Fitness Training
Can you stay ahead of the Catcher Car? Wings for Life World Run is back
Mark your calendar for May 10 – the Wings for Life World Run returns for its 13th edition, where you can get involved with the global charity event for spinal cord injury research.
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Wings for Life World Run returns, bringing people together worldwide for one powerful mission: to find a cure for spinal cord injury. On race day, thousands of runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes start at the same time, all chasing hope as the Catcher Car follows behind. Every mile moves us closer to a future where paralysis is no longer permanent.
Last year, over 300,000 runners, wheelchair users and professional athletes around the globe participated in the Wings for Life World Run. You can join the global event on Sunday, May 10.
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Wings for Life World Run 2025 highlights
The 2025 edition of the Wings for Life World Run broke records of all kinds. Watch the highlights from the world's biggest global run.
Here's all the need-to-know info about the event that's all about 'running for those who can't' and why you can look forward to lacing up your running shoes and taking part.
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You'll be supporting a good cause
When you step out in the Wings for Life World Run, you step up for others, because 100 percent of all entry fees goes directly to the Wings for Life not-for-profit foundation, whose mission is to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
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There's nothing else like it
Excitement builds at the race start in Munich
© Flo Hagena for Wings For Life World Run
You can take it as seriously as you like: everyone finishes the race
© Focus Sports for Wings for Life World Run
The event is a night run in many places, such as Taipei
© Ray Chang for Wings for Life World Run
The 2025 run gets underway in Vienna
© Philip Platzer for Wings for Life World Run
The run has a unique format featuring a moving finish line called the Catcher Car. You start at the same time as all the other participants – 11am UTC (1pm in Berlin, 8pm in Tokyo and 7am in New York) and then, 30 minutes later, a Catcher Car starts its pursuit. When it passes you, you've completed your race and the very last person to be caught is the global winner. The 2020 champion, British runner Michael Taylor, managed 69.92km, and in 2021 Sweden's Aron Anderson claimed the overall honour for the third time when he pushed his everyday wheelchair to 66.8km.
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The Wings for Life World Run app is ready to race
With live tracking and a Virtual Catcher Car, the Wings for Life World Run app makes it possible to participate wherever you are come race day on May 9. Its social media functions will keep you connected, and an exciting Audio Experience is there to inform, entertain and motivate in real time.
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Flagship Runs are part of the plan, too
A massive turnout for Wings for Life World Run in Vienna
© Philip Platzer for Wings for Life World Run
In addition to App Runs, there are shoulder-to-shoulder Flagship Runs taking part in seven places around the world in 2026. And here's a heads up: register soon, because they tend to sell out.
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You can be sure you'll finish this race
There's nothing like the atmosphere at Wings for Life World Run
© Tomislav Moze for Wings for Life World Run
Thanks to the Catcher Car format, where the finish line comes to you, you can choose your own distance goal, whether you're running, rolling in a wheelchair, jogging or walking. There's even a Wings for Life World Run Goal Calculator to show you the pace you'll need in order to reach your target distance. Lots of participants have said that the Catcher Car actually spurred them to a new personal best.
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It's just plain fun for everyone
Wings for Life World Run is for everyone
© Mpumelelo Macu for Wings for Life World Run
World-class athletes. Beginners. 18-year-olds. Octogenarians. Everyone in between. The global starting roster in the Wings for Life World Run is as colourful as you can get, dotted with costumes, teams in matching outfits and – depending on the location – sunglasses, headlamps, rain gear, sweatbands, the occasional mitten and lots of smiles. Rallying around a good cause makes it a snark-free, high-energy day, shared by thousands all at once.
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Here's your chance to be part of something truly global
Not only will you be running at the same time as people around the world, but you'll also be contributing to a legacy that has been building since the first event. In 2025 alone, 310,719 participants from 191 nationalities set off simultaneously in 170 countries to take part in the Wings for Life World Run, making it the largest running event in history. Since the first edition in 2014, a total of 1,870,253 Wings for Life World Run participants have raised 60.53 million euros. There's no stopping this movement until a cure for spinal cord injuries is found.
Why I Run podcast: listen to inspirational stories from people who run
The Wings for Life World Run 2026 is scheduled for Sunday, May 10. Registration and more information are available at the Wings for Life World Run website.
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