The inaugural Red Bull Wings For Life World Run raised €3 million to fund cutting edge spinal cord injury research and clinical studies through the work of the Wings For Life Foundation.
The event brought together 35,000 people in 32 countries across 13 time zones running at exactly the same time on May 1. The Irish run attracted 600 runners starting at the Killarney National Park around the Ring of Kerry towards Killorglin with a ‘catcher car’ chasing them down one by one which set off 30 minutes after the start and travelling at 15 km’s per hour.
The last man caught was County Kildare native John O’Regan who achieved 49.2 kms in 3 hrs 33 minutes and the last woman was Alison Kirwan from Louth, who achieved 30.4 km’s in 2hrs 28 mins.
A host of Irish sports stars supported the event by running including Munster’s JJ Hanrahan, Irish women’s rugby star Siobhan Flemming; Dublin’s Bernard Brogan, Galway hurler Joe Canning and Kerry GAA legend Seamus Moynihan, 2FM's Paddy McKenna & Mark McCabe and model Alison Canavan.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
