Corporate Challenge – The Running Griffin

Last Tuesday evening, eight of my co-workers and I took place in the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in downtown Boston. The race is a jam packed 3.5 mile course that takes runners away from Boston Common, down Massachusetts Avenue, through Kenmore Square and then back down toward the Common where the finish line is located. The run is not really a race as packing 12,000 runners on such a short and narrow course is near impossible but rather serves as a fun way for Boston area businesses to show their corporate pride and compete against one another.

The Corporate Challenge allows both walkers and runners to take place in the event and for several participants the race is either their first foray into running or serves as an annual event to keep the joints honest. For those looking to PR the race, this is probably not the one for you as there are significant course bottlenecks along the way preventing you from running your true pace.

The weather on Tuesday night was perfect with the sun beginning to set around the post-7PM start time but there still being some heat in the air to help you burn a few extra calories. The course itself is pancake flat and brings runner along a historic and scenic boulevard in downtown Boston before runners make a u-turn at the iconic Citgo sign and head back toward Boston Common. The post-race amenities are always quite good with a fan favorite this year being the Yasso Frozen Green Yogurt bars that helped us all cool down.

I completed the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge with a time of 30:32 which was good for 8:43/miles. Thanks to my company teammates for joining this year and I look forward to having more co-workers join in 2015!

I must say, it is pretty cool to work for an employer who supports their employees and appreciates the need for a good run!

On Thursday evening, my company sent about 25 employees to the 2013 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in Boston to compete against 12,000 other runners from companies across the Massachusetts area. The spirit of this race is a friendly competition amongst companies who sport the tech shirts of their respective employers and share in the camaraderie that is running. The event is a casual race for the most part with a healthy mix of runners and walkers heading out on the 3.5 mile course through the streets of downtown Boston.

What is nice to see with this race is that so many participants use the event as the first race they have ever done or as a way to kick into gear their fitness plans that they might have placed on the back burner for a while. With over 12,000 people hitting the 3.5 mile course, expecting a PR is not what this race is about; rather, it is about showing what the running community is all about by bringing together elites, casual runners, good runners, first timers and walkers in an event that is fun and for a good cause. Money raised from this year’s JP Morgan Boston Corporate Challenge went to support the Emerald Conservancy and City Spotlights Summer Leadership Program.

The race started at 7:15 PM and was an out-and-back loop starting at Boston Common. Teams gathered on the Common where ideas for next year’s run could be gathered by checking out other companies’ tee-shirts, tents, etc. As runners headed out of Boston Common they made their way to Commonwealth Avenue which is a two lane road separated by a pedestrian friendly park with sidewalks and memorials between the two roads. Commonwealth is as flat as a pancake which makes for easy running along the way. Runners made their way along Commonwealth Avenue and then looped around in Kenmore Square directly under the iconic Citgo sign and made their way back down Commonwealth Avenue in the opposite direction. As we made our way back into the finish line between Boston Common and the Public Garden the announcer would call out the names of the respective companies for the runners finishing which added a sense of pride crossing over the finish line.

I finished the 2013 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge with a time of 29:26 which was good for 8:25/miles. Though a slower than normal pace for me simply due to the congestion along the way, this race was about more than getting a PR for me. It was a good opportunity to meet some new co-workers and hang out with co-workers in a different setting than we are used to. Finally, when one of my co-workers after the race told me that he cannot wait to run again and his goal is to run a half-marathon in 2014, I smiled and told him to let me know anytime he wants to go on a training run.