In less than two-weeks on 3rd May 2015, the world’s most unique and remarkable race – the simultaneously run-around-the-world Wings for Life World Run.

Some of Australia’s most famous faces are getting ready to race, with Ellyse Perry, Matt Poole, Sally Fitzgibbons, Mikey Mendoza, Jordan Mercer and Jessica Fox pledging their support for the race.

These elite athletes created a short video of encouragement, but things don’t go according to plan. Oops.

The Wings for Life World Run to take place in Melbourne, 3rd May 2015

The world’s most unique and remarkable race, the Wings for Life World Run, is back in 2015 and will take place in six continents and 34 locations. On 3rd May 2015 at 11am UTC, 40,000  participants will set off at exactly the same time, regardless of their location, meaning some competitors will run from sundown to sunrise with others running from sunrise to sunset.  Australian runners will start their race in Melbourne at 9pm AEST, running through the night and into the early morning.

The Wings for Life World Run was introduced to support the not-for-profit Wings for Life Foundation, which funds spinal cord research projects all over the world, with 100% of entry fees  going directly to the foundation. In 2014, $4,380,000 was raised in Australia for the foundation – a huge contribution to a worthwhile cause.

The Wings for Life World Run is all about the last man and woman standing to take out first place, fuelled by pure adrenalin. The very last Australian runner of the 2014 race, Dave Kennedy,  completed a staggering 43.89km to finish in the top thirty in the world. His incredible feat added a significant amount to the 530,928 kilometres that were run in total. This is the equivalent of  one runner completing more than 13 laps around the world.

Open to runners of all abilities, ages and nationalities, the Wings for Life World Run brings a set of extraordinary challenges to its competitors. Besides the hurdle of starting with thousands of participants at exactly the same time, thirty minutes after the start of the race a “Catcher Car” begins to follow them. Instead of runners pursuing a finish line, the Catcher Car will be hot on their heels, and once a runner is passed by the “Catcher Car”, electronic sensors register the athlete’s chips, meaning their race is over.

This year, Australia’s race is moving to Melbourne, and will see Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo joining the race equipped with start number 1, amongst a host of other Australian  famous faces and sporting stars, in the aim to support the Wings for Life World Race and the Wings for Life Foundation.

The race features a series of breathtaking routes, some passing through deserts while others traverse some of the world’s most beautiful country-sides and others follow scenic coastlines. This year, five new tracks have been added in Japan, Russia, Dubai, Denmark, and a second track in Germany.

Participants running the Wings for Life World Race are running for those who can’t. Millions of people around the world are living with a spinal cord injury. Every year, at least 250,000 more sustain a traumatic spinal cord injury, following traffic accidents, tragic falls and slips.

Register now at www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com.