Runners and wheelchair users participated over the weekend in the 11th edition of the Wings for Life World Run, the largest and most inclusive running event on the planet, which set a new single-year record of 8,104,499 euros raised worldwide.
On Sunday, May 5, the UAE leg of the race saw more than 2,400 participants gather at Expo City Dubai under the motto “Run For Those Who Can’t”, with 100% of the signup fees, donations, fundraising campaigns, and global sponsorship income going to help fund spinal cord research projects.
The UAE race was held for the second time in a row in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, Expo City Dubai, Adidas, Emirates Hospitals, and Fitze. The run was made for everybody– first-timers, professional athletes, passionate amateurs, medal-winning Olympians, and charity ambassadors–and participants could run, roll, jog, or simply walk, with everyone in the UAE and around the world kicking off the race at the same moment, which was 3:00 pm local time.
The worldwide race featured the iconic virtual Catcher Car, which gave participants a 30-minute head start, ensuring that participants in the Wings for Life World Run experienced the thrill of completing the race differently. Rather than running toward a traditional finish line, participants were pursued by the finish line itself! Once the virtual Catcher Car on the Wings for Life app overtook a participant, their time in the race was up, marking the moment they could celebrate their contribution to the global movement. The last man and woman caught by the Catcher Car were crowned the Global Champions of the Wings for Life World Run 2024: this year, it was Japan’s Tomoya Watanabe, covering a distance of 70.09km, and Poland’s Dominika Stelmach, covering a distance of 55.02km. In the UAE, the male winner was last year’s as well, Dubai resident Anwer Matter from Egypt who ran 40km and the female winner was Australian Dubai resident Karis Brown who ran 24km.
Wings for Life CEO Anita Gerhardter said, “When people join forces, incredible things happen! 265,818 World Runners from around the globe walked, ran, rolled and raised over 8.1 million euros for spinal cord research. Together, we have the power to rewrite medical history and find a cure for spinal cord injury. A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone – World Runners, to the team and all volunteers and partners – who helped to create magic today. If you enjoyed the Wings for Life World Run as much as I did, I hope to see you at the start line again on May 4, 2025.”
The Wings for Life World Run has made a significant impact, raising over 43.8 million euros since its inception in 2014. With 1,293,716 registered participants covering 11,839,989 kilometers in over 195 countries across all seven continents, the event has become a global movement. In 2023, a record 206,728 participants took part, and the goal for 2024 is to surpass that benchmark.
The Wings for Life World Run is not just a race; it’s a global initiative with a singular mission – to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Every step or roll taken on this day contributes to spinal cord research, with 100% of entry fees going directly to the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation.
For more information about the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation, visit www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com.
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