310,719 runners for Wings for Life: Japanese Jo Fukuda wins for the third time

Sunday saw the return of the Wings for Life run taking place all over the world.

At exactly the same time across the globe, the starting shot for this twelfth edition was given, and runners began their challenge for charity against the 'catchercar'.

The Wings for Life World Run of 2025 united 310,917 people worldwide in a powerful, joyous movement with one shared goal: finding a cure for spinal cord injury. The proceeds from Wings for Life are entirely donated to research into spinal cord injuries.

Participation in the Wings for Life World Run took place through seven Flagship Runs and 452 App Runs in 68 countries worldwide, making it the largest running event in the world.

"This year’s Wings for Life World Run was, once again, an incredible event – it keeps getting bigger, better, and more inspiring," said Colin Jackson, international sports director for Wings for Life. "In 2025, we've broken even more records, with over 310,719 participants worldwide. This year, we've raised more than €8.6 million – a fantastic result! What makes this event so special is that the efforts of every participant directly support research into spinal cord injury, actively bringing us closer to a cure. What we achieved today is truly life-changing."

Many famous names from the sports world also laced up their running shoes on Sunday for the good cause: Jürgen Klopp (Germany), head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, chose to participate via the Wings for Life World Run app, forming a team named Kloppo & Friends.

On Hawaii, surfer Carissa Moore (USA) took part in an App Run event in Honolulu, and Olympic beach volleyball champions Duda Lisboa and Ana Patrícia from Brazil ran under perfect conditions in Brasília. Other notable names participating in the runs for those who couldn’t were skier Eileen Gu (CHN), tennis player Dominic Thiem (AUT), hurdler Karsten Warholm (NOR), trial rider Fabio Wibmer (AUT), triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), American football quarterback Arch Manning (USA), gamer Masato 'Bonchan' Takahashi (JPN) and rally driver Sébastien Loeb (FRA).

The Japanese Jo Fukuda managed to stay out of the reach of the catchercar the longest and became Wings for Life world champion this year in the men's category. He succeeded in running an astonishing 71.67km before being caught by the vehicle, breaking the old world record by 1.58km!

And what about Esther Pfeiffer and her fantastic performance in Munich?! She decided to go particularly deep and far for the good cause and succeeded as the second woman ever to surpass the milestone of 59 kilometres. Esther Pfeiffer is also the first German world champion.

*A little more explanation about the principle of this unique race: Everyone worldwide starts their race at exactly the same time: 11:00 UTC. This means that participants in the United Kingdom start at 12:00, in Germany at 13:00, in Florida at 7:00, and so on... There is no finish line. However, there is a (virtual) catcher car that starts the chase 30 minutes after the start signal. Recreational runners reach kilometre 5, for example. Professional athletes reach more than 60 km until the car, which gradually speeds up, eventually catches up with them.

(Raul Stiens - Illustration: ©Slo marathon)