Dubai “Runs for Those Who Can’t” in Wings For Life World Run
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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About the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation
Worldwide, millions of people are dependent on a wheelchair after having sustained a spinal cord injury, most often as the result of a traffic accident or a fall. Wings for Life is a not-for-profit spinal cord research foundation with the single mission to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Since 2004, Wings for Life has funded life-changing research projects and clinical trials around the globe. While a cure is still to be found, steady progress has been made. Every step taken at the Wings for Life World Run is a step in the right direction, because 100% of entry fees and donations goes to spinal cord injury research: www.wingsforlife.com.
About the Wings for Life World Run
Once a year, the Wings for Life World Run takes place around the globe. All participants start at the same time worldwide and run either individually with the Wings for Life World Run App or together in several Flagship Runs. The best part is that any form of the run is all about being there. It doesn’t matter how well, fast or far you run, whether you’re a professional athlete, a hobby runner or an absolute beginner. It is all about having fun while running. For this reason there is no traditional finish line. Instead, 30 minutes after the start, either a virtual or – in the case of the Flagship Runs – a real Catcher Car picks up the chase and overtakes one runner after another. Results aren’t measured in time, but in distance achieved. Best of all: 100% of entry fees and donations goes directly to spinal cord research.
