FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
'Fastest Company in Silicon Valley' Title Up for Grabs in the Comerica
Corporate Challenge at the 2006 Metro Silicon Valley Marathon(R)
Leading companies will compete in speed, size, and spirit categories on
Oct. 29
SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metro Silicon Valley
Marathon® announced today that the second annual Comerica Corporate
Challenge will take place on Sunday, Oct. 29 as part of the 2006 event.
Twenty companies are expected to field teams of runners at several
distances, including the half-marathon, the distance at which the winner of
The Comerica Cup, which goes to the "Fastest Company in Silicon Valley,"
will be determined.
Genentech will be defending its 2005 "Fastest Company in Silicon Valley"
title, when its best three half-marathoners finished the San Jose-to-Los
Gatos course in a cumulative time of 4:16:37. Team Yahoo! won the prize for
the biggest team of runners in 2005, with 29 participants in the marathon,
half-marathon and 5K race, and Team Apple walked away with the "Spirit"
title. In 2005, 150 runners from 15 companies, including Cisco,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lockheed-Martin, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems,
participated in the inaugural Comerica Corporate Challenge.
In addition to the trophies and bragging rights, the 2006 Comerica
Corporate Challenge will feature a donation of $2,250, courtesy of Comerica
Bank, to The Health Trust's Wellness, Education & Prevention Fund in honor
of the winning teams. This money will directly fund programs that advance
wellness in the Santa Clara County community, including The Health Trust's
Children's Dental Services, Healthy Silicon Valley, Aids Services and The
Women's Health Fund; as well as to other select community non-profits.
"The friendly competition displayed by last year's teams was indicative of
the spirit that makes Silicon Valley such a vibrant community," said Mike
Fulton, president and CEO of Comerica Bank's Western Market. "It's great
that even more companies are joining this year's competition for The
Comerica Cup."
Metro Silicon Valley Marathon Race Director Doug Epstein said, "The
Comerica Corporate Challenge adds a distinct Silicon Valley flavor to this
prominent race. We are excited to see if Genentech, Yahoo! and Apple have
what it takes to defend their crowns."
About The Metro Silicon Valley Marathon
The family-friendly 2006 Metro Silicon Valley Marathon takes place on
Sunday October 29th and will be preceded by a Sports Tech Expo on Saturday
October 28th at Parkside Hall in San Jose. The scenic, flat course is an
official, chip-timed Boston Marathon qualifier. Title sponsor Metro
Newspapers publishes an award-winning weekly publication that is read by
more than 700,000 Bay Area residents each month. The official benefiting
charity is The Health Trust (www.healthtrust.org), and author, broadcaster
and USA Today columnist Christine Brennan will serve as honorary event
chair. Please visit www.svmarathon.com or text MSVM to 44636 for
information and registration instructions for the Marathon, Half-Marathon,
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital 5K Run/Walk presented by Silicon Valley
Community Newspapers, and The Phelps & Cohen Orthodontics Kids Races, as
well as to purchase official Event apparel and merchandise.
About Comerica Bank
Comerica Bank, founded in 1849, is the 20th largest banking firm in the
United States. Comerica Bank's Western Market headquarters is located in
San Jose, Calif. The Western Market of Comerica Bank includes banking
centers in key California markets, including: San Francisco and the East
Bay, San Jose, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Fresno, Sacramento,
and Santa Cruz /Monterey; also, banking centers in Phoenix/Scottsdale,
Ariz. and offices in Washington, Nevada and Colorado. Comerica Bank is a
subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA - News), a financial
services company headquartered in Detroit strategically aligned into three
major business segments: the Business Bank, the Retail Bank, and Wealth &
Institutional Management. Comerica focuses on relationships and helping
businesses and people be successful. Comerica reported total assets of
$57.1 billion at June 30, 2006. For more information, go to
www.comerica.com.
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