By David Markham
In just about six months, thousands of Kansas City area employees will take part in the 2025 Kansas City Corporate Challenge and its mission of promoting health, wellness, and camaraderie.
Whether you’ve never heard of this long-standing JCPRD program or have participated in the games every year since 1980, you and the company you work for can be part of the upcoming season, which is designed to bring participants together with physical endeavors which challenge their bodies and minds through corporate competition.
“We continue to be the oldest and largest corporate Olympics in the country,” said KCCC Executive Director Chad Tower. “As we head into our 46th season in 2025, we are lucky enough to have many great KC metro area companies take pride in making KCCC the best in the country because without them we could not do what we do.”
In 2024, KCCC had over 21,000 participants from about 170 companies signed up. Officials estimate more than 550,000 individuals and approximately 700 different companies have taken part in KCCC since the program started.
Registrations for the new season begin Nov. 1, and the 2025 games are scheduled to run from April 5 through June 28. Registrations will continue until all team slots are full, which typically takes place in early January. For registration details, go to kccorporatechallenge.com or call the KCCC office at 913-831-2222.
In all, the KCCC games involve 32 different events including: 5K, 10K, adventure race, archery, basketball, bike race, bowling, cornhole, darts, disc golf, fishing, flag football, golf, half marathon, horseshoes, kickball, long jump, pickleball, pool, shot put, soccer, softball, swim meet, table tennis, tennis, track meet, trap shooting, tug-of-war, volleyball, walking, and weightlifting.
“Participants and companies get many things out of participating in KCCC,” Tower explained. “Individually, you can get medals if you are in the top three of whatever event you participate in. As a company, if you are in the top eight, you get recognized at our end-of-the-year awards celebration, and bragging rights for a year. The most important part of KCCC for all the participants and companies that compete is better health and wellness options and team building opportunities within each company. We have so many stories of people meeting people from their own company on the ballfield or at an event that they have never met before and start a work relationship at KCCC. If your company is competitive, likes to hang out with each other, and likes meeting new people, the Kansas City Corporate Challenge is what you are looking for.”
KCCC’s presenting sponsor for 2025 is again PNC Bank.
“They help us in so many ways, they enhance the participants experience with everything that they provide,” Tower said.
KCCC participation also benefits the program’s charity, Cornerstones of Care, and its Build Trybe Program, which is a mentorship community designed to build health, independence, and empowerment skills among youth throughout the Kansas City Metro Area. Proceeds from concessions at various KCCC events also benefit Cornerstones of Care.
