Over $550,000 Raised at 2016 Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon

HALIFAX, NS--(Marketwired - May 22, 2016) - Close to 13,000 people took to the streets of downtown Halifax for the 13th annual Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon this Victoria Day weekend, raising more than $550,000 for 85 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

Bryan Hipson from Yarmouth, NS won the Scotiabank Marathon with a time of 2:46:40. Heather O'Donnell of Bridgetown, NS crossed the finish line at 3:11:25 to win the women's event. Atlantic Canada dominated the top spots for all but one race today.

The 2016 Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon also included the inaugural 5K Wheelchair Showcase, with six elite wheelchair athletes competing. Paralympian Josh Cassidy wowed spectators as he raced through the streets, coming in first in 00:11:24. The Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Run was bigger than ever with over 4,200 eager participants with their families cheering them on.

"It was an incredible weekend. We had the most participants ever in the Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Run on Saturday and we saw a five per cent increase in overall participation over 2015," said Rod McCulloch, Chair of the Board of Directors, Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon. "Spectators turned out all along the route to cheer participants through the streets of Halifax."

"We would like to congratulate all of the runners in the 2016 Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, especially those who dedicated their run to one of the local charities associated with the Scotiabank Charity Challenge this year," said Craig Thompson, Senior Vice President, Atlantic Region at Scotiabank. "With the support of the community, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge reached a fundraising total of $550,000 and counting by event day for 85 charities in the province."

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is well established across the country at six Scotiabank-sponsored running events including Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. "Since its inception in 2003, runners have raised over $46 million for community charities. Today's event has taken us that much closer to reaching the $50 million milestone some time in 2016, continued Mr. Thompson."

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.