Registration for the Wings for Life World Run will close on Wednesday, 4th May 2016. The Irish race will return to
Dún Laoghaire on Sunday, 8th May, when thousands of Irish runners will join over 100,000 people from 34 locations in the largest world run of its kind.
Registrations open at www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com
Those confirmed to join the Irish start line at 12pm on 8th May include Michael Conlan (World boxing champion), Felix Jones (former Munster and Irish rugby player), Roz Purcell (Model & Nutritionist), Eoghan McDermott (RTÉ 2fm Presenter), Bernard Brogan (Dublin GAA), Joe Canning (Galway GAA), Ashling Thompson (Cork GAA) and Mark Pollock (Wings for Life Amassador)
What makes the Wings for Life World Run unique is that the finish line catches you. Thirty minutes after the runners start, the Volkswagen Catcher Car will begin to follow all runners. The Catcher Car starts off first, but increasing its speed at specific intervals, the Volkswagen Catcher Car is the moving finish line. The winner of the World Run will be deemed the last person to be caught by the car, both in Ireland and globally.
Registration is only €30 at WingsForLifeWorldRun.Com. All of the €30 entry fee goes directly to spinal cord injury research. Registration closes next Wednesday, 4th may
On 8 May 2016 runners of all abilities, will come together in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin to run the Irish race of the Wings for Life World Run. Starting on the seafront in Dún Laoghaire, Irish participants will run south towards Bray and Greystones, enjoying the beautiful coastal views and scenic landscape of the East Coast. The 2015 Irish Race winners were David Sheehy and Orna Dillworth who ran 52.1km and 39.2km respectively. For this year, the Irish Race will feature the 2015 California and Dubai winners, Shannon Rahlves who ran 37.01km and Sami Al Saidi who ran 44.92km.
The Wings for Life World Run was launched in 2014 to raise funds for the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation. Pioneering the concept of a synchronised race where participants across the world run simultaneously, the event introduced the Volkswagen Catcher Car format, in which a celebrity-driven vehicle gives the runners a head start, chasing the field at a predetermined pace. While the individual man and woman last to be caught are declared Global Champions, all the participants have their own personal goals and motivations, which are as varied and unique as the runners themselves.
One-hundred percent of all entry fees and donations contributed by the Wings for Life World Run participants, and by the friends and families who support them to maximise their financial impact, goes to spinal cord research projects to help find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
The 2015 event saw 101,280 participants in 33 countries across 12 time zones raising 4.2 million euros for Wings for Life’s single goal. Japan’s Yuuko Watanabe was crowned 2015 Wings for Life World Run Female Global Champion with 56.33km, while Lemawork Ketema of Ethiopia repeated as men’s Global Champion in running to a distance of 79.9km. As it will be in 2016, the entire event was followed by viewers across the globe, thanks to an enthralling live-stream experience, which shares the effort, elation and emotion of the runners.
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