Everything You Need To Know About WFL World Run

26th April 2019

The Wings for Life World Run is a global running event, where tens of thousands run on May 5, 2019 -all at the same time – to find a cure for spinal cord injury. The run has a unique format where runners and wheelchair competitors from all over the world start at the same time and are being chased by the finish line, in the form of a “Catcher Car”.

For this year’s event in the UK, there will be an organised WFL App Run in Chiswick Business Park, London on Sunday the 5th of May. 100% of the £18 race fee and other donations will go directly towards spinal cord research projects.

While things get underway at 7 am in Toronto, Canada and runners begin at 9 pm in Sydney, Australia – the UK will start things off at the leisurely start time of 12 pm. The meeting point for Chiswick Park app runners will be in the Plaza in the middle of the park, next to the lake. The course in Chiswick Park is a loop that starts next to the lake in the middle of the park before looping around the site on closed roads.

30 minutes after racing gets underway across 66 countries over the world, the Catcher Car will begin chasing runners and wheelchair competitors around their respective courses. In London’s case, the virtual Catcher Car starts at 14km/h and steadily increases its speed until the last athlete has been caught. You get a head start, and 30 minutes later it begins it’s pursuit. This quirky format allows competitors of any ability to participate in the race, going as far as they can until the Catcher Car brings their race to an end. In 2018, the best running distance was about 54km for women and 77km for men, while the fastest wheelchair racer clocked up around 90km.

Once you’ve signed up for the event, you will receive your personal race number via email and it’s also available next to your starting number on the website a couple of days before the race. To get involved in London’s official App Run, download the  Wings for Life World Run App and select your running location. When you are registered the App will start automatically on the event day, so it’s best to have a fully charged phone!

The closest underground stations to Chiswick Park are Chiswick Park and Gunnersbury, which are on the District line. The closest step-free access is from Acton Town on the Piccadilly Line.

In its fifth edition, the World Run has attracted more than 500,000 people from 193 nationalities to participate in more than 66 countries across all seven continents.

To sign up to the Wings for Life World Run – App Run and start your training, go to www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com. An organised App Run will take place in the UK in Chiswick Park on Sunday, May 5 at 12:00 pm GMT. Race entry costs £18.00