Posted: June 1, 2005

Athletics: Standard Life Marathon to be held on Saturday June 11th

MONTREAL, June 1 /CNW Telbec/ - The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada today announced that the 23rd annual Standard Life Marathon will be held on Saturday, June 11th at Mount Royal Park. The marathon's 5,000 runners and walkers are expected to raise $350,000.00 for pediatric research.

Funds collected for the Standard Life Marathon - by individuals, teams, companies and sponsors - will go directly to the Foundation for Research into Children's Diseases, the largest source of non-governmental funding for pediatric research in Québec. This foundation supports four children's research institutions: "le Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine", Montreal Children's Hospital, "le Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec" and "le Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke".

As primary sponsor, Standard Life assumes all expenses associated with the management of this event. Since the Standard Life Marathon was first run in 1983, the event has generated more than $5.6 million for research that benefits thousands of children around the world.

Anyone can participate in the Standard Life Marathon. Runners are asked to pay a $25 tax-deductible registration fee, which is automatically waived with sponsorship donations of at least $25. Walkers are asked to raise at least $25 in sponsorship support in order to be eligible for prizes, while supplies last. Participants may register and fundraise directly online or obtain paper pledge forms. For more information, please visit /www.standardlife.ca or call (514) 483-1865.

The 10-km run will begin at 9:00 am and the 5-km walk will begin at 10:30 am - rain or shine. Former Montréal Canadian and hockey legend Jean Béliveau will be on-site from 9:00 am to 10:45 AM and will give the official starting signal for the 5-km walk. Both events begin at Smith House, just north of Beaver Lake.

In Canada, The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada and its affiliated companies have $36.1 billion in assets under management and offer a wide range of financial products, including group savings and retirement, group insurance, individual life insurance, savings and retirement, and mutual funds. They also provide portfolio management and real estate and mortgage investment services. Total premium income and deposits reached $4.7 billion in 2004 with over 1.2 million customers. ( www.standardlife.ca )