TORONTO, ON (November 22, 2023) – Canada Running Series proudly closes the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon season by announcing that the 20th annual TCS Charity Challenge has raised nearly $2.5 million for 159 Canadian charities. With nearly 21,000 community donations and 2,600 active fundraisers in 2023 alone, the TCS Charity Challenge has now raised over $53.5 million since its inception in 2003.
With over 150 charities to choose from each year, the annual TCS Charity Challenge is a unique opportunity that allows TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon participants to customize their experience by running for a cause that moves them. The impacts of fundraising can be seen in communities across Toronto, with charities supporting a variety of causes from environmental sustainability to Indigenous health, LGBTQ2+ support, cancer research and so much more.
“We are so proud of all those who ran for a cause and donated to support our 20th Charity Challenge,” said Alan Brookes, Race Director at Canada Running Series (CRS). “It’s inspiring to see running bring the community together to make a difference for so many incredible organizations. These are the kinds of impacts that span far beyond race weekend and can really make a positive change in our communities in Toronto and beyond.”
“We are completely in awe of the outstanding fundraising efforts of the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon participants,” said Soumen Roy, Executive Director and Country Head, Canada, TCS. “The tremendous success of the TCS Charity Challenge is a testament to the strength and spirit of Toronto’s running community.”
This year’s race weekend was a smashing success, as Toronto witnessed an impressive gathering of over 25,000 people from 78 countries for the world-class TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. In its 34th edition, the marathon celebrated an incredible year of firsts as four debut marathoners took home champion titles and the event saw record-breaking participation.
This standout finale comes on the heels of the marathon’s recent Evergreen Certification by the Council for Responsible Sport. This award recognizes the Marathon’s commitment to environmental stewardship and showcases the efforts of the Marathon to make the event the most sustainable in Canada. These efforts extend through all facets of the race weekend, including their feature charity partners, Trees for Life and Trans Canada Trail who raised over $18,000 this year for their sustainability projects.
The success of the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon and TCS Charity Challenge once again demonstrate that it is not just a race, but a celebration of achievement, unity and the unstoppable spirit of the running community that creates a lasting impact.
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About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for participants of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process.
To learn more about the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, visit www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com.
About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 50 years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.
A part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has over 614,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $27.9 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS’ proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index.
For more information, visit www.tcs.com
About Canada Running Series (CRS)
Canada Running Series is the nation’s premier running circuit with 7 events, 4 in Toronto, 2 in Vancouver, and 1 in Montreal. It annually attracts over 50,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 mostly-local charities. The Series includes the World Athletics Gold Label TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization. To learn more about CRS, visit https://canadarunningseries.com/.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Canada Running Series:
Damien Hope
damien@canadarunningseries.com
Tata Consultancy Services:
Tiffany Fisher
