Wall Streeters ran for research this past weekend and raised more than $1 million dollars for charity.
Instead of jockeying for position in the order book, financial market professionals participated in the annual RBC Decathlon. Since 2008, the RBC Decathlon has joined athletics, the financial services industry, entertainment and charitable giving to raise millions annually for cancer research.
This year’s event brought in approximately $1.4 million dollars, according to Bloomberg. It was held Sunday at Columbia University’s Wien Stadium.
Mark Rubin, assistant vice president of options sales trading at Barclays, won the RBC Decathlon this year for men while Standard & Poor’s compliance officer Evelyn Konrad cinched the inaugural title for women. Rubin raised $10,538.17 for his efforts while Konrad’s sponsorship totaled $3,878.66.
The RBC Decathlon has three running events with distances of 40 yards, 400 meters and 800 meters. Contestants also participate in pull-ups, a football throw, an agility drill, rowing, vertical jump, bench press and dips-a triceps exercise using one’s own weight.
Partnering with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the RBC Decathlon raised more than $1,275,000 for pediatric cancer research in 2012. Since its inception, 100 percent of all donations go directly to cancer research.
Created in 2008, the RBC Decathlon has quickly gained national exposure and realized fundraising success through the introduction and implementation of CharityBets. This concept encourages competitors to perform their best as each rep, minute and second translate into thousands of dollars for cancer research.
