Victoria E. Freile

@vfreile

Rochester’s largest office party has a new address.

The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge will be moving from Henrietta to downtown Rochester, specifically centered around Frontier Field. The race will also be changing seasons, as the 2017 event will shift to mid-July, race organizers confirmed Monday.

Traditionally held in late May or early June, the 2017 road race will begin at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11, according to race series' communications spokesman Alan Tieuli.

The 2017 course has not yet been set, but the road race will wind through Rochester’s Center City with plans to start and end near Frontier Field, Tieuli said. The goal is also to keep the event a 3.5-mile road race, as that distance is unique to the Corporate Challenge race series.

For the second time in the event's history, a large location move was attributed to the race's rising popularity, Tieuli said.

The "Rochester Institute of Technology was wonderful," Tieuli said. "For 13 years it was great for us, but it was the right time for a change...We're really happy with how this played out."

For many companies, reserving prime hospitality spots for pre- and post-race gatherings is key. For many, the camaraderie of employees interacting at the event and networking with others is the largest draw.

But the layout of the campus was limiting. Tieuli recalled how hospitality spots designated for the region's largest companies were stationed in The Bowl, adjacent to the finish line. But add some rain and the grass is compromised. Heavy rain can turn The Bowl into a waterlogged basin, making those prime spots far less desirable.

"The ballpark is going to be hopping that night," said Dan Mason, general manager of the Rochester Red Wings. "I think having it come downtown will be appealing for participants."

Corporate Challenge and City of Rochester officials and Frontier Field staff are finalizing details for the race course and staging area in and around Frontier Field. Hospitality spots for companies will be located inside and outside the stadium, in the stands, luxury suites, picnic areas and the stadium's VIP parking lot. Concessions stands will also be open for the event.

No part of the race will take place on Frontier Field's playing surface, Mason said.

Tieuli said aspects of the plan, like the course and parking options, have not been finalized.

There are about 2,000 parking spaces in lots surrounding the stadium, Mason said. Outside the VIP lot, those lots are expected to be used for parking, Mason said. Numerous parking garages and off-street parking are also nearby. It was not yet known if there would be shuttles to the site as was the case for RIT in recent years.

Rochester's event started 26 years ago

Employees and companies come and go, the weather is sometimes fair, soggy or blistering, but the Rochester Corporate Challenge has remained an annual tradition for the region’s workforce since 1991. That year, 816 walkers and runners, representing 76 companies, gathered at Highland Park for a run.

Thirteen years later, the event’s growth forced a change in venue, moving the 3.5-mile race to the Rochester Institute of Technology campus in Henrietta in 2004.

In 2016, 10,236 participants from 402 local companies took part in RIT's final Corporate Challenge race. The largest Corporate Challenge crowd of 11,118 participants from 439 companies was in 2008.

The J.P Morgan Corporate Challenge series is in its 41st year., having launched in New York City in 1977. The Rochester race is one of seven U.S. events that’s part of the 13-city international series, Tieuli said.

With the race moving to mid-summer, Tieuli said he understands that the weather will likely be a bit warmer for the 27th running of the Rochester Corporate Challenge. The new date also falls in prime summer vacation season and may create conflicts for past participants.

Registration will open Tuesday at www.jpmorganchasecc.com. Entry for the road race is $36 per person. Companies with questions can contact Rochester@jpmorganchasecc.com or call (585) 295-8551.

VFREILE@Gannett.com