Wings For Life World Run 2022
- Photos of Antoine Nguyen | @notanng
Running is a practice specific to everyone. Whether it's to decompress from a long day, to push your body to exceed its limits or simply to take a breath of fresh air, all the reasons are good to put on your shoes and escape one step at a time. .
On Sunday, May 8, our community ran for a very special cause: to raise funds for spinal cord injury research. In partnership with Red Bull Canada, the running club Faux Mouvement participated in the Wings For Life Global Run and ran among thousands of people around the world for those who can't.
At 7:00 a.m. sharp, under a radiant sun and a cloudless sky, about sixty runners trod the starting line until the catcher car virtual exceeds them. XNUMX% of entry fees for the emotional event were donated to research to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
The two individuals behind the Wings for Life Foundation are two-time world motocross champion Heinz Kinigadner and Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull. In 2003, the son of Heinz Kinigadner was the victim of a tragic accident and came out quadriplegic, following a spinal cord injury. Motivated to fuel research for this unfortunate condition, Kinigadner and Mateschitz invited a handful of scientists at the top of their practice to weigh the options before them. Contrary to what one might imagine, Kinigadner and Mateschitz quickly realized that there was value in keeping hope alive and that spinal cord injuries had the potential to be cured. Indeed, the work of Dr. Sam David in the 1980s and of Dr. Martin Schwab, ten years later, demonstrated that the nerve cells populating the spinal cord are able to regenerate after certain types of treatment.
The two individuals behind the Wings for Life Foundation are two-time world motocross champion Heinz Kinigadner and Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull. In 2003, the son of Heinz Kinigadner was the victim of a tragic accident and came out quadriplegic, following a spinal cord injury. Motivated to fuel research for this unfortunate condition, Kinigadner and Mateschitz invited a handful of scientists at the top of their practice to weigh the options before them. Contrary to what one might imagine, Kinigadner and Mateschitz quickly realized that there was value in keeping hope alive and that spinal cord injuries had the potential to be cured. Indeed, the work of Dr. Sam David in the 1980s and of Dr. Martin Schwab, ten years later, demonstrated that the nerve cells populating the spinal cord are able to regenerate after certain types of treatment.
However, upon digging deeper, Kinigadner and Mateschitz quickly realized that spinal cord injury research was very poorly funded. Since the number of victims of spinal cord injury is not as high as other conditions or illnesses, funds donated for research struggle to accumulate. It is therefore in an effort to respond to the lack of resources that the charitable foundation Wings for Life has come into being. This non-profit foundation focuses its research on 7 main pillars, including the limitation of collateral damage occurring during a spinal cord injury, research on nerve reconstruction and the rehabilitation of victims.
In figures, the Wings for Life World Run 2022 brought together
In figures, the Wings for Life World Run 2022 brought together- 161 892 participants
- 192 nations around the world
- The cumulative distance traveled represents 3x the trip to get to the moon, or nearly 1 km
- Over $6,4M for spinal cord injury research
On behalf of the entire race cafe team Faux Mouvement, we thank the runners who participated in this memorable event and for running for the people who can't!
(To find out more about how the funds raised during the race are used, go to https://www.wingsforlife.com/en/research/)