The world moved closer together today and ran, walked and rolled united hand-in-hand for the good cause: 161,892 participants from 192 nations at runs in 165 countries all around the globe were part of the ninth annual edition of the Wings for Life World Run. The runners and wheelchair users raised a total of 4.7 million euros for spinal cord research through their entry fees and donations. Jo Fukuda (JPN, 64.43 kilometers, Fukuoka/JPN) and Nina Zarina (RUS, 56.00 kilometers, Santa Monica/USA) were the respective men’s and women’s winners of the 2022 event.
“Whenever a lot of people join forces, great things happen,” said Anita Gerhardter, CEO of Wings for Life. “I’m deeply grateful that so many people went out running for our cause today. Over the past years, we’ve already made big steps towards finding a cure for spinal cord injury. And thanks to today’s participants, we can continue to fund brilliant scientists on their journey.”
The ninth edition of the Wings for Life World Run saw thousands of enthusiastic participants joining all around the world individually with the App or in organized groups at 217 App Run Events, where the participants ran together before being chased down by the Virtual Catcher Car.
“Seeing my friend Eliud Kipchoge make the world a better place through his run, it inspired me to also want to do the same through me running as well,” said Fukuda, referring to the Kenyan marathon champion’s charity work. “This year I wanted to challenge myself and win first place, so I am very happy,” added Fukuda.
“I am very happy to have won in Santa Monica today,” said Nina Zarina, who ran individually with the App today and won the Wings for Life World Run for the fourth straight time. “It’s hard to run 55 kilometers alone, however I am very happy to be with all runners together finally again.”
Sun in Cairo, rain in New York, hail in Croatia and snow in Sweden: The conditions for the runners could hardly have been more diverse at the Wings for Life World Run. The hottest temperature recorded for the runners was in Jaipur, India (42 C/108 F) and the coldest in Nuussuag, Greenland (-8 C/18 F), according to the official race weather forecaster, UBIMET. The same great diversity applied across the local times. The worldwide field of participants started off at exactly 11 a.m. UTC. At some locations, such as Auckland, New Zealand, it was a nighttime run, while in other locations like Los Angeles and Mexico City, it was an early morning run. It was a midday race throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The beauty of the world’s largest running event was that no matter where the runners were and what their personal goals were, they were all part of something big and special.
Since 2014, a grand total of 1,086,988 participants have taken part in the global charity run. The one-millionth participant signed up just this year and ran at the Flagship Run in Zug (SUI), where he proudly carried his ceremonial golden start number. A total of 10,266,768 kilometers have been covered since the first event and, most importantly, a total of 38 million euros have been raised. 100% of all entry fees and donations goes directly to spinal cord research and help to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
The Wings for Life foundation supports promising research projects like a clinical study from Switzerland called Stimulation Movement Overground (STIMO), which has been supported since the beginning. It enabled two paralyzed men – Switzerland’s David Mzee and Italy’s Michel Roccati – to participate in the Wings for Life World Run under their own power, without a wheelchair.
Another groundbreaking example is a clinical study in the US called RESET which has been funded with $7 million. Its aim is to induce damaged nerves to regrow and reconnect in patients who suffer from long-term spinal cord injury.
Next year’s Wings for Life World Run will be a special edition. The 10th anniversary will take place on May 7, 2023, and registration for this landmark run is already open. Many participants registered immediately, right after today’s race.