Posted: March 23, 2007

Athletics: Hbc Run for Canada Set to Expand to 13 Cities Across Canada this July 1st

Largest fundraiser for Canadian athletes now open for registration TORONTO, March 22 /CNW/ - Hbc today announced it is expanding its annual Hbc Run for Canada to 13 cities across the country. The annual event, which raised over $1.5 million for athletes and high performance training centres in 2006, takes place in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Algonquin Park, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria. This year's Hbc Run for Canada will also take place in St. John's, Windsor and Red Deer. "The Hbc Run for Canada gives all Canadians the opportunity to support our athletes by running, volunteering, or simply making a donation," said Diane Gordon, Director, Hbc Community Investment. "If we all work together, we can make sure our athletes are prepared for great things when they compete in front of our country and the world." According to sport science experts, in the realm of high performance sport, little advantages make a world of difference. Athletes need access to better training facilities, good nutrition, and technical services from experts such as biomechanists and physiologists to help them compete in international competitions. With major competitions just around the corner - the Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, as well as the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi - Canadian athletes need support more than ever. "Vancouver's Brent Hayden, currently ranked 3rd in the world for the 200m freestyle, benefited immensely from his sessions with a PacificSport Biomechanist," explains Dr. Gord Sleivert, VP of Sport Performance for PacificSport, Canada's Sport Centre in the Pacific region. "Dr. Allan Wrigley, who performs controlled research that has identified factors that can lead to an optimal performance, worked with Brent during his swim practices, filmed his entry into the water, and helped him identify techniques that allowed Brent to improve his start time. Although the difference is measured in tenths of a second, Brent is now well positioned to be a medal contender at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games ." Four years ago, the Hbc Foundation launched the Hbc Run for Canada in Ottawa. The 10K run and 3K family walk, and 1K fun run which takes place each year on July 1st, raised $1.5 million in 2006 for the support of Canada's Sports Centres, sport organizations such as the Commonwealth and Paralympic Games, and 200 Canadian athletes. The Hbc Run for Canada has a goal to raise over $2 million in 2007. Registration for the event is now open. Participants and volunteers may register at any Hbc store including the Bay, Home Outfitters, Designer Depot, or Zellers; Run routes, start times, and online registration are available at www.hbcrunforcanada.com. Hbc is Canada's largest diversified general merchandise retailer, operating in department store (the Bay), mass merchandise (Zellers), specialty (Home Outfitters and Designer Depot) and discount (Fields) formats. With over 550 stores and nearly 70,000 associates located in every province in Canada, Hbc provides Canadians with stylish, quality merchandise at great value, through retail banners focused on exceptional customer service. Hbc is a Canadian retail leader in corporate social responsibility, and the fourth annual Hbc CSR report can be found at www.hbc.com.