Sunday, May 8 starts At 1pm CET, thousands of runners and people in wheelchairs start running for a good cause at the Wings for Life World Run. All revenues go to spinal cord research.

With this contribution Datasport supports the Wings for Life World Run

At the Wings for Life World Run, runners and people in wheelchairs unite at the exact same time, in different places, all around the world. Some facts and figures: in 2021, 184,000 people of 195 nationalities participated digitally in 151 countries. Either at one of the running events or with the app, they all pursued the same goal: help find a cure for spinal cord injury. Everybody participates at its own speed, from amateurs to pros, from absolute beginners to experienced runners, afoot or in a wheelchair. 

Zug, Switzerland’s running hub

Along with the App Run, there are 8 Flagship Runs planned all around the world. The city of Zug has the honour to be one of the host cities. Those who cannot make it to Zug, can participate via the running app, especially created for this event. There are a few weeks left to get ready for the run – but it actually doesn’t matter, if you run 50 or 5 kilometres. 

A somehow different race format

The Wings for Life World Run is a truly unique race where the goal is not to reach the finish line as fast as possible, but to stay in the race as long as possible. As there is no finish line, but a so-called Catcher Car. The latter takes off 30 minutes after the start, and steadily increases its speed until it has outrun all the participants. Those who have been “caught” by the Catcher Car are out of the race. Those who remain in the race the longest are crowned national or even international winner.

More info about the Wings for Life World Run on May 8 (Photo Credit: Phil Gale / Red Bull Content Pool)

In Zug or with the App – alone or as a team

Those who want to be part of a global movement and do good, can either participate in the Flagship Run in Zug or independently via App Run. Those who want to run with other people, can either pull a team together, and motivate friends to participate, too, or join an existing team. Marco Odermatt, Judith Wyder and Manuela Schär will also be in Zug with their teams. There will surely be more athletes present and they will all be at the starting line with you and run by your side for those who can’t.

The first steps are made – and there are many more to come!

One of the beneficiaries of the research programs funded by Wings for Life is David Mzee from Zurich, who has been in a wheelchair since 2010. At the 2019 Wings for Life World Run in Zug, which coincidentally also was the last run held in real life, he walked a few hundred meters without any help. This year, too, he has planned to break a new record. Since its establishment, the Wings for Life Foundation has supported 239 research programmes worldwide that all aim to find a cure for spinal cord injury.

More info about the Wings for Life World Run on May 8

Click here to register