the chance to make their race more meaningful by giving back to their community," said Carole Chapdelaine, Scotiabank's Senior Vice President, Quebec and Eastern Ontario Region. "Whether you're competing in the full or half marathon, 10K, 5K or 2K, you can participate in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and support local causes that make a big difference in people's lives."

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge (#ScotiaChallenge) provides charities of all sizes the opportunity to join a high profile, turnkey fundraising initiative. Through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, runners who sign up for any of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend events can raise awareness and funds for the charity of their choice.

"Ottawa runners and charities have been using the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend to fundraise for many years," said John Halvorsen, Race Director of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. "With the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, we are looking forward to seeing this charity component grow and to help even more local and national charities benefit from our runners' efforts."

The participating charities keep 100 per cent of proceeds raised, as Scotiabank provides the fundraising platform and pays for all transaction and credit card fees. It's called a "challenge" because it's a friendly competition between the charities and they all have an opportunity to win one of the following prizes through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge Awards:

• Official Charity with the largest total dollars raised will receive $5,000
• Official Charity with the largest number of fundraising runners will receive $5,000
• Official Charity with the highest average dollars raised per fundraising runner will receive $5,000

How to get involved!

• Pledge: Event participants can visit RunOttawa.ca 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 hashtag #runScotia or #TORW2015!
• Race: The Ottawa 2K begins at 3 p.m. on May 23, followed by the HTG Sports Ottawa 5K at 4 p.m. and the Ottawa 10K at 6:30 p.m. The Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon starts at 7 a.m. on May 24, followed by the Scotiabank Ottawa Half Marathon at 9 a.m. For full details, refer to the start-line information.

First introduced at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2003, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is now part of every one of the Scotiabank-branded races across Canada, including Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal et 5K (April 26), Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon in Halifax (May 16-17), Scotiabank Calgary Marathon (May 31), Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5K (June 28) and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October 18). Collectively, these events have raised over $38 million since the program's introduction.

Scotiabank became a sponsor of the Ottawa marathon, half marathon and kids marathon in 2014 and launched the Scotiabank Charity Challenge component for the 2015 weekend of events.

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 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 
The 2015 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will welcome 48,000 participants in six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the 2K and Scotiabank Kids Marathon. Two of the weekend's events have received top honours from the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). The Ottawa 10K is one of only four Gold label 10K races in the world, and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon is designated Silver label. The 2015 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 23-24, 2015. Visit us at www.runottawa.ca.