British runners take off at the 2024 Wings for Life World Run
Whether it’s a 5K or a marathon, when you take part in a race you have a big goal in mind: to complete the distance and cross that finish line. But things are a little different for the annual Wings for Life World Run, the world’s largest running event which celebrated its 2024 edition on Sunday 5 May.
At the Wings for Life World Run, participants don’t head toward a static finish line – instead, they race away from a moving one. This mobile finish line is represented by a virtual ‘Catcher Car’, which gets going 30 minutes after participants set off to give them a comfortable head start. The Catcher Car then keeps going until, as the name suggests, it ‘catches up’ with each participant, at which point their race is complete. The last man and woman to be caught are named the global champions.
Every year, runners, joggers, walkers and wheelchair users from around the world start the Wings for Life World Run at the same time – 11:00am UTC, which is midday in the UK – in a bid to out-move the virtual Catcher Car together.
Who won the 2024 Wings for Life World Run?
On Sunday, 265,827 people spanning 192 nationalities and 158 countries took part in the 2024 Wings for Life World Run, with 3,760 people taking part in the UK alone.
Anna Morris and Alex Milne were crowned the UK winners of this year’s event, having covered 44.7km and 62.6km respectively before being caught by the virtual ‘Catcher Car’, which was voiced by World Ironman Champion Lucy Charles-Barclay. Taking part at an in-person event in Battersea Park, London, Milne and Morris were well into ultramarathon territory by the time they finished the event as the final two participants standing.
Morris, 20, from the University of Bath, was thrilled to be involved in the event. Reflecting on her achievement, she said: ‘This was such an amazing experience! The atmosphere was brilliant and the temperature was exactly how it needed to be. I came to run with my friends from university, hoping to cover a half marathon distance, but ended up running my first ever marathon distance and more!’
Milne, 34, from London, was equally pleased with his performance. ‘I’ve been meaning to do the Wings for Life World Run for a long time, so I’m pleased to have taken part this year and competed against runners from across the world,’ he said. ‘It was a unique but tough experience.’
Meanwhile, Dominka Stelmach of Poland, who ran 55km, and Tomoya Watanabe of Japan, who covered 70.09km, were announced the global champions of the 2024 Wings for Life World Run.
Where does the Wings for Life Run take place?
Every year, the Wings for Life World Run sees thousands of participants from multiple countries take on the Chaser Car in a location near them.
People can enter either the virtual event – which you can complete wherever you wish, using the Wings for Life World Run app – or one of several in-person events around the world. London, Manchester, Cardiff, Durham and Bristol are among the many locations that hosted an in-person event in the UK this year. At some events in Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and the Netherlands, participants even had the chance to be chased by a physical Catcher Car, where a celebrity driver took to the wheel.
Some people may cover 5K before the Catcher Car reaches them, while seasoned runners may make it to 40 miles or more – either way, no matter what your target distance or ability, the moving finish line means you will successfully finish your race. You can estimate how far you might make it before the car gets you here.
What’s the history of the Wings for Life World Run?
The annual event is the primary fundraiser for the not-for-profit Wings for Life Foundation, which funds cutting-edge studies to help find a cure for spinal cord injury. As such, when you enter the Wings for Life World Run, 100% of your entry fee and any additional donation goes directly to spinal cord research.
Since its first edition in 2014, the Wings for Life World Run has raised around €51.93 million for charity, with more than 1.5 million participants across all seven continents taking part in a virtual or in-person challenge. In 2024 alone, the event has raised a record €8,104,499.15 for the Wings for Life Foundation.
‘We’re thrilled that this is the largest running event in the world,’ says Colin Jackson, former World Champion in the 110m hurdles and the event’s International Sports Director. ‘We’re extremely proud of our participants, because each new registration brings real hope to everyone affected by spinal cord injury.’
The 2025 Wings for Life World Run will take place on Sunday 4 May – you can enter the event here.
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