Previous year's Chase Corporate Challenge, Onondaga Lake Parkway
/ File photo
LIVERPOOL -- You may want to avoid Onondaga Lake Parkway this afternoon and evening. There's expected to be a significant amount of traffic there due to the Chase Corporate Challenge. There will also be very limited parking at Onondaga Lake Park.
The traffic volume is expected to be highest between 1 and 9:15 p.m. due to the closure of Onondaga Lake Parkway.
There will be free, round-trip shuttle service to the race site from the Carousel Center. Buses will run continuously before the race from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and after the race from 7:15 to 9 p.m. from the Solar Street Auxiliary Lot.
Nearly 7,000 runners and walkers are expected to participate in the 29th Chase Corporate Challenge. It's a 3.5 mile road race open to the Central New York workforce. The race begins at 6:25 p.m. at Onondaga Lake Park.
This year, 6,983 people from 273 companies will participate. That's slightly larger than last year's group of 6,776 who participated in 2010. It's also the biggest crowd since 2001.
The 10 largest companies participating in this year's race are: Syracuse University (378 entrants); Tops Friendly Markets (350; up from 158 in 2010); Wegmans (320, up from 316); St. Joseph's Hospital (135); Crouse Hospital (123, up from 103); SRC, Inc. (111, up 75); Onondaga County Dental Society (101); Welch Allyn (100, up from 97); AXA Equitable (97); Time Warner Cable (95).
The JPMorgan Chase Foundation, in celebration of the Corporate Challenge, will make a donation to Child Care Solutions, a not-for-profit organization committed to making child care work for families and child care providers in Onondaga and Cayuga Counties.
The first-place men's, women's and mixed teams will earn a trip to the 2012 JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Championship. No word yet on the location.
Harris RF (men), Lockheed Martin (women), and NYSDEC (mixed) represented Syracuse at the 2011 Championship, April 21 in Singapore.
