Marathon
Wings for Life World Run: a record-breaking race full of surprises
This year’s Wings for Life World Run broke records and delivered edge-of-your-seat moments – with one country making history in the women’s race.
From sun-kissed cities in Brazil to night-time streets of Australia and over winding, rolling trails in Switzerland, the 2025 Wings for Life World Run united people across the globe in a powerful, joyous movement for a single cause: finding a cure for spinal cord injury. This year's event pushed the limits, saw barriers broken and records smashed, raising over a staggering $9.6m. Now, 100 percent of the entry fees and donations will go fund to vital research and clinical trials to find a cure for spinal cord injury.
Participants across the world raised €8,600,000 for vital research
© Marcelo Maragni for Wings for Life World Run
Now in its 12th year, the 2025 Wings for Life World Run drew in 310,719 participants worldwide, setting a new attendance record and reaffirming its place as the largest global running event on the planet. Numbers alone don't tell the full story however – it was the vibrant energy, the laughter, high-fives and even a few happy tears that made this year's run truly inspiring and unforgettable for all who took part.
"This year’s Wings for Life World Run was another truly incredible event – it just keeps getting bigger, better and more inspiring," said Colin Jackson, Wings for Life International Sports Director. "We've broken even more records in 2025, with over 310,719 participants around the world, and this year we raised over $9.6m – an amazing result! What makes this event so special is that every single participant's effort actually goes directly to spinal cord injury research and is actively bringing us closer to a cure. What we achieved today is genuinely going to change lives."
Ready to run for those who can't in Vienna, Austria
© Philip Platzer for Wings for Life World Run
Dr Judith Fraussen PhD, Assistant Professor at the Biomedical Research Institute at Hasselt University in Belgium, is leading research funded by the Wings for Life World Run. She expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated in this year's global event, emphasising the vital role every participant's support plays in advancing her team's work:
"Thank you for taking part in this unique event! Your participation not only raises vital funds, but also gives encouragement to everyone dedicated to spinal cord research. Every step you take today supports hope for the future. As a researcher working on spinal cord injuries, it's important to me to participate in the Wings for Life World Run every year. Seeing so many people come together to raise awareness for those who live with a spinal cord injury and to collect funding for spinal cord injury research is incredibly motivating and highly needed. Thanks to events like this, we can keep making progress and work towards better treatments for people living with spinal cord injuries."
01
Catcher Car stars
Adding to the electric atmosphere were the celebrity Catcher Car drivers who led the chase in the seven Flagship Runs around the world. In Austria, Anna Gasser, the snowboarding trailblazer and the first woman to land a Cab Double Cork 900, shared the spotlight with Reini Sampl, a three-time Paralympian and hand-biking champion, bringing heart and high energy to the streets of Vienna.
Chasing down Martyna Mlynarczyk in Poznań
© Damian Kramski for Wings for Life World Run
In Hawaii, surfing great Carissa Moore (USA) joined an App Run Event in Honolulu, while Olympic beach volleyball champions Duda Lisboa and Ana Patrícia of Brazil ran in picture-perfect conditions in Brasilia. Other notable names running for those who can't included tennis player Dominic Thiem, skier Eileen Gu, hurdler Karsten Warholm, trials rider Fabio Wibmer, triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay, American football quarterback Arch Manning, gamer Masato ‘Bonchan’ Takahashi and rally legend Sébastien Loeb.
In Germany, Olympic ski jumping gold medallist Andreas Wellinger took the wheel, while in the Netherlands, former F1 driver Robert Doornbos revved up excitement as he pursued participants across the course. Over in Switzerland, decathlon standout and world championship medallist Simon Ehammer took his turn as Catcher Car driver, motivating thousands to run and roll hard and fast.
In Poland, national sports legend Adam Małysz, one of the most decorated ski jumpers in history and now president of the Polish Ski Association, returned to Poznań's Flagship Run, once again chasing runners with his trademark intensity and pride. Croatia's Catcher Car was driven in Zadar by national rally champion Viliam Prodan, while in Slovenia fans cheered for homegrown rally talent Mark Skulj and Rok Turk at the Flagship Run in Ljubljana.
We've broken even more records with over 310,719 participants around the world, and this year we raised over €8.6m. What we achieved today is genuinely going to change lives
02
A truly global movement
This year also saw an unparalleled 452 App Run Events completed in 68 countries, as tens of thousands of runners, wheelchair users, joggers and walkers joined the movement from every corner of the globe. From the beaches of Honolulu to the streets of Athens, Nairobi, Dubai, Sydney and beyond, the Wings for Life World Run community showed up in full force to prove once again that this is a truly global event with unstoppable momentum.
A record number of App Run Events took place across the globe in 2025
© Julien Bru for Wings for Life World Run
For those who signed up to take part remotely, the Wings for Life World Run App delivered a deeply immersive Audio Experience, available in 16 languages and voiced by 31 hosts and Catcher Car personalities, from actors to elite athletes. Whether being playfully pursued by Sandra Schwittau in Germany or comedian Mario Petrekovic in Croatia, runners with the App felt part of the global movement. Voices like Ricky Wilson in the UK and Silvia Roldán Balsalobre in Spain brought both humour and high-stakes motivation to runners of every pace.
Jürgen Klopp, Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer, opted to take part in this year's race using the Wings for Life World Run App, joining forces in a Wings for Life World Run team called Kloppo & Friends.
