FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon goes "Live"
on CBC Country Canada and cbcsports.ca
TORONTO, August 1st, 2007 - Organizers today announced that the 2007
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will be broadcast live on CBC
Country Canada and on the internet at cbcsports.ca. The
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon takes place on Sunday September 30,
2007 and is the first Canadian marathon ever to be covered live.
"Live coverage for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon provides
another wonderful opportunity for runners, fans and communities to come
together in celebration of this elite, international race," said John Doig,
Scotiabank Senior Vice-President, Marketing. "In addition to covering the
world class athletes, CBC's participation enables us to highlight more
elements of the marathon like the Charity and Neighbourhood Challenges and
the MarathonKids programs."
CBC Country Canada, CBC's digital channel that recently broadcast the FIFA
U-20 World Cup, will provide four hours of live coverage on September 30
starting at 7 a.m. ET. Five additional hours of live internet coverage
will be available on cbcsports.ca, starting at 7 a.m. ET and a one-hour
"Highlights" program will be presented during CBC Sports Weekend on a
Saturday afternoon following the race on CBC Television. A webpage for the
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will also go live in September on
cbcsports.ca and will feature training tips, a runner's blog, pre-event
information and more.
"We are looking forward to providing Canadians coverage of the Scotiabank
Toronto Waterfront Marathon, both on television and on the internet," said
Scott Moore, executive director, CBC Sports. "This is one of Canada's top
marathons, and is also an important community event. CBC is committed to
providing viewers with unparalleled sports coverage, and we are proud to
partner with the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon to bring this event
into Canadian homes coast to coast."
"We're absolutely thrilled to have live television and broadband coverage
with the calibre of CBC's production and quality," said Race Director, Alan
Brookes. "Other world marathons have shown us that live television and
internet coverage changes everything – it leads to more participants,
spectators, charity involvement and more fundraising. This is one of the
most important and final pieces we needed to create a truly
international-class marathon in Toronto."
More than 12,000 runners from over 30 countries and 40 American states are
expected to participate in this year's event. Highlights will include
returning champion Daniel Rono of Kenya and his attempt to run the fastest
marathon ever on Canadian Soil. Ethiopian runners Asha Gigi and Merima
Denboba and last year's women champion Malgorzata Sobanska of Poland, are
expected to challenge the 2:30 mark in the women's race.
Canadian marathon celebrities like 76-year-old Ed Whitlock will attempt a
new age-group world record, and competing for the Guinness Book of World
Records is Toronto's own Michal "The Joggler" Kapral who will juggle and
run while raising funds for Sick Kids Hospital.
This year the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon hopes to beat world
records and surpass last year's fundraised amount of $703,000 for community
charities. "People run at our race to support important initiatives from
the fight against breast cancer to supporting children's needs" continued
Brookes. "Families can run for one another or can run altogether while
being cheered on by their friends and neighbours."
Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and
work, both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader internationally
and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and
philanthropic activities, in 2006 the Bank provided more than $42 million
in sponsorships and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives,
primarily in the areas of healthcare, education, social services and arts
and culture. Scotiabank is on the World Wide Web at www.scotiabank.com.
For further information on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, to
register or raise pledges, see www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com.
###
|
