Have you heard about the race where the finish line catches you? Where everyone is a finisher, no matter how far they run? Wings for Life World Run returns for an eighth glorious year this Sunday (9 May) at 11:00am UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and you can enter right up to half an hour before the start!

This means you have until 11:30am on Sunday (British Summer Time is one hour ahead of UTC) to secure your entry for the App Run at a cost of £18, with 100% of all donations and entry fees going to spinal cord research. 

Former sprint hurdles world record holder Colin Jackson is among the athlete ambassadors for this year's virtual only run that will feature a world record itself, with 120,000 runners from over 134 nations participating. Jackson highlighted the need for togetherness when he said: “I think there is a great longing for shared experiences. People need a sense of togetherness again. Wings for Life World Run is a perfect event where we still all run together, despite being apart, and make a real difference”. 

The unique race format makes it possible for runners and wheelchair users with completely different levels of training, fitness and goals to tackle the course together. The virtual run and participants from all around the world will start at exactly the same time. Then, 30 minutes later, the virtual Catcher Car, a rolling finish line, begins moving and gradually picks up speed as it catches and then passes participants one at a time until the winners are determined.

The Wings for Life World Run App includes your running tracker, pace calculator, an audio experience and running music to keep you motivated as you try to stay ahead of the virtual Catcher Car with it's digital celebrity driver.

Anita Gerhardter, CEO Wings for Life, said: I'm overwhelmed by the worldwide response. Knowing that thousands and thousands of people will be on the starting line together on Sunday for our foundation is a feeling that's hard to put into words. It's honestly giving me goosebumps. We have a major goal. We want to cure spinal cord injury. It makes me incredibly proud that so many people support us in this endeavour”.    

If you would like to become one of the 700,000 runners who have covered seven million kilometres and raised nearly 30million euros to date, go to the Wings for Life World Run website

Image: Courtesy Wings for Life World Run web news