The World’s Largest Run for Those Who Can’t
Spinal Cord cure research gets a shot in the arm by people using their legs.
May 5th/6th, 2024: Some people run for office or for medals. Other’s run for an even greater cause – like to fund research toward a cure for spinal cord injury. These were the participants of the 11th edition of the Wings for Life World Run. By running, jogging, walking or rolling in wheelchairs, those who took part in the global event accounted for a total of 261,818. The event took place simultaneously across 169 countries and included 192 nationalities - truly making it a worldwide phenomenon.
These huge numbers broke several world records including the amount of charity money generated. Indeed, the funds that this high profile run amassed were as much as 8,104,499 USD. Those who took part in the fund-raiser had to follow a virtual “Catcher Car” app (on the cell phones), or an actual vehicle, covering an average distance of 11.5 km in the process. The total mileage by all participants together was estimated to encompass the globe a whopping 50 times. How’s that for making the world go round!
It looks like extreme weather conditions couldn’t deter the participants from taking to the streets. Indeed, ranging from the sweltering 41 degree celcius of Lucknow, India to a bone-chilling 5 degrees celcius in Montreal, Canada, the atmosphere was one of sheer defiance. The sunniest of skies were witness to the unfolding of the run in San Francisco, USA, Cape Town, South Africa and Zadar, Croatia.
Among the sports celebrities who joined in were Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas and English cricketer Ben Stokes. They certainly did their bit for the quarter-to-half-a-million people who suffer from spinal injuries every year. Even lay runners showed quite some “backbone” during the event. These participants from different walks of life gladly took the pain and discomfort... in their stride.
