JP MORGAN CHASE CORPORATE CHAMPIONSHIP

                                   

                                                                        By Vince Juliano

 

           

            The JP Morgan Chase Corporate Championship 3.5 mile race was finally held on December 1st in midtown Manhattan. Traditionally held in early October, the team race was delayed due to the tragic events of September 11th which meant the runners could now view the Christmas lights that decorated the tree lined midway that divided the Park Avenue course. Also delayed were the usual winter winds that swirl among the skyscrapers at this time of year. Instead the runners were greeted with sunny skies and temperatures rising well into the 60’s as they exited the Chase Headquarters for a full array of pre-race ceremony, including marching bands and the singing of the National Anthem.

            The 25-year old Corporate Challenge began in NYC in 1977 and was joined by the Capitol City of Albany in 1980, Since then, the challenge has been extended to 15 other cities and 4 countries as over 200,000 runners and 7800 corporate teams participated in this years events. Winning teams (men’s, women’s, and Coed) from each city are invited to the Championship Race on Park Avenue. This year’s championship race had 1035 participants, as teams from London, Frankfurt (Germany) and Sydney (Australia) joined over 100 teams from the United States.

            Hometown Albany was well represented as GE sent strong Men’s and Co-ed teams. Newkirk Products filled the 3rd spot on the roster with a competitive Women’s team.  The race is competitive and the top runners get plenty of rest the night before, but the post race activities are quite festive and somewhat of a celebration since all the teams were champions of their own city. The race was immediately followed by a brunch and award ceremony, then the runners had several hours of free time to shower, rest, or to take in the city flavor before a formal dinner scheduled later in the evening. Runners with endurance genes (as well as speed) continued to celebrate at an Irish Pub until late in the evening before walking back to their hotel under a December full moon.

            After making arrangements for our Labrador Hamlet to spend the weekend at the Clarridge (Sarah) Canine Sanctuary, I escorted my wife Emily and the Newkirk’s women’s team (Laurel Peterson & Courtney Bradley) to NYC to watch the race and provide logistical support. We arrived just before the evening deadline for Packet Pickup and enjoyed hot hor’deuvres as we picked up the race numbers and the championship chips after a 3 hour commute.

            The packet instructions informed the team to arrive at the starting line at 8:45 AM the next day ready to run, even though the race did not actually go off until about 9:05 AM due to pre-race ceremonies.

            If past championship races were any indication, teams from London and Frankfort Germany would be the ones to beat but the men’s GE team from Albany was a serious threat led by former Union graduate Peter Flynn and a strong supporting cast of John Devitt, captain Mark Mckenzie, Mike Mahoney and Nathan Hoffman.

            Peter Flynn started aggressively and forced the pace along with several European runners over the first 2 miles before falling back to eighth place. In the last 100 yards Peter was able to kick past 2 runners to finish a very respectable 6th in 17:32.  In hindsight, Peter felt the early surges might not have been the best strategy since he lacked quality speed work in the month leading up to the event. Still he was gratified that his strong effort led the GE men’s team to their highest finish ever. Only the Royal Mail Letter Carriers of London led by the 2nd place finisher overall (16:59), prevented GE from winning the championship as they settled for second place among 47 teams.

            The GE co-ed team of Judy Guzzo (also a Willow Street AC member), Jen Ward, Mike Gross and Craig Fischberg also ran strongly to finish 5th among 50 co-ed teams. Team awards were given to the Top 10 teams in each category and were presented by 4-time Boston and NYC marathon winner Bill Rodgers and 9-time NYC marathon winner Grete Weitz.

            The Newkirk Women’s team also ran well but just missed the awards with an 11th place finish but still managed to beat 26 other teams. While the emphasis is on team competition at the Chase Corporate Challenge, two-time Albany Women’s champion Emily Bryans ended her competitive racing season with another special effort. Running against the women’s defending overall champion from the 1st place London Royal Mail Carriers, and her strong European teammates, Emily found herself in a battle for 4th place after a 1st mile in 5:50. Emily then passed Shirley Griffiths also from the London Royal Mail carriers, and Katja Potthof of the Frankfort Co-ed team during the second mile as her pace quickened to 5:40. With the defending champion Beverly Jenkins still 100 yards ahead, Emily ran the last 1.5 miles at a 5:42 pace to hold second with a time of 20:04. Emily’s teammates (Laurel & Courtney) also ran well and joined us for full night of celebration later that evening. The highlight of the evening dinner was a polished film of the day’s race set to music that captured the excitement of the day.

            JP Chase Albany Director Al Michaels assured us that Corporate Challenge will continue to be held in Albany next year, even as the event looks to grow internationally with Tokyo (Japan) next on the expansion list in 2003.    

 

 

   NEW YORK (01-Dec) -- German steeplechaser Christian Knoblich, who normally represents his athletics club, LAC Quelle Fürth/München, easily won this race for his employer, Entrium Direct Bank of Frankfurt.  Possessing a solid lead with a half mile to go, he smiled and waved to the crowd in his final approach to the finish line on Park Avenue while runner-up, Gareth Raven, tried furiously to catch him.

   "It's super, excellent," said Knoblich of New York City on his first visit to the Big Apple.  He will represent Germany at the European Cross Country Championships in Thun, Switzerland next weekend.

   Bev Jenkins defended her 2000 title in the women's race, winning easily in a slow time.  When asked what helped her keep motivated during the race she said, "The team.  The crowd.  I love the crowd.  They're fantastic."

   Jenkins's team, Royal Mail Letters, won both the men's and women's team titles.  Roche Diagnostics Gmbh got the victory in the co-ed team category.