Posted: August 18, 2004

Athletics: The Greatest Race On Earth Marathon Challenge

Standard Chartered offers One Million Dollars in prize money for four races

London, 3rd - A groundbreaking event has been added to there marathon calendar. Standard Chartered Bank announced this week it is offering over 1 USD million in total prize money for teams with the stamina and courage to take on four of the Bank's sponsored marathons.

"These are fantastic marathons in some of the most exciting places in the world," said Mike DeNoma, Group Executive Director. "They are not your standard marathons, but challenging races in exotic surroundings, and that's what sets them apart."

Standard Chartered sponsors six marathons across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, reflecting its global footprint, and hosted in its key strategic markets. This year, Standard Chartered presents The Greatest Race on Earth, a challenging virtual relay race across our four established marathons in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nairobi and Mumbai. In 2003 - 2004, over 70,000 people ran in four Standard Chartered marathons. With the Greatest Race on Earth, the Bank is hoping for nearly 100, 000 this year.

The Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth is a super relay race for teams of 4 runners across all for marathons. The main Team Challenge category is open to men and women over 18 years of age, of any nationality, with no restriction on the level of competence. Each team member will run in one marathon. Teams must nominate who will run in each full marathon before the start of the series, and the winning team will be the one whose athletes record the lowest aggregate time across the four marathons.

The challenge will be deciding which team member will perform best in each of the marathons. The Standard Chartered marathons span some of the toughest environments in the world. Nairobi, for example has one of the highest elevations of any international marathon, while Singapore and Mumbai have two climates among the most humid of any race.

In addition to the team challenge, there is a winner-take all Individual Challenge category, with USD 100,000 going to the individual with the best time across all four marathons.

"It's not going to be easy," observes DeNoma, "but that's what makes it worth doing. We have one of the largest prize pools of any marathon in the world because we recognise it will be an outstanding achievement for those who are willing to try, and who have the stamina and determination to succeed."

The first marathon in the circuit will be the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, on 24th October 2004. Those up for the challenge should log on to the Greatest Race website at www.thegreatestrace.com to register. The website has all the rules and links to each of the country marathon sites to review the details of each marathon.

The standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth Marathons

Last year, over 70,000 people ran in Standard Chartered sponsored marathons in four major cities. In 2005, Standard Chartered Bank is proud to be title sponsor of marathons in six major cities across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

This year, Standard Chartered presents The Greatest Race on Earth, a challenging virtual relay race across our four established marathons in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nairobi and Mumbai.

· In Nairobi on 24th October 2004
· In Singapore on 5th December 2004
· In Mumbai on 16th January 2005
· In Hong Kong on 27th February 2005

Each marathon has events for everyone. With running clinics, valuable tips, and regular updates; using the latest technology, and "hassle-free" for participants, every Standard Chartered Marathon places participants and their supports at the forefront of our focus.

These marathons characterise the values and attitude that Standard Chartered believes in, and lives by everyday - a "can-do" attitude, a priority on strength of trust, willpower, stamina, and the determination to "go the distance".

Charity ties - including the Bank's own global initiative, 'Seeing is Believing' - mean that every step reaches into more than just one life.

Standard Chartered - leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Standard Chartered employs 30,000 people in over 500 locations in more than 50 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas. It is one of the world's most international banks, with a management team comprising 70 nationalities.

Standard Chartered is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is in the top 25 FTSE-100 companies, by market capitalisation.

It serves both Consumer and Wholesale Banking customers. Consumer Banking provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, deposit taking and wealth management services to individuals and small to medium sized enterprises. Wholesale Banking provides corporate and institutional clients with services in trade finance, cash management, lending, security services, foreign exchange, debt capital markets and corporate finance.

Standard Chartered is well-established in growth markets and aims to be the right partner for its customers. The Bank combines deep local knowledge with global capability.

The Bank is trusted across its network for its standard of governance and its commitment to making a difference in the communities.