"That's it for me, but probably for most of you, it's only the start. My knee today gave me 30-something minutes and now I'll walk back," the German legend said after being caught by the Virtual Catcher Car. "But what an experience. Thank you so much for joining and I'll see you next year. And I'll train, so next year I can go longer!"
Legend of hard enduro racing, Tadeusz Błażusiak, was running in Poznan, one of 8,000 entrants at the Flagship Run and 19,485 participants in Poland overall:
"I started with the thought of running 6 miles, but it went well and ended up being 9 miles," he said after finishing. "I ran together with Łukasz Czepiela, Dawid Godziek and Andrzej Bargiel, although Andrzej left us later, because he was running at a faster pace. As always, the atmosphere is wonderful. This run is colourful, full of good energy. The idea of the run is very close to my heart because I come from motorsports, where spinal cord injuries do happen, and I personally know several such people. I hope that the money raised through the Wings for Life Foundation will someday lead to a breakthrough in medicine."
Tennis star Dominic Thiem joined the Wings for Life World Run in Vienna
© Matthias Heschl for Wings for Life World Run
03
Fukuda scores third global title
In the 2025 edition of the largest running event in the world, the runners and wheelchair users covered an average of .7 miles each for a total distance equivalent to nearly 64 times around the equator. And when it came to the race for the Wings for Life World Run global champion title, the theme for 2025 appeared to be all about breaking barriers.
Jo Fukuda took the men's Wings for Life World Run 2025 victory
© Hiromitsu Rikimaru for Wings for Life World Run
In the early, pre-dawn hours in Fukuoka, Japan, Jo Fukuda delivered a performance of historic proportions to claim his third global Wings for Life World Run title. With an astounding 44.5 miles completed, Fukuda not only shattered Tomoya Watanabe's 2024 distance record, but also extended the world record by an incredible .9 miles. His performance was nothing short of a masterclass in ultra running, solidifying his place as one of the sport's greats and only the second ever to win three titles – joining Aron Anderson in that elite group.
"I'm really happy I won, because I was absolutely determined to win again this year," Fukuda stated after taking his third title, looking remarkably fresh after running on pace for well over four-and-a-quarter hours.
In second place, Austria's Andreas Vojta achieved a remarkable personal best, running 42.5 miles in Vienna to secure his spot on the global podium. Meanwhile, Britain’s Jake Barraclough also put in a stellar performance at the App Run Event in Fukuoka, settling for third place with an impressive 42.1 miles.
04
Pffeifer's milestone win
The women’s competition also delivered a thrilling finish, with a historic breakthrough for Germany. In Munich, Esther Pfeiffer became the country's first ever women's global champion in spectacular style. Clocking 36.6 miles, she also earned the accolade of becoming only the second woman to surpass the 36 mile mark, coming remarkably close to the all-time distance record. It was a magical moment for Pfeiffer, who fought hard through the final miles to secure the win and her place in the history books. Pfeiffer’s husband Hendrik also finished his race as the men's winner at the Munich Flagship Run and achieved fifth place globally.
Esther Pfeiffer celebrates her first Wings for Life World Run title
© Marc Conzelmann for Wings for Life World Run
"The first kilometres were really easy, but then after 30km it was really tough, because I don't run longer than 25km in my training," Pfeiffer admitted after her landmark win. "At every kilometre there were a lot of people who cheered for me – and that's why I’m at 59km now! I think the highlight was the start, it was so crazy how many people run for those who can’t. It’s a really great event, really fun.”
The highlight was the start, it was so crazy how many people run for those who can’t
Hot on Pfeiffer’s heels was Martyna Młynarczyk in Poland, who delivered an impressive 35.9 miles for second place, followed closely by Patrycja Talar at 35 miles, running in Breda, Netherlands. Four-time global champion Nina Usubyan (formerly Zarina), who still holds the women's distance record at 37.9 miles, ran with the Wings for Life App. She rallied for a late push at the 31 mile mark in Washington, USA, crossing the 34 mile mark before the virtual Catcher Car finally reeled her in to finish fourth in a gutsy performance.
05
Breaking barriers and closer to a cure
In just one day, this year's Wings for Life World Run has achieved incredible success, bringing the total money raised to $182m since the first Wings for Life World Run in 2014. In 12 years of events, 1,870,253 registered participants from 191 nationalities have run, walked and rolled on all seven continents, funding 324 research projects and clinical trials.
From Sydney to Cape Town and Honolulu, runners across the globe united
© Ken Leanfore for Wings for Life World Run
Wings for Life CEO Anita Gerhardter was keen to underline the achievements of all who took part this year: "I'm over the moon about the results of the Wings for Life World Run. One shared mission and so much love and energy from every corner of the world. With 310,917 world runners joining in, we raised $9.75m for spinal cord research. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this day so special – whether you walked, ran, rolled, volunteered or cheered us on. You're the heartbeat of this movement. Together, we'll find a cure for spinal cord injury. Thanks again and see you at the start line next year!"
The 13th edition of the Wings for Life World Run will take place on May 10, 2026. Registration for 2026 – including numerous App Run Events (with more to follow), all Flagship Runs and running individually with the Wings for Life World Run App – will open on November 5, 2025. For more information, to receive notifications and to register visit www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com.