37 out of 67 270 – CeramTec takes part in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge

CeramTec's Team

37 runners from CeramTec took part in the 15th annual JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge run in Frankfurt, Germany. In total, 67 270 runners from 2 446 firms ran the 5.6 kilometer long course through the urban areas of Frankfurt. CeramTec’s fastest runner was Jonas Glocker, with an impressive finish time of 18 minutes and 27 seconds. Lead by team captain Frank Reichel, the CeramTec team was comprised of members from the 4 locations in Plochingen, Ebersbach, Lauf and Wittlich and ran under the flag of the parent group, Rockwood Holdings Inc. In total, Rockwood was represented by 120 runners from its various firms. The run's motto is “The friendly competition”. It’s the largest running event in the world and stands for team spirit, collegiality, fitness and communication. 80 000 viewers surrounded the course, enthusiastically cheering the athletes on.

The participants from the Rockwood Group companies

Prior to the event, Dr. Karl-Georg Altenberg, CEO of JPMorgan Germany/Austria presented German sport association member of the board Dr. Michael Ilgner with a check for 135 000 Euros for disabled sports. Traditionally, JPMorgan donates one Euro for everyone who starts the run. This year the management doubled the amount, thereby making the largest donation in the history of the corporate run. This handsome sum will go towards projects for young talents in deaf sports, local activities at the Olympic base in Frankfurt as well as the integration of disabled and non-disabled talents in sports boarding schools.

Impressions from the racetrack.

The battle for first place among the men was a real thrill. In the end, the three winners crossed the finish line with a difference of just three seconds. Mid-distance runner Christophe Chayriguet from Kempten in the Allgäu had the best sprint. The 27-year old marketing specialist from the Bongrain company was able to distance himself from his followers during the last 400 meters and won with a finish time of 16:37 minutes. Among the women, Birgitt Bohn (Alinea Financial Translations), who came in third less than a year ago, prevailed. The translator for English and French “powered through” right from the beginning and won with a finish time of 19:22 minutes. The next JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge in Frankfurt will take place on Wednesday, June 11, 2008.

Snapshot from the finishing line

Find out more about the run here.