Running
Wings for Life World Run: Join the race where the finish line catches you!
Dust off your trainers and mark your calendar for May 5 – the Wings for Life World Run is back where you can get involved with the global charity event for spinal cord injury research.
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The 2024 edition of the Wings for Life World Run, the global charity event that raises funds to aid research in the race to find a cure for spinal cord injury, is scheduled for Sunday, May 5.
Here's all the need-to-know info about the event that's all about 'running for those who can't' and why you can look forward to lacing up your running shoes and taking part.
Join the hundreds of thousands who've been chased by the Catcher Car
© Nuri Yilmazer for Wings for Life World Run
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You'll be supporting a good cause
When you step out in the Wings for Life World Run, you step up for others, because 100 percent of all entry fees goes directly to the Wings for Life not-for-profit foundation, whose mission is to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
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There's nothing else like it
The run has a unique format featuring a mobile finish line called the Catcher Car. You start at the same time as all the other participants – 11am UTC (1pm in Berlin, 8pm in Tokyo and 7am in New York) and then, 30 minutes later, a Catcher Car starts its pursuit. When it passes you, you've completed your race and the very last person to be caught is the global winner. The 2020 champion, British runner Michael Taylor, managed 69.92km, and in 2021 Sweden's Aron Anderson claimed the overall honor for the third time when he pushed his everyday wheelchair to 66.8km.
Whether it's 12pm or 12am, thousands of runners around the world take part
© Hugo Yang for Wings for Life World Run
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The Wings for Life World Run app is ready to race
With live tracking and a Virtual Catcher Car, the Wings for Life World Run app makes it possible to participate wherever you are come race day on May 5. Its social media functions will keep you connected and an exciting Audio Experience is there to inform, entertain and motivate in real time.
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Flagship Runs are part of the plan, too
In addition to App Runs, there are shoulder-to-shoulder Flagship Runs taking part in seven places around the world in 2024. And here's a heads up: register soon, because they tend to sell out.
Flagship Runs are back
© Kin Marcin for Wings for Life World Run
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You can be sure you'll finish this race
Thanks to the Catcher Car format, where the finish line comes to you, you can choose your own distance goal, whether you're running, rolling in a wheelchair, jogging or walking. There's even a Wings for Life World Run Goal Calculator to show you the pace you'll need in order to reach your target distance. Lots of participants have said that the Catcher Car actually spurred them to a new personal best.
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It's just plain fun for everyone
World-class athletes. Beginners. 18-year-olds. Octogenarians. Everyone in between. The global starting roster in the Wings for Life World Run is as colorful as you can get, dotted with costumes, teams in matching outfits and – depending on the location – sunglasses, headlamps, rain gear, sweatbands, the occasional mitten and lots of smiles. Rallying around a good cause makes it a snark-free, high-energy day, shared by thousands all at once.
Get involved, you'll love it
© Mahmut Cinci for Wings for Life World Run
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Here's your chance to be part of something truly global
Not only will you be running at the same time as everyone around the world, but you'll also be adding to a legacy that's been building since the first event in 2014. In 2021 alone, 184,236 runners and wheelchair users from 195 nations took part in the Wings for Life World Run, making it the largest-ever running event in history. There's no stopping this movement until a cure for spinal cord injuries is found.
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The Wings for Life World Run 2024 is scheduled for Sunday, May 5. Registration and more information are available at the Wings for Life World Run website.
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