The Wings for Life World Run is a global running and wheelchair event which started at 11 am UTC on May 3, 2015 and finishes when the last person is caught by the Catcher Car. Over 100.000 athletes across 35 locations pushed themselves to the limit in the global charity run which raises money to help find a cure for spinal cord injury, and it proved to be a record-breaking day.
The UK Wings for Life World Run at Silverstone was won by Colchester born Tom Payn, the Catcher Car finally passing him after he ran an epic 61.09km in 4 hours 10 minutes and came a very impressive 23rd overall in the World. Payne who now resides in London, has a marathon PB of 3:17, achieved at the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan in 2009.
After the race, Payn commented, “I was hoping to hit the 70km mark, but having never run in a race like the Wings for Life World Run before, I’m really pleased with the 61km that I was eventually caught at. It’s always in the back of your mind that the Catcher Car is gaining on you and to keep increasing your pace is physically and mentally draining. My time of 4 hours and 10 minutes was pretty good, and it’s a fantastic feeling to win the UK Wings for Life World run whilst raising important money for a great charity.”
The UK Women’s Race was won by Kate Carter from London. The Wimbledon Windmiler was eventually caught after making it through a gruelling 34.73km in 2 hours 39 minutes. Carter is no stranger to the world of Long distance running, only last weekend putting in a very impressive performance at the London Marathon with a time of 3:04. Carter will now be focusing on her training for the Berlin Marathon where she hopes to break the 3:00 time barrier.
Carter said after the race, “I was delighted to be the fastest female in the UK Wings for Life World Run event. The nature of the event – being chased by a ‘Catcher Car’ – makes it very different to any other races I’ve taken part in. It’s a tough course, as it’s quite hilly, so I was really pleased with my distance of 34km in 2 hours 39 minutes. hours/minutes. The atmosphere here at Silverstone has been fantastic and knowing that we’re raising money for the Wings For Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation is a great feeling.”
The Catcher Car drivers played their part too with David Coulthard treating onlookers with some eye-watering stretching exercises before he climbed into his car, while multiple Olympic ski champion Aksel Lund Svindal had to do a spot of off-roading onto the grass to catch some of the runners in Stavanger, Norway.
To see the whole report of Wings For Life World Run in United Kingdom, please head to facebook.com/olafpix
