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Wings for Life World Run: How Summer McIntosh plans to make a splash
Wings for Life Ambassador Summer McIntosh is gearing up for May 10th. The Canadian swimming sensation will take part through the App Run to raise awareness for spinal cord injury.
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Summer McIntosh, who went from being a 14-year-old contender to a four-time Olympic medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics (including 3 gold medals), has a philosophy of always wanting more and never being satisfied as a high-performance athlete. McIntosh, who hails from Toronto, Canada, but is based in Austin, Texas, will log onto the Wings for Life World Run App on May 10th to be part of the world’s largest running event.
McIntosh, who began her sporting career as a figure skater before pivoting to swimming, believes the Wings for Life World Run is a crucial platform to raise awareness for spinal cord injury.
While she hasn’t been directly impacted by spinal cord injury, her father Greg’s cancer diagnosis in 2021 put life into perspective. The two-time Olympian, who became Canada’s youngest-ever participant at the age of 14 in Tokyo in 2021, is cognizant of utilizing her growing influence to raise awareness for causes which require a spotlight to be shone on them.
Haven't signed up for the Wings for Life World Run? There's still time to participate in the world's largest running event on May 10, where all proceeds go toward finding a cure for spinal cord injury.
Summer McIntosh chasing down records
© Jussi Grznar
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A Digital Native as a Gen Z
As a Gen Z, McIntosh is a digital native who is intrigued with the Virtual Catcher Car concept, a unique feature the Wings for Life Run makes use of. “In terms of not chasing a finish line, it’s definitely a different concept but a great one with the Virtual Catcher Car,” says McIntosh.
The virtual Catcher Car will start 30 minutes after the race begins, slowly catching up to runners, walkers, and wheelchair participants. Once it catches up to you, your race if officially over. The car is equipped with tracking technology to ensure everyone finishes at their own pace.
“As a swimmer, of course I’m used to having a set distance and trying to go a certain amount of time,” she says. “This is kind of the opposite of that but I’m excited to participate. I’ll actually be at an altitude training camp based in Colorado and fortunately the race falls on a Sunday which is my only day off during the week from swimming.”
Any time I get to use my platform to raise awareness for issues like spinal cord injury... I maximize those opportunities.
McIntosh underlines that the App Run makes it a lot more accessible for those who won’t be able to do it at one of the main areas. “I can do the race through my phone which is the way the world is going,” she says of the virtual race format.
“Any time I get to use my platform to raise awareness for issues like spinal cord injury, which are super important to my values and my partnership's values, I maximize those opportunities,” says McIntosh, who is a two-time World Aquatics Female Swimmer of the Year. “Even if it makes a small or big difference, I do as much as I can to put both time and effort into raising awareness.”
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Following in Phelps’ Footsteps
Growing up, McIntosh idolized Michael Phelps and has now come full circle in being coached by Bob Bowman, who formed a formidable partnership with Phelps during his decorated swimming career. “I always go back to Michael growing up and to now be able to say that we have the same coach, it’s both pretty crazy and super cool and I also swim in the same events that he used to.”
McIntosh admires the fact that Bowman shows up every single day with the same mindset and discipline and it’s something she tries to apply to her own training. “He is willing to put in the work, never gives an ounce of energy elsewhere and is 100% focused on the task at hand.”
McIntosh says that she has long been inspired by Phelps in terms of what he did and how dominant he was over the course of his career.
Summer McIntosh
© Jussi Grznar
03
A Sport of Dedication and Discipline
Swimming is a sport that requires a ton of dedication, discipline, and time every single day. It’s not the type of vocation that you can do for an hour a day and hope to get better. At the top level, the reality is that every competitor is training incredibly hard to try and close the gap to those ahead.
Most days, McIntosh trains twice a day, with each practice lasting around two hours. She also does weight training three times a week and biking and core exercises on top of that. Her week usually includes nine to ten swim sessions and three to four weight sessions. The past few weeks have seen McIntosh hit a total of 70km in the water, which is high mileage for a non-distance, non-open water swimmer.
But she says that in order to reach her personal goals, her training routine is non-negotiable.
Leaving my first Olympics and getting fourth place twice left me very hungry and motivated for more.
“Sometimes I forget that I’ve still got my whole career ahead of me because by the age of 17 I had already gone to two Olympics,” she says. “Leaving my first Olympics and getting fourth place twice left me very hungry and motivated for more.” Even though McIntosh officially announced herself to the world in Paris with three gold medals and a silver medal, she left wanting more and is continuing with that mindset heading into LA 2028.
“Most athletes could say that we all share this mentality of 'always wanting more.' It’s never enough and you are never truly fully satisfied," she says matter-of-factly. “It’s what keeps me motivated, wanting more and sees me stay humble and disciplined every single day for the task at hand.”
04
A Global Event that Unites
LA 2028 is still two-and-a-half years away and a lot can change, but McIntosh says that her goal is to qualify for five individual events. “Once I get to LA, my goal is to get my hand on the wall as many times as possible for Canada and to boost our medal count.”
The Olympic Games’ motto is: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together. “It’s hard to put into words what it’s like to be in the Olympic Village,” she says. “Seeing athletes from all over the world coming together to share their determination, hard work and love for their sports is super cool.”
Wings for Life World Run Flagship Run in Munich, Germany
© Flo Hagena for Wings for Life World Run
The Olympic Games, like the Wings for Life World Run, unites people through emotion and shared experience. “The Wings for Life Run is also a global event and it just shows how sport brings people together. I think it’s a really cool opportunity for anyone to join in and to experience.”
McIntosh says the fact the Olympics are only held once every four years makes events such as the Wings for Life World Run, which is now into its 13th edition, even more attractive. “It connects people all over the world which is something that’s really cool. Wings for Life challenges people in different ways that they’re not used to and gets them out there and active.”
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How Does the Wings for Life World Run Work?
The Wings for Life World Run isn’t about getting a personal best. It isn’t about crossing a finish line, or running a certain distance, or even beating your competitors. At precisely 11:00am UTC (7:00am EST), runners continents apart set off with only one goal in mind: keep running.
How far you go is up to you, but should the Catcher Cars overtake you, your race is over. With the world of run clubs and Instagram race influencers all getting a bit serious, it’s arguably one of the most enjoyable, community-driven runs out there. Whether you’re running your first event or are an old hand, there’s nothing quite like it.
The Wings for Life World Run App isn't your average running app
© Sulejman Omerbasic for Wings for Life World Run
The Wings for Life World Run is a race for anyone and everyone. You might be an ultramarathon veteran, or a Park Run regular. Or, maybe you started running last week. It isn’t bound by the cliquey run club comparisons about course PBs or Strava stand-outs. No, here you’re running your own race. It’s the sport stripped back to what matters and we could all do with more of that in 2026.
All you need to do to take part is download the app and be ready when the start countdown reaches zero. That's it.
Download, lock in, run, done.
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Run for Those Who Can't
It's not too late to sign up for the Wings for Life World Run 2026. Use the Wings for Life World Run App to run or use a wheelchair anywhere on your own, or join others at an App Run event. You can find all the details for run locations across Canada by checking out the official event page or signing up directly through the Wings for Life World Run website.
Everyone starts at the same time around the world, running together against the Catcher Car. 100% of all entry fees and donations go to help to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
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