London’s biggest businesses lined up for the sold-out 10th anniversary running of the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay last night.
One hundred and fifteen teams, each made up of 10 company employees, took to the start line for the ultimate corporate relay race only a few hours after the running of the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay race in Shanghai.
A total of 1,150 runners took part in the London leg of the global series as they raced along the unique one-mile route around the Square Mile. Barclays took the honour of ‘Fastest Firm in the City’ with victory over second place J.P. Morgan, closely followed by Credit Suisse in third.
Starting from Guildhall, the course saw runners navigate their way down alleyways, up staircases, over bridges, past shops, and through gardens, making for an exciting urban race track in the heart of the City.
The team that completed its 10 cumulative one-mile laps the fastest was Barclays, crossing the line in a time of 53:05 and donating the £5,000 charitable cheque to Richard House Children’s Hospice.
Winning team captain, Steve Whitehead said: “It is our tenth time racing and we love it. We train with J.P. Morgan so to have that level of competition between the two teams was great.”
“The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay, now in its tenth year in London, embodies the spirit of collaboration and speed needed in business. It’s great to see so many friends, clients and employees of Bloomberg, running alongside each other for their chosen charities. Congratulations to Barclays on their big win tonight,” said Mark Flatman, Head of Sales, Bloomberg L.P., EMEA.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay in London, and in recognition of the high percentage of companies that enter both female and male runners, a new award for the ‘Fastest Mixed Team’ was introduced. Nike UK & Ireland won in a time of 58:22. Team captain Adam Sutton commented: “We are so excited to be the first winners of the Fastest Mixed Team Award. We will be back next year to reclaim the title.”
Individually, Andrew Lawrence of Barclays clocked the fastest mile in a time of 04:48 which would make even Sir Roger Bannister proud!
The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay in London, this year saw headline sponsor Bloomberg also joined by race Fitness Partner ‘TechnoGym’, Crowdfunding Partner ‘Crowdcube’, and Running Shoe Partner ‘On Running’. Bloomberg is the headline sponsor of the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay, now taking part in seven cities across the world, including London, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Sydney and New York, with further cities to be added in 2017.
The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay Shanghai, also taking place yesterday, was won by Nanhua Futures in 1:01:52. Singapore is next to take the baton, holding its fourth annual race on 27th October, followed shortly by Hong Kong on 10th November.
Find out more about the race at www.squaremilerelay.com
