Running
Team participation will be off the hook at the 2022 Wings for Life World Run, and, as always, there will be a crew to suit every vibe.
Connecting around a good cause is what the run 'for those who can’t' is all about, and while you can run on your own with the Wings for Life World Run App, there’s nothing like hooking up with a team to boost the fun and motivation.
More than 9,000 teams, large and small, are looking to go big on May 8. Thanks to the App, you can even join a team on the other side of the globe. Check out these crews as inspiration to find the right team for you.
Big names
Want to run with your hero? Athletes and celebrities lead teams that you can join. Football star Trent Alexander-Arnold will even give away a pair of his signed boots to one lucky UK participant who signs up to be part of Team Trent. With his busy playing schedule, Alexander-Arnold can’t take part on the day itself but says: “After meeting Emerson Grant in 2019, I wanted to work out ways to help raise awareness of Wings for Life. I want to get as many sign-ups as possible to raise money to support their aim of finding a cure for spinal cord injury.”
Also supporting the Wings for Life World Run are two Formula One teams. Drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez have been calling on fans to join the run’s Oracle Red Bull Racing team, while Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda are all about getting sign-ups for Scuderia AlphaTauri.
Big numbers
If you crave an eye-popping objective, plenty of teams share your drive. Take Run with the Flow, led by German ultrarunner Florian Neuschwander. In 2021, these chargers – a record 3,061 in all – won the team distance category for the sixth consecutive year.
“Last year, we managed to run 45,000km collectively: one lap around the world,” Neuschwander shares. “The more runners, the more donations – and that, along with being part of a super day of running, is the biggest goal for all of us who take part in this great event.”
Big fun
Two top Greek athletes – freerunner Dimitris Kyrsanidis and professional water skier Nikolas Plytas – have thrown down the gauntlet with a head-to-head challenge for their followers. Which will be the bigger team and cover more kilometres: the DK Army or the Nikolas Plytas Team?
Three star Norwegian athletes also want to have fun running together with their fans. World record-setting hurdler and Olympic gold medallist Karsten Warholm, double Olympic cross-country skiing champion Petter Northug and Olympic triathlon champ Kristian Blummenfelt are urging participants to join Karsten&Hanne’s Team, Team Northug, and #TEAMKRISTIANBLU.
Big initiatives
Among the many organisations motivating their employees to run for the cause is the Wings for Life World Run’s Global Headphones Partner, Philips Sports Headphones, which has been encouraging all its employees to participate by supporting them with their entry fees.
It gives me strength to know that this event exists and that so many people around the world take part
Big motivation
Many teams are inspired by personal experience with spinal cord injury, whether firsthand or through a friend or family member. Austria’s Carina Premstaller ran in the Wings for Life World Run two years ago, but this year she will compete in a wheelchair, after a slip on a mountain tour resulted in spinal cord injury.
The vibrant young math student says: "This year's Wings for Life World Run will be a very special moment for me. It gives me strength to know that this event exists and that so many people around the world take part."
The Team Carina Premstaller captain continues, "Not only is it an amazing donation campaign, but it also makes people in wheelchairs visible in society. I want to contribute with my team to make spinal cord injuries curable, not just for me but for all the amazing people I got to know at the hospital and rehab. It would be a dream come true for many of us."
Because 100 percent of entry fees and donations go directly to spinal cord injury research, your team doesn’t have to be big to do big things. Visit the Wings for Life World Run website to join a team or create your own.