Insurance industry title holder Legal & General will set out to defend its trophy in the Standard Chartered Great City Race on Thursday 12 July after entering a strong team to compete in the 5K corporate running challenge. The company will face tough opposition though with 38 other insurance businesses set to line up alongside it on the start line.
Legal & General has been a consistent performer in the race having previously won the team and individual titles. Lloyd’s and Marsh have both increased the number of runners in their teams from last year and will be amongst the other insurance companies expected to challenge Legal & General for the industry title.
The Standard Chartered Great City Race is firmly established as the City’s premier corporate running challenge, selling out in record time again this year with 6,800 runners representing over 350 companies set to pace round London’s Square Mile. Other industry sectors taking part in the race include legal, banking, accountancy and the media.
While the industry titles will be hotly contested, all runners are also being encouraged to help raise vital funds for the race’s official beneficiary, Seeing is Believing, a global initiative that tackles avoidable blindness. There are 285 million blind people in the world, yet amazingly 80% of all cases could have been prevented.
Every entry will support Seeing is Believing with £5 from each runner’s entry being donated to the initiative which aims to raise $100 million by 2020. Standard Chartered Bank has also pledged to match all donations pound-for-pound, therefore doubling the impact.
Richard Holmes, Standard Chartered Bank CEO Europe said: “The Standard Chartered Great City Race is a wonderful event which brings together companies from all over London’s Square Mile.
“The competitive side of the race is always fierce but the fun team environment and the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of others helps make this event one of the key dates in the City calendar.”
