FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Expo Kicks-Off Marathon Weekend
With the Lighting of Greece's Official Marathon Flame
Marathon Flame Celebrates 2,500th Anniversary of the First-Ever Marathon
Toronto, ON - Sept. 24, 2010 - Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
(STWM) will mark the historic 2,500th anniversary of the first-ever
marathon run by Pheidippides in 490AD, by welcoming the official Marathon
Flame for the 2010 race weekend. This year's event is set to attract more
than 20,000 runners from over 40 countries, and aims to raise more than
$2.5 million for 115 local charities through the Scotiabank Group Charity
Challenge.
Highlighting this year's elite pack is returning champion Kenneth Mungara
of Kenya. In 2009 at the STWM Mungara set a course record for the fastest
time ever ran on Canadian soil with a time of 2:08:32. Also featured this
year are, Guelph clubmates, Eric Gillis and Reid Coolsaet who are competing
together to push Canada to the front of the pack and make just-announced
qualifying standards for the London 2012 Olympic Marathon. The women's
field is STWMs best-ever and creates the distinct possibility that we may
also see the fastest Women's marathon run on Canadian soil by Trifini
Beyene Tsegaye or Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia, or perhaps Alevtina Ivanova
of Russia.
WHAT: -Lighting of Marathon Flame
-Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon News Conference, introducing
this year's elite athletes
-Launch of the Runner's Expo
WHO: -Alan Brookes - STWM Race Director
-Robin Hibberd - Executive Vice-President, Retail Products and
Services, Canadian Banking, Scotiabank
-His Worship David Miller - Mayor of the City of Toronto
-Hon. Peter Fonseca - Minister of Labour and MPP, Mississauga East
-Dimtris Azemopoulos - Consulate General of Greece in Toronto
-Elite Athletes
-Celebrity Torch Relay Runners
WHEN: Friday, September 24, 2010
9:30 a.m. - Torch Relay run from Nathan Phillips Square to Princes'
Gates at Exhibition Place
10:30 a.m. - Flame Lighting Ceremony in front of the Direct Energy
Building where the Flame will burn until moved on the evening of
September 25th
11:00 a.m. - STWM Sports Media Conference at the Direct Energy
Building
WHERE: Direct Energy Building
100 Princes' Blvd Toronto, ON M6K 3C3
Race Weekend Agenda:
Friday, Sept 24th
9:30 a.m. - Torch Relay run from Nathan Phillips Square to Princes' Gates
at Exhibition Place
10:30 a.m. - Flame Lighting Ceremony in front of the Direct Energy Building
11:00 a.m. - STWM Sports Media Conference at the Direct Energy Building
Saturday, Sept 25th
Evening - The Flame will be moved to Nathan Phillips Square ahead of race
day
Sunday, Sept 26th
7:30 a.m. - Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront marathon begins
10:30 a.m. - Post Race Press Conference in City Hall, Room 2
12:00 p.m. - Awards ceremony; Laurel Wreath presentation to race Champions
2:00 p.m. - Final Flame extinguishing ceremony
This year's marathon experience will be enhanced with the release of the
STWM Navigator, a free-mobile application that will help guide participants
and spectators during the Marathon Weekend. This tool includes six key
components: RUN, PLEDGE, CHEER, VOLUNTEER, SOCIAL and EVENT INFO. These
components will guide users through the STWM course and the City of Toronto
by highlighting key-marathon locations and providing useful information.
About Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada's premier Fall
Marathon, and the country's #1 big-city marathon. It holds the record for
the fastest marathon on Canadian soil [2:08:32 run last year by Kenneth
Mungara of Kenya]. For the third consecutive year, the event has been
awarded a prestigious Silver Label by the International Association of
Athletics Federation (IAAF) making it Toronto's only international
athletics event, and one of only five internationally recognized IAAF Label
marathons in North America. The event attracts participants from over 40
countries and this year's goal is to raise $2.5 million for more than 115
charities. For more information, visit www.stwm.ca.
About Scotiabank
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 2009 the Bank provided about $39 million in sponsorships and
donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas
of healthcare, education, social services, sports and arts and culture.
Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.
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