TORONTO, ON (September 29, 2023) – Today, Canada Running Series partnered with sustainability advocates at Trees for Life and Trans Canada Trail to bring the community together at Tommy Thompson Park for a day of environmental stewardship in preparation for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The tree planting and ‘plogging’ (picking up trash and jogging) event brought together 60 runners, supporters and community members to plant 350 trees and collect trash along 5 km of the Trans Canada Trail. Held at Tommy Thompson Park, a reclaimed and rewilded part of the Trans Canada Trail, the event was part of a larger initiative to enhance Toronto’s outdoor recreational and public spaces, and to encourage the public to get outside and get active.
“We at Trees for Life are extremely grateful for the support that has been generated as a result of our partnership with Canada Running Series and the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon,” said Mark Cullen, President & Co-Founder of Trees for Life. “The funds raised help us to support planting partnerships like the one we have with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, where we were able to contribute to the planting of over 33,000 trees and shrubs across many sites in the GTA in one year alone. Few people enjoy public green spaces and shaded trailways more than those in the running community, so from our perspective, our partnership with CRS has a multitude of highly valuable benefits.”
The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is one of Canada’s premier running events taking place on October 15, 2023, and was awarded an Evergreen Certification earlier this year by the Council for Responsible Sport. The marathon, half marathon and 5K bring together participants from across the globe, and is a unifying landmark event for Toronto having raised over $50 million for Canadian charities since 2003.
“We hope to lead by example with our commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Alan Brookes, President of Canada Running Series. “The Council for Responsible Sport honoured the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon as one of the few marathons with an Evergreen certification distinction, and we plan to continue our efforts through all facets of the marathon. We are so pleased to continue to work with our charity partners once again this year to have the kinds of events that make lasting impacts in our community far beyond the race weekend.”
Trees for Life hosted the tree planting and plogging event with the Trans Canada Trail as the feature charity partners of the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Charity Challenge. Joining participants were City Councillor Paula Fletcher; Mark Cullen, President & Co-Founder of Trees for Life; Alan Brookes, President at Canada Running Series; Soumen Roy, Executive Director and Country head at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS); Cheryl Hanson, Vice-President and Chief Development Officer at Trans Canada Trail; and Vince D’Elia with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).
“The Trans Canada Trail is built on partnerships like this one, that support environmental stewardship and improved trail accessibility,” says Eleanor McMahon, President & CEO of Trans Canada Trail. “We’re thrilled to be part of this collective endeavour to maintain beautiful and accessible trails for the thousands of people who walk, run and roll on the Trail every day across Canada.”
The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is renowned for its scenic route, cheerful atmosphere, and commitment to sustainability and charitable causes, attracting participants from across the world, including elite athletes, amateur runners, and avid enthusiasts. All are encouraged to join the tens of thousands who celebrate Toronto and over 150 impactful causes every year for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon as runners, spectators and donors alike. To support Trees for Life and Trans Canada Trail in their efforts to continue improving our outdoor spaces, you can donate to their race teams through the TCS Charity Challenge.
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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 runners 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 AgileTM 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/.
About Trans Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail (the Trail) is the longest recreational trail in the world, spanning over 28,000 kilometres on land and water. Linking three oceans – the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic – the Trail connects 15,000 rural, urban and Indigenous communities across every province and territory. It is a ribbon that connects Canada’s diverse landscapes, seasons, people and experiences, and fosters unity, collaboration and connectedness. Trans Canada Trail is a registered charity and stewards this national trail in collaboration with local Trail partners. With funding from the Government of Canada through Parks Canada, and investments from all levels of government and generous donors, Trans Canada Trail is the largest investor in trail infrastructure projects in Canada, supporting improvements, growth and enhancements for generations to come. tctrail.ca
About Trees for Life
Trees for Life is a national charity that is helping green communities and honour local heroes by planting trees. Through organized planting and providing tree planting organizations with tools, resources and networks to enable them to grow, Trees for Life is proud to do their part to ensure the Canadian government’s commitment to planting two billion trees is realized. The organization is one of the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon’s sustainability partners, alongside Trans-Canada Trail. Trees for Life’s mission is to create a happier, healthier Canada by planting native trees and shrubs where communities live, work and play.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Laurel Bury
Sutherland Corporation Laurel@sutherlandcorp.ca
