Wings for Life World Run
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (May 2018) |
| Wings for Life World Run | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | Early May |
| Location | Multiple locations |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Various |
| Established | 2014 |
| Official site | www |
The Wings for Life World Run is a running competition held on the first weekend of May since 2014 to collect funds for the not-for-profit foundation Wings for Life. The entry fee goes completely to Spinal Cord Research. It became the largest running event in 2021 with 184,236 runners participating in one single event. In 2023, the Wings for Life World Run celebrated its 10th anniversary with a record-breaking 206,728 participants.
The Wings for Life World Run is peculiar in that participants don't have to run a specific distance like in comparable competitions. At the Wings for Life World Run, all participants start at the same time, worldwide. It doesn’t matter whether they are professional athletes, fun runners, total beginners or in a wheelchair. There is no traditional finish line. Instead, of the finish line, a "Catcher Car" pursues and passes the runners and rollers, one after the other either physically at one of the Flagship Runs or virtually with the app, will be caught. That makes it the only race worldwide where everyone finishes.
The run is broadcast live on the webpage wingsforlifeworldrun.com, on Red Bull TV as well as TV takers all over the world.
The Wings for Life Foundation[edit]
The not-for-profit foundation Wings for Life was established by the two-time motocross world champion Heinz Kinigadner and the Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2004.[1] Its goal is to find a cure for spinal cord injuries and paraplegia. Worldwide, millions of people depend on a wheelchair after sustaining a spinal cord injury, most often as the result of a traffic accident (50%) or fall (25%). Wings for Life is a not-for-profit spinal cord research foundation that supports cutting-edge research projects and clinical studies worldwide with a single mission: to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Since its inception, Wings for Life has supported 299 projects and counting, including 62 ongoing projects in 2023 alone. The question is not whether effective treatments and cures will be found, but when, and everyone who takes part in the Wings for Life World Run is helping to achieve that goal. So far, the run has raised 43.83 million euros.
The Wings for Life World Run[edit]
The first Wings for Life World Run started on May 4, 2014 to raise funds and at the same time rise attention on limitations and medical problems of paraplegia. Following the success of the first edition the race is now an annual event.
The Wings for Life World Run is the world ‘s largest simultaneous running event and the most inclusive one. Anyone can take part—whether you run, roll, jog, or walk - regardless of your fitness level. It is also the only event where people worldwide run at the exact same time - a synchronicity that is unmatched. This is achieved through a finish line that catches you, rather than requiring you to run towards it. And the best part of it all - it is the world‘s biggest fundraiser for spinal cord research.
The Motto of the race is: "Running for those who can’t."
"World" Run[edit]
The name Wings for Life World Run comes from the fact that the race takes place around the world at the same time - at 11am UTC. That means that runners in Europe or Africa run around noon while participants in Asia and Australia in the afternoon or evening. In the Americas the race is early in the morning or even during the night. Together with hundreds of thousands of people around the world, the starting signal sounds at exactly the same moment. Depending on your location, that moment could be day, night, or anytime in between, but you‘re all sharing the same spirit and sense of inclusion.
The "Catcher Car"[edit]
The Wings for Life World Run is outstanding because there is no prescribed distance to cover. People of all fitness levels succeed because there‘s no need to worry about reaching a finish line. You get a 30-minute head start. Then a so-called Catcher Car begins pursuit, slowly but surely getting closer all the time. It‘s a unique motivator, and whether you run, jog, roll in a wheelchair, or simply walk, when the Catcher Car finally passes you, you‘ve done it: you‘ve completed your race. The last remaining female and male runners worldwide are the Wings for Life World Run Global Champions.
The Catcher Cars are steered precisely using global satellite navigation hence a comparison between the different locations is nonetheless possible. The following table show how fast the car rides at what time after the start and how far it is at each speed change.
| Time after the start HH:MM | Speed | Equals the distance |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 to 00:30 | 0 km/h | 0 km |
| 00:30 to 01:00 | 14 km/h | 0 to 7 km |
| 01:00 to 01:30 | 15 km/h | 7 to 14.5 km |
| 01:30 to 02:00 | 16 km/h | 14.5 to 22.5 km |
| 02:00 to 02:30 | 17 km/h | 22.5 to 31 km |
| 02:30 to 03:00 | 18 km/h | 31 to 40 km |
| 03:00 to 03:30 | 22 km/h | 40 to 51 km |
| 03:30 to 04:00 | 26 km/h | 51 to 64 km |
| 04:00 to 04:30[note 1] | 30 km/h | 64 to 79 km |
| from 04:30 on[note 1] | 34 km/h | more than 79 km |
Results[edit]
| Year | Category | Distance | Winner | Nationality | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | W | 55.07 km | Kasia Szkoda | Polish | Poland |
| M | 69.01 km | Jo Fukuda | Japanese | Japan | |
| 2022 | W | 56.00 km | Nina Zarina | Russia | USA |
| M | 64.43 km | Jo Fukuda | Japanese | Japan | |
| 2021 | W | 60.16 km | Nina Zarina | Russian | USA |
| M | 66.85 km | Aron Anderson | Swedish | Sweden | |
| 2020 | W | 54.23 km | Nina Zarina | Russia | USA |
| M | 69.02 km | Michael Taylor | GBR | GBR |
References[edit]
- ^ KG, Kleine Zeitung GmbH & Co. "Charity-Lauf – Ketema wieder "Wings for Life World Run"-Sieger". Kleine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "Goal Calculator – Wings for Life World Run". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ Wings for Life World Run. "FAQs" (in German). Retrieved 2021-09-05.
