University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Nearly 180 UB faculty and staff signed up for the UB’s Corporate Challenge team. Photo: STEVE MORSE

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  Corporate Challenge Helping the community while making few friends. | Watch the UB team in action

By CHARLOTTE HSU

Published: June 16, 2010

Joe Meyer, a career counselor, came flying into UB’s Corporate Challenge tent at Delaware Park–“like a hurricane,” someone joked–around 7 p.m. on Thursday. Wearing white sneakers and blue shorts, he had sweat streaming down his shaved head and a giant grin on his face.

Among university employees who ran, jogged and walked the 3.5-mile race for local charities, Meyer, a five-time Ironman triathlete, was first to finish. He completed the course in 19 minutes, 56 seconds, a personal best. Then, he pulled on a blue UB sweatshirt and went straight to the beer.

“I am from Buffalo,” he said, explaining his decision to pass on the Gatorade.

Meyer, however enthusiastic, was not UB’s official winner (he did not register for the race, as organizers request participants do). That honor went to Jim Price, an engineer for Facilities, Planning and Design, who clocked in at 21 minutes flat—20 seconds faster than last year. The university’s top female finisher was Melissa Tuite, coordinator of electronic communication for UB Athletics, with a time of 26 minutes, 56 seconds.

"I was just hoping to beat my time from last year, so to do that and have the top female time is very exciting," said Tuite, who has completed one marathon, seven half-marathons, and a number of shorter runs. This year’s Corporate Challenge, her third, was her best finish for the UB team.

Tuite and Price were among 178 UB staff and faculty members who signed up for the 2010 JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, which raised money for the Police Athletic League of Buffalo. The UB crew had one of the largest teams—and one of the largest tents—at the event, which drew more than 400 companies and 11,000-plus registrants.

Besides benefiting the community, Corporate Challenge presents an opportunity for colleagues to get to know one another outside work and make new friends. Before and after the competition, employees clustered around small tables or gathered in circles of folding chairs to chat, their laughter warming an overcast evening. Drinks on hand included sodas, red and purple sports drinks, and alcoholic beverages. The spread of food, a barbecue buffet, featured hot dogs and other meats and sides: potato chips, pasta salad, cookies, brownies and raw vegetables.

Attendees received a canvas tote and goodies including a squeeze ball, window sticker and black T-shirt with the UB logo and words “Reaching Others (And Passing You!)” in blue-and-white lettering on the back. The institution’s Corporate Challenge sponsors were the Division of Student Affairs; UB Green; the Office of Student Life; the Office of Alumni Relations; the Division of Athletics; University Human Resources; and CUBRC.

“It’s a great time to come down and see friends at UB that you really don’t get to see in a relaxed environment, people in other departments that you don’t get to see on a regular basis,” said Meyer, who seemed to know everyone and stopped to discuss fly fishing with head football Coach Jeff Quinn just minutes after returning from the race.

When someone yelled out that Meyer was “our No. 1,” Quinn quipped: “There was a strong breeze, I heard.”

Meyer, who has been a competitive runner and triathlete for about a decade, has taken part in the Corporate Challenge twice before—once with UB, which he joined in 2008 after working at Niagara University for several years , and once with Try-it Distributing, a former employer. Exercise helps him wind down after a stressful day, he said. Though he has done marathons, shorter courses are difficult, too, because he tackles them at a faster pace. Thursday was a good day for Meyer. He was excited to break 20 minutes, something he did not achieve in his two previous Corporate Challenge attempts.

Price, who began running in junior high school and now competes in races ranging from 5-kilometer benefits to marathons, has participated in Corporate Challenge for maybe 10 years (two of those with UB, which he joined in 2008).

“It’s a good party. There’s a whole bunch of people out from everywhere. It’s a social run, I guess you could call it,” said Price, who hung around, eating and talking with colleagues, until after staff began dismantling the UB tent. Even with his top time, the race, apparently, did not drain him. After partaking in festivities, Price, a resident of Amherst, jogged two miles to UB’s South Campus, where he had parked his car at the Townsend lot.

“It was a good night this year,” Price said. “It’d be nice to see the kind of attendance and kind of participation we had again next year.”

UB’s top Corporate Challenge finishers

Men:
Jim Price, 21:00
John Crane, 22:56
Mark Valites, 23:03
Women:
Melissa Tuite, 26:56
Kelly Dearing, 27:18
Amy Panczakiewicz, 29:17