MONTREAL, QC - April 21, 2016 /CNW/ - With only a few days left before over 5,500 runners hit the pavement at Parc Jean-Drapeau for the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k on April 24, 2016, participants are on track to reach a new fundraising record of $1.2 million.

This year, key Quebec elites are well-positioned to win the half-marathon. Who will be crowned winner now that 4-time reigning champion, Eric Gillis, is not competing?

The Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k is one of the first races kicking off the running season in Montreal, but has also become an important fundraising event for 66 local charities participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, including Feature Charities: The Diabetic Children's Foundation, Share the Warmth and the Huntington Society of Quebec.

Several members of the media, including representatives from TVA, Radio-Canada, La Presse, Bell Média, Énergie Montréal 94.3 and Les Affaires will be competing as part of the Scotiabank Media Challenge to help raise additional money for a participating charity of their choice.

What: 
Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k
Scotiabank Charity Challenge
Scotiabank Media Challenge

Where: 
Parc Jean-Drapeau, Complexe aquatique

When: 
Sunday, April 24, 2016 

Who: 
Over 5,500 runners and walkers lace up for the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k

Getting There :
We strongly recommend that participants use public transit to get to the run: use the yellow metro line and get off at Jean-Drapeau station

Media Access: Reserved media room located on the left inside the Aquatic Complex

Key Photography Times: 
8:30 a.m.: 5k race start
8:40 a.m.: first finishers of the 5k race
9:15 a.m.: award ceremony for 5k race
10:00 a.m.: 21k race start
11:00 a.m.: first finishers of the 21k race
12:15 p.m.: awards ceremony and ceremonial cheque presentation of the Scotiabank Charity challenge current fundraising amount reached

Run, walk, pledge or cheer on April 24, 2016, for the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k at Parc Jean-Drapeau. It's not too late to help raise money for worthy causes in your community! Share why you race to support your charity, using #runScotia and #Scotia21kmtl.

For more information about the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k, visit: http://www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf_en/index.htm

For more information about the Scotiabank Charity Challenge:http://www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf_en/montCHARITY.htm

For a course map: http://www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf_en/montDET.htm#course

Follow us on Twitter #SCOTIA21KMTL

About Scotiabank
Through our global community investment strategy, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2015, Scotiabank contributed $67 million to help our communities 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 Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 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 89,000 employees and assets of $920 billion (as at January 31, 2016), 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 @ScotiabankViews.

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 $6 million for some 320 mostly local charities. The Series includes the IAAF Gold Label Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National 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.