A BIG charity event has been organised that connect 34 countries worldwide, including Slovakia. On Sunday, May 4, the Wings for Life World Run will include competitors of all ages and fitness levels, be they amateurs or professionals, who will support the Wings for Life foundation, which researches spinal cord injuries and their treatment.
“Wings for Life is a not-for-profit spinal cord research foundation. Our mission is to find a cure for spinal cord injuries,” the foundation’s website states. “We fund world-class scientific research and clinical trials around the globe aimed at healing the injured spinal cord.”
This run is unique, the Slovak branch of organisers informed, as runners from 34 countries will take part, and the goal is not to reach the finish line as quickly as possible, but to run for as long as possible. An accompanying car will be sent 30 minutes after the start, driving at 15 km per hour, and every hour the speed will increase by one kilometre. The race is finished when the car arrives at the last runner, i.e. the one who managed to run the longest, the TASR newswire wrote.
International celebrities have promised to participate in the race, from athletes like Roger Federer, Christiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo, to windsurfer Robby Naish and F1’s David Coulthard, and in Slovakia, opera singer Filip Túma plans to enter the race, despite admitting that he hates running.
In Slovakia, the race will start on May 4 at 12:00, from Eurovea shopping centre, and it will lead across the nearby Záhorie region, along the Danube river. “I expect the winner to run for 60 kilometres,” marathon runner Marcel Matanin, who chose the route, told TASR. The unique phenomenon is that each runner can compare his or her performance to participants in other countries, including top athletes. Registration costs €25 and is open until April 27 on wingsforlifeworldrun.com.
