1,000 runners to participate in virtual Wings for Life World Run – KBC

Over 1,000 runners are expected to participate in this year’s Wings For Life virtual race which will be held on May 9^th.

The race founded in 2004   will be held through an app and aims to build a global community in support of spinal cord research towards finding a cure for spinal injury.

“This run is a global event that’s a drive towards getting individuals and groups alike to donate their time and resources in solidarity to the cause. The final goal is to find the cure for spinal injury,” said Timothy Muzaliwa – a student representative supporting event awareness.

Since its launch, the run happens in different countries around the world. Traditionally, countries have been organizing runs as an event to build awareness of the program. The run happens in synchrony meaning, different time zones align to take part in the race.

30 minutes into the run, a catcher car starts moving and increases its speed every kilometer until it catches up with the participants. The finish line is symbolically where the car catches up with participants.

For runners who are not part of the organized run, the option of participating through the app run goes a long way in making the engagement possible. The simulated run gives an experience as close as possible to the live event as the starting of the race with a trigger and updates throughout.

Spinal injuries constitute a significant portion of the injuries sustained after trauma and are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Determination of the current burden of spinal injuries in Kenya has not been done hence the need to put in place the required mechanisms to help patients who suffer daily.

Spinal injury in Kenya has been found to affect males in the most economically productive age group as a consequence of road traffic accidents thus road safety initiatives should be intensified to reduce the number of spinal injuries. “Most importantly, research is key in find the lasting solution, and that is the cure,” said Wouter Visser – Alpha Fit Limited.