Fifth Third River Bank Run officials announced Thursday the launch of the Priority Health Corporate Challenge, a competition designed to generate additional race excitement among local businesses and their employees, and help West Michigan businesses engage their employees in their health through participation in one of the area’s premier running events.

“Over the years we've heard from a variety of businesses looking for ways to encourage healthy lifestyles among employees, so we began to explore the idea of a friendly competition on the corporate level,” John Zimmerman, Fifth Third River Bank Run race director said in a statement. “We saw Priority Health as an ideal partner, since its mission is to support companies in their effort to improve the health of their employees.”

Participating companies will compete within one of three categories based on company size: small (1-25 employees), medium (26-100 employees) and large (101+ employees). The corporate team in each category to have the highest level of participation – the percentage of employee participants based on the total amount of employees at the organization – will be awarded the Priority Health Corporate Challenge trophy at Calder Plaza on race day.

To participate, organizations should identify a team captain and sign up at www.53riverbankrun.com. The team captain will receive a launch kit with key information such as employee communications, activation and training tips and a unique link to share with employees. Employees may sign up for any Fifth Third River Bank Run event, including the 5K walk, 5K run, 10K and 25K at a discounted rate. Additionally, Corporate Challenge participants will receive a number of race-day perks, including access to the VIP area, free swag and wellness resources.

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