Posted: December 1, 2004

Athletics: 100% humidity and 32°C - The Greatest Race on Earth Series arrives in Singapore

LONDON 1st December 2004:

At 06:00, Sunday, 5 December, the second stage of the Greatest Race on Earth will commence in Singapore. Known as the Island Race, this marathon takes in elements that make Singapore distinctive - immaculate streets, tree-lined parks and beautiful coastline - amid intense heat and humidity. Weather conditions of 100% humidity and 32°C are expected.

Following the first stage in Nairobi, the current Greatest Race leaders in each class are:

Main Team Challenge:
Rosa & Associati Team 2

Nations Challenge:
Kenya National Team

Individual Challenge:
Cleophas Rop

Each will be severely tested by the elements and fellow competitors. Looking especially strong are Russian Leonid Shvetsov of the KRPR Team with a personal best time (PB) of 02:09:16 and Kenyan, Ernest Kiprotich of Team Sports Promotion with a PB of 02:09:55. John Kelai, the winner of last year's marathon in 02:19:02, knows what it takes to win in Singapore and will provide formidable opposition.

Once again the eclectic field that brings together Sir Ranulph Fiennes - famous for running 7 marathons in 7 days - and Owies Khan, who has never before left Afghanistan or run a full marathon, is expected to raise considerable sums for chosen charities, including the Standard Chartered-sponsored "Seeing is Believing".

The Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth Marathons

Last year, about 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.

The 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".

This year, Standard Chartered presents The Greatest Race on Earth, a challenging virtual relay race across the Bank's four established marathons.
· In Nairobi on 24 October 2004
· In Singapore on 5 December 2004
· In Mumbai on 16 January 2005
· In Hong Kong on 27 February 2005

3 competition categories

Main (open to all) Prize pool of USD 1 million prize pool - fastest combined time of four runners across all four events (one runner per team per race); top prize of USD 400,000; prizes to 15th place

Individual USD 100,000 Winner Takes All prize for fastest individual time across all four events

Nations Prize pool of USD 145,000 - fastest National Athletics Association-fielded team time of four runners in all four events (one runner per team per race); top prize of USD 70,000; prizes for the top three

Charity ties - including the Bank's own global initiative, 'Seeing is Believing' - mean that every step raises money to help make a difference in people's lives. Henry Wanyoike, a blind distance runner and world record holder in the 10km for the visually impaired, will run in all four of the races. Standard Chartered will match public donations, up to USD 1,000 for every kilometre he runs, to Seeing is Believing.

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 in which it operates.