In a remarkable global race with 35 locations across six continents, the world will run simultaneously on May 3, 2015. As the only race with no set finish line, runners will attempt to stay ahead of pursuing ‘catcher cars’ driven to chase and overpass them. Produced by Red Bull in partnership with the Wings for Life Foundation, this innovative worldwide race with a “moving finish line” was first held in May to benefit spinal cord injury research – with the goal to find a cure – and raised more than $4.1 million in its inaugural year. As the third largest city in Los Angeles County, Santa Clarita is the only west coast city in the U.S. participating in this 2015 global event.
“We are very proud of our association with the Wings for Life World Run and thrilled to return as a host city,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste. “The excitement and energy associated with the race is truly unique and something everyone should experience.”
Races will start in the early morning at three locations across North America: Santa Clarita, at 4 a.m. PT; Sunrise, Fla. at 7 a.m. ET; and Niagara Falls, Ontario at 7 a.m. ET. Worldwide, there are six new tracks confirmed in Japan, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Canada, and a second track in Germany in the world’s only global race with a synchronized starting line. For a complete list of locations, to register to run and watch the year one highlights, go to www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com.
In May, more than 35,000 participants of all abilities ran at the same time on six continents—in 34 locations—in 13 time zones. The average distance ran was 9.3 miles, making this accessible to more people than the traditional half-or-full marathon. Each participant set their personal goals—whether it was two miles or 60—and every runner was guaranteed to finish because the catcher car eventually overpasses everyone.
In the end, the global champions—the last male and female running—were Lemawork Ketema in Austria and Elise Molvik in Norway, who ran for 48.82 miles and 34.04 miles, respectively, before being overtaken by the ‘Catcher Car.’ In Santa Clarita, Calum Neff (36.36 miles) was both the last local male runner as well as the male U.S. winner and Jeannie Rutherford (22.15 miles) was the last local female runner before being passed by the catcher car. The Santa Clarita champions won the opportunity to run at the location of their choice in 2015; Neff chose to run in Turkey, and Rutherford chose to run in Belguim.
“This past May, I ran in Santa Clarita, but I raced around the world. What an awesome concept of racing in my hometown, but against participants in 34 other locations, in 32 other countries, with the finish line moving!” said Rutherford. “Running for those who can’t makes you get up and move, and keeps you moving until that car catches you! I was inspired by the people I met and their stories of staying positive and looking for their own finish line.”
The Catcher Car
Starting more than 35,000 participants at exactly the same time—day or night—worldwide, is one challenge. But the Wings for Life World Run goes one step further and changes the face of racing altogether: 30 minutes after the runners take off, the ‘catcher car’ will begin to follow them. Driving slowly first, but increasing its speed gradually, the catcher car is the moving finish line. Equipped with electronic sensors, the catcher car will pass the runners, registering their digital chips on its way to the leaders. The last male and female to be caught worldwide are the global champions.
Running For Those Who Can’t
The Wings for Life World Run was introduced to support the not-for-profit Wings for Life foundation, which funds spinal cord research projects all over the world. One-hundred percent of the registration fees and sponsorship dollars from the World Run go directly to the Wings for Life Foundation to fund research to cure spinal cord injury. Millions of people around the world are living with a spinal cord injury. Every year, at least 250,000 more sustain a traumatic spinal cord injury, with the majority coming from traffic accidents, tragic falls and slips.
