Fancy going for a run and raising money for a great cause at the same time?
On May 4th 5,000 runners will set off around the Ring of Kerry at 11am for the Irish leg of the Wings for Life World Run 2014. Up to 150,000 runners in 40 countries will take part in the first event of its kind to raise money for the Wings For Life foundation, which funds research into spinal cord injuries.
There are only 5,000 places available in the Irish race, so registration is on a first come, first served basis, and you can register at the Wings for Life site. Register for €40 before the end of January, or for €48 after February 1st. If there are any places left by the end of March, registration fees rise again from April 1st to €56. In every case 100% of the registration fee goes to the Wings For Life research foundation, and the closing date for registration is April 20th.
Minister for sport and tourism Leo Varadkar was on hand to help with the launch, as were Bernard Brogan, Daniella Moyles and Joe Canning, who were all lending their support to the campaign, along with Mark Pollock, an adventure athlete who is on a mission to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
The race has no finish line – instead, runners will be followed by a chase car, which makes this course, as spectacular as it is, a pretty grueling circuit. As the race progresses, the chase car speeds up and competitors are then eliminated when the chase car passes them out, with the winner being the last runner in the world standing.
Wings For Life is a not-for-profit spinal cord research foundation. Its mission is to find a cure for spinal cord injury by funding world-class scientific research and clinical trials aimed at healing the injured spinal cord. For more information, you can head over to their wesbite or keep up with all their latest news on Twitter.
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