Over $1.1 Million Raised at 2016 Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal et 5k

MONTREAL, QC--(Marketwired - April 24, 2016) - Two years after a third place at 2016 Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k on a broken femur, Krista DuChene came back to conquer the race in addition to proving her fitness for the summer Olympic games. On a sunny day with perfect racing conditions, 5,500 runners raised over $1.1 million dollars and counting for 66 local charities.

Current Canadian half-marathon champion Kip Kangogo won the race for the men with a time of 1:06:50, after racing alongside Sami Jibril until Kip broke away at the 20 kilometre mark to a solid win. Josh Bolton from Paris, Ontario, finished third to round out the top three.

"I am very pleased with the race, it was a great day and I am glad to have proved I am where I need to be. Emotionally speaking, today's race brought back a lot of memories from this course two years ago," said a radiant Krista DuChene after the event.

Catherine Cormier was the second female runner to cross the finish at 1:20:18 and the first Quebec female, ahead of Bianca Prémont of Ste-Julie with a time of 1:21:22.

"This year marks yet another milestone for Scotiabank as we have reached a fundraising total of well over the $1 million mark. We are so proud of this achievement and want to congratulate all of the fundraising runners in the 2016 Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k," said Carole Chapdelaine, Senior Vice President, Quebec and Eastern Ontario Region at Scotiabank. "The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is well established across the country and since its inception in 2003, runners in Scotiabank-sponsored running events have raised over $46 million for community charities. With today's record amount, we are well on our way to surpassing the $50 million fundraising milestone nationally sometime this year!"

At press time, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge had raised more than $1.1 million for 66 charities in the Montreal area, including this year's featured charities -- The Diabetic Children's Foundation, Share the Warmth and the Huntington Society of Quebec.

Scotiabank offers a Scotiabank Charity Challenge at six sponsored marathon events across Canada including Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. 

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program that provides a simple way for runners in these races to support local causes that make a significant impact on Canadian communities. Participating charities keep 100% of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and credit card fees.