Wings For Life World Run Heads To Cambridge

20 Jan 2016 | tshego

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The Wings for Life World Run has announced it will be returning to the UK for a third year on 8th May, switching Silverstone for Cambridge.

The city of Cambridge will see participants test themselves against runners from across the world as well as trying to avoid the catcher car for as long as possible.

Participants will race through the city centre before heading out to the flat Fenlands surrounding the area.

Speaking of the event, Cllr Roger Hickford, chairman of highways and infrastructure committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Wings for Life is a fantastic charity which is making a real difference to people’s lives through funding research into spinal injuries. We are naturally very proud they have chosen Cambridge as the UK location for the World Run in May 2016.

“Over the next few months, we will be working with the charity and our partners to help ensure the event on closed roads will be a success and to minimise any disruption for residents and businesses on the route. Cambridgeshire is becoming a hotspot for global sporting events from the Tour de France in 2014 and this year’s Grand Fondo to the Wings for Life World Run next year – it reflects the expertise we have in Cambridgeshire for managing such events and the enthusiasm of our residents who come out to support them.”

The Wings for Life World Run was launched in 2014 to raise funds for the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation. Pioneering the concept of a synchronised race where participants across the world run simultaneously, the event introduced the catcher car format, in which a celebrity-driven vehicle gives the runners a head start, chasing the field at a predetermined pace.

The 2015 event saw 101,280 participants in 33 countries across 12 time zones raising 4.2 million euros.

Japan’s Yuuko Watanabe was crowned 2015 Wings for Life World Run female global champion with 56.33km, while Lemawork Ketema of Ethiopia defended his title as men’s global champion in running to a distance of 79.9km.