Citizens to Celebrate the Spirit of the Marathon “Live from the Cheer Zone”

Host Rachel Dratch and Michael Rainey Jr. will engage directly with spectators in a social media livestream along Mile 12 in Brooklyn

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To celebrate the spectators and supporters who make the TCS New York City Marathon one of the best days in New York, Citizens will produce a first-of-its-kind Instagram Live from the Citizens Cheer Zone along mile 12 in Greenpoint. The livestream hosted by Rachel Dratch with actor Michael Rainey Jr. as Chief Cheer Zone Correspondent will capture the energy and essence of the New Yorkers at the cheer zone.

The show will be live on Citizens Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn channels between 11:30 am - 12:30 pm.

“The New York City Marathon is one of the world’s great iconic events," said Beth Johnson, Vice Chair Chief Experience Officer at Citizens. “Citizens is proud to be a part of it and cheer on the runners, but also eager to turn the camera on the supporters on the sideline who help create the amazing celebratory experience that brings us all together.”

This year, Citizens became the official bank of the New York Road Runners (NYRR), the world’s premiere community running organization, and a foundation sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. To kick off this five-year partnership, Citizens seeks to celebrate the spectators who attend the marathon, the communities and neighborhoods that gather to cheer and show support for friends, loved ones, and even total strangers. The people who brave early mornings, cold weather, and crowds to spur runners on with their own exuberance represent the best of New York City.

Leading up to the marathon, Citizens has been interacting with runners and their family and friends through a high impact, truly immersive digital experience at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo at the Javits Convention Center that will illuminate its commitment to New York. Also, in the week leading up to the marathon Citizens hosted several unique client hospitality experiences including a panel discussion on how running a business is like running a marathon and how the community can band together to continue supporting and uplifting small businesses.

On Marathon Day, Citizens colleagues will be running the race as part of Team Citizens, and nearly 250 Citizens volunteers and community partners will be staffing a fluid station and assisting along the race route. Customers carrying their Citizens debit cards will have unique access to a VIP viewing area atop a branded Citizens double-decker bus on McGuinness Blvd in front of the BP station at Mile 12.

Citizens entered the New York City metro market in 2022, through the acquisition of HSBC’s east coast branches and New Jersey-based Investors Bank. With more than 200 branches in greater New York City, Long Island, and throughout New Jersey, the bank is committed to helping the neighborhoods it serves thrive.

In 2022, Citizens became the Official Bank of the New York Giants, New Jersey Devils, and Prudential Center, and over the past year and half has built partnerships with several community organizations across the city to advocate for and support small business growth and workforce development.

In May, Citizens partnered with Education Design Lab to expand its Community College Growth Engine to benefit four CUNY Community Colleges – LaGuardia, Borough of Manhattan, Kingsborough and Queensborough; sponsored the Queens Night Market and the Chinatown Night Market throughout the summer; in August expanded its partnership with Pursuit to transition their tech training program from virtual to hybrid; and partnered with the New York Restoration Project to host Backpacks and Blockbusters, a free movie and school supply giveaway series throughout New York City from August through November.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $225.3 billion in assets as of September 30, 2023. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,400 ATMs and more than 1,100 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.