Wings for Life World Run 2024, the charge of 265 thousand around the world

Wings for Life World Run 2024, the charge of 265 thousand around the world

Solidarity won again in the eleventh edition of the Wings for Life World Run. At the largest running charity event in the world, in which over 265 thousand people signed up to run for those who cannot, more than 8 million euros were raised, which will be entirely donated to scientific research to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.

At 1.00 pm (Italian) the simultaneous world race began. In Italy, where the races were run via the dedicated App, the main event took place at the MIND Milano Innovation District, transforming the site into an epicenter of energy, commitment and solidarity. Several sports champions have given their contribution to this noble cause: the basketball legend Gigi Datome (representing EA7 Emporio Armani Olimpia Milano), the biathlon champion Dorothea Wierer, the pilots Tony Arbolino and Filippo Farioli, the player Kurolily and the special guests Giulia Lamarca, Leonardo Lotto and Michel Roccati, whose personal stories underline the purpose of this initiative.

169 nations, 192 nationalities competing, 7 Flagship Runs and 345 App Runs: these are the spectacular numbers of the eleventh edition of the Wings for Life World Run, which among the participants from all over the world was able to count on the support of great sports champions such as Neymar Jr, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Lindsey Vonn and Marc Márquez.

“I am very happy to be here today and make my contribution. The Wings for Life World Run is a unique event, a day of celebration in which to play sports, have fun and be together and at the same time do good” says Gigi Datome, ambassador and Italian voice of the Virtual Catcher Car of the Wings for Life World Run 2024. Adds Giulia Lamarca, ambassador and motivating voice of the runners: “Today I am here with my family and it is wonderful to know that with us there are hundreds of thousands of people around the world, united by one important goal: finding a cure for spinal injuries.”

The last runners to be caught by the Catcher Car – the moving finish line which starts 30 minutes after the start of the race and eliminates the participants once they reach them – they were the Japanese Tomoya Watanabe, first man in the world over 70km in the competition, and the Polish Dominika Stelmach, who thus won her second Wings for Life World Run. The two world winners covered 70.09 km (absolute record of the event) and 55.02 km respectively.

Many participants took part in the various App Runs today organized throughout Italy: over 4 thousand people ran, walked or participated in wheelchairs to raise funds for research.

Among these is ambassador Michel Roccati, who has returned to walking after a spinal cord injury complete thanks to an experimental study supported by the Wings for Life Foundation, whose story fully represents how this race and its proceeds concretely change the lives of people affected by spinal injury: “It was exciting to participate in the Wings for Life World Run here in Italy. Seeing so many people running for this same purpose is a result that fills me with satisfaction and also hope. Scientific research is making enormous progress thanks to the support of this event.”

Some data

– Overall, 265,818 people, divided into 145,547 men and 120,271 women, took part in the 2024 edition of the Wings for Life World Run. 1,559,534 are the total people involved in previous editions.

– 11.5 km traveled on average each by over 265 thousand participants globally, for a total distance equivalent to approximately 50 times the circumference of the globe.

– Since the first edition in 2014, more than 1 and a half million participants in the Wings for Life World Run have raised a total of 51.93 million euros: all completely donated to scientific research to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. So far, 299 research projects and clinical studies have been funded, all chosen through a careful selection procedure.

– 7000 volunteers involved. The oldest participant was Frieda Feller, born in 1937.

– The hottest route was Lucknow (India) with 41°C, while the coldest was Quebec (Canada) with 5°C.

– 35,397 runners took part in the first Wings for Life World Run.

The 12th edition of the Wings for Life World Run will take place on May 4, 2025. Registrations to run with the App are already open, while registrations to run in specific App Run Events and Flagship Runs will open on November 6, 2024.