Running together for those who can't: this was the motto under which the Wings for Life Run took place on May 7th this year.
Together? There could hardly be a more sense of community at a running event: in this special race, runners all over the world start at the same time, namely at 1 p.m. in their respective time zone.
For what? For a good cause! There is no finish line in this race, because 30 minutes after the start, a virtual catcher car rolls out and begins to overtake the runners, each of whom is connected via a tracking app. 100% of the entry fees go to a good cause: this year the donations went to spinal cord research.
With this goal in mind, we as the running crew naturally wanted to be part of this great project. It's all the more fitting that HOKA is the main partner of the Wings for Life Run this year and wanted to celebrate the day with us.
No sooner said than done: together with HOKA, a position was taken on race day in the Düsseldorf Rheinpark directly next to the Theodor-Heuss-Bridge in the best weather conditions. The weather was cloudy and in the higher temperature ranges for the first time. A huge thank you goes out to HOKA , who made it possible for all runners to test out a number of shoe models. On top of that, the running shoe manufacturer equipped everyone with running shirts specially designed for the special day. These were not only light and therefore comfortable for running, but also gave a chic and uniform image to all runners. This further strengthened the community spirit that everyone demonstrated.
Since everyone could specify their reference pace during the run and therefore determine the net running time/distance themselves before they were caught by the catcher car, there were different routes to choose from. The majority of runners almost unanimously decided on a 14 kilometer route along the Rhine.
At 1 p.m. sharp we started off in different pace groups in high spirits. Although the air became a bit more humid in places, that didn't dampen the enthusiasm. On the contrary: most of the groups increased their pace a bit more than planned, so that the catcher car really didn't get anything out of hand. So everyone arrived back at the starting point at different times after completing the routes. Remarkable: on that day the motivation to reach a longer distance than expected was even greater because of the good cause: some people went beyond themselves, sometimes achieved new best distances or simply gave it their all again in the end. Great!
Of course, the Rheinpark was well stocked with drinks, snacks and everything a runner's heart could desire, so the starting point also served as a refreshment station. After really great individual performances, there was an opportunity to refresh and recover together. In keeping with the race, the afternoon ended with pizzas to replenish the carbohydrate stores before the rain set in later, but that didn't hurt the mood.
We look back on a more than successful day and Wings for Life Run: not only the enthusiasm for running, the setting, the mutual pushing, the individual achievements, but also the spirit of all participants were simply right. We are therefore not only looking forward to upcoming events, but also to an at least equally successful Wings for Life Run 2024!
Author: Sebastian
Photos : Torben Flatemersch , Azib Hamidi
