| The 3.5 mile Central Park charity race begins |
If only hedge funds could race as far ahead of the markets. While the average manager is underperforming key financial indexes this year, runners from D.E. Shaw, Blue Ridge Capital, Saba Capital Management and Highbridge Capital Management sped past nearly all 15,000 entrants at the 36th annual JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge road race in New York City last night.
David Sorensen, an operations staffer at quant firm D.E. Shaw and two-time NCAA Division III All-American in steeplechase, placed fifth overall by finishing the hilly 3.5 mile Central Park course in 17 minutes and 48 seconds. That wasn’t far behind winner Gian-Paul Caccia of Wolverine Execution Services, who finished in a blazing 17:13, according to the posted race results.
Brian Mongeon of Saba placed 19th, finishing in 18:51. Bryan Dougherty and Stefano Piana-Agostinetti, also of D.E. Shaw, placed 27th (19:10) and 32nd (19:17), respectively. Ryan Korby of Third Avenue Management was 36th (19:20), Jeffrey Fier of Garrison Investment Group was 76th (20:25) and Kevin Dibble of Davidson Kempner Capital Management was 87th (20:36).
Among women, the fastest hedge employee was Bridget McKenna, an assistant vice president at fund of funds Aetos Capital and former standout on the Providence College swim team. She placed fifth overall with a time of 21 minutes and 17 seconds, according to organizers. She wasn’t far behind women’s winner Denise Mazzeo of hedge fund and private equity law firm Seward & Kissel, who finished in 19:57.
Next were Katie Kuga Wenner of Blue Ridge (43rd at 23:43), Claire Tafelski of Davidson Kempner (60th at 24:26), Monica Ceragioli of D.E. Shaw (79th at 24:44), Christine Mantilila of Highbridge (88th at 24:54), and Kristine Baker of Millennium Partners (97th at 25:11).
Other hedge fund runners—usually clad in branded high-end athletic gear—included staffers from York York Capital Management, Two Sigma Investments, Omega Advisors and Tiger Management.
The sold-out event benefits the Central Park Conservancy, the organization that restores, manages and enhances Manhattan’s largest green space. Similar JPMorgan-sponsored races are held in 13 cities, including Chicago, Johannesburg and London.