Event gives hope

“Paraplegia can affect anyone”

Olympic snowboarding champion Anna Gasser will once again be driving the Catcher Car at this year's Wings for Life World Run.(Bild: Red Bull Contentpool)

After the Vienna City Marathon is before the Wings for Life World Run. On May 5, 13,500 people will gather on the Ring in Vienna to run for those who can't do it themselves. Wolfgang Illek, Head of Fundraising at the Wings for Life Foundation, recently emphasized at the warm-up event in Vienna: "Paraplegia can affect anyone."

The starting signal for the 11th edition of the Wings for Life World Run will be given on May 5 at 1 pm. The flagship run in Vienna is already completely sold out with 13,500 starters. But you can also take part virtually with the Wings for Life World Run app. There are already 70 App Run events planned throughout Austria, where participants can run together on a predetermined route. Alternatively, starters can use the app to run, roll or walk individually and from any location. Regardless of where and how, 100 percent of all entry fees go to spinal cord research and help to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Registration is possible at www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com.

At the warm-up event, Illek emphasized the crucial importance of donations for spinal cord research. The foundation invests worldwide in promising research projects and clinical studies to cure spinal cord injuries.

Wolfgang Illek (far left) is Head of Fundraising at the Wings for Life Foundation.(Bild: Red Bull Content Pool)

300 research projects funded so far
"50 percent of all accidents happen in everyday road traffic. About 24 percent are falls in everyday life. You think of a worker falling off a ladder or an old lady tripping down the stairs. 17 percent are other accidents, such as jumping into shallow water. And finally, sports accidents account for 9 percent, of which 6 percent are normal sports accidents and 3 percent are extreme sports. If you look at this, you can see very quickly that paraplegia can affect anyone," says Wolfgang Illek. "To date, we have been able to fund almost 300 research projects in total. There are currently 62 projects running. And what we are very happy and proud of is that we are now 18 percent in the clinic. This means that the research projects are being carried out on people and that is exactly where we want to go."

Michael Strasser (right) says: "The Wings for Life World Run is about what cannot be taken for granted, being healthy."(Bild: Red Bull Content Pool)

"It's less about personal vanity"
Michael Strasser, triathlete and long-distance cycling specialist, will also be taking part on May 5: "It's less about personal vanity! The great thing about this race is that it's like a family reunion. The whole sporting world comes together. It's not about how far you run, but that you run and all for a good cause. It's about what is not self-evident, being healthy."

Philipp Kuttin fell from a balcony while sleepwalking in August 2020.(Bild: Red Bull Contentpool)

"It brings joy to others"
Nordic combined skier Philipp Kuttin, who has been in a wheelchair since falling off a balcony in August 2020, says: "I'm simply overwhelmed every year by how the whole thing comes about. The fact that so many people stick together, that everyone has fun together and that there's no real pressure to perform. Everyone comes, has fun, chats with each other and does what they want to do individually in terms of distance. And you bring joy to others. People who are in wheelchairs and hope that one day a means will be found to enable them to walk again or generally do everything normally."