On Sunday, for the 12th time, the world came together to run for those who can’t, as nearly a third of a million runners, wheelchair users and professional athletes around the globe participated in the Wings for Life World Run. At 11:00pm NZST a record-breaking 310,719 participants of 191 nationalities set off simultaneously in 170 countries, running, walking or rolling to keep ahead of a moving finish line called the Catcher Car.
Jo Fukuda of Japan set a distance record for the event by reaching 71.67 km as the men’s winner, while Germany’s Esther Pfeiffer achieved 59.03 km in claiming the women’s title, becoming the country’s first-ever women’s global champion. In New Zealand, Jett Taylor claimed the males title with 46.6km and Alana Lythe the women’s with 39.3km. New Zealand’s para-athlete winner was Maia Amai with 25.2km rolled. The funds raised by the participants around the world will help brilliant researchers take the next steps toward finding a cure for spinal cord injury.
In the 2025 edition of the largest running event in the world, the runners and wheelchair users covered an average of 12.4 km each, for a total distance equivalent to nearly 64 times around the equator. Yet what they celebrated most was the fun and spirit of joining together for a good cause. A new single-year record of 8.6 million euros was raised, and as always, 100% goes directly to promising spinal cord research projects and clinical trials supported by the not-for-profit Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation.
Wings for Life CEO Anita Gerhardter said, “I am over the moon about the results of the Wings for Life World Run. One shared mission and so much love and energy from every corner of the world. With 310,917 world runners joining in, we raised 8.6 million euros for spinal cord research. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this day so special – whether you walked, ran, rolled, volunteered, or cheered us on. You’re the heartbeat of this movement. Together, we’ll find a cure for spinal cord injury. Thanks again and see you at the start line next year on May 10, 2026!“
Worldwide, participants ran individually with the Wings for Life World Run App or came together at one of 452 App Run Events (another record), which were held at a range of stunning locations, from within the Arctic Circle at Tromsø (NOR) to the vibrant bayfront in Miami (USA) and to Panama City (PAN), Cape Town (RSA), Madrid (ESP), London (GBR), Dubai (UAE), Tokyo (JPN), Sydney (AUS) and Rio de Janeiro (BRA). Others took part in one of the seven large-scale Flagship Runs held in Vienna (AUT), Munich (GER), Zug (SUI), Ljubljana (SLO), Zadar (CRO), Poznań (POL) and Breda (NED) – all joined by numerous high-profile sports professionals, performing artists and influencers.
For instance, the Catcher Car at the Flagship Run in Vienna was driven by two-time Olympic snowboard champion Anna Gasser, while in Poznań, ski jumping legend Adam Małysz was in the cockpit. In the unique Audio Experience of the Wings for Life World Run App, runners heard a celebrity driver of the Virtual Catcher Car encouraging them in a familiar language, such as former alpine skiing star and Dakar Rally winner Luc Alphand (speaking French), badminton sensation Tzu Ying Tai (traditional Chinese) and rock band frontman Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs (UK English).
Many stars were running themselves, such as Red Bull Head of Global Soccer Jürgen Klopp (GER), skier Eileen Gu (CHN), surfing’s Carissa Moore (USA), hurdler Karsten Warholm (NOR), trials rider Fabio Wibmer (AUT), triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), tennis players Dominic Thiem (AUT), gamer Masato ‘Bonchan’ Takahashi (JPN), rally racing’s Sébastien Loeb (FRA), paddler Jessica Fox (AUS), cycling’s Tom Pidcock (GBR), skateboarders Leticia Bufoni (BRA) and Ryan Sheckler (USA), father and son windsurfing athletes Björn Dunkerbeck (DEN) and Liam Dunkerbeck (ESP).
While the run is an exhilarating day out for participants of every fitness level, on the sporting side new chapters were written. Jo Fukuda delivered a performance of historic proportions to claim his third global title. With an astounding 71.67km run, Fukuda not only shattered Tomoya Watanabe’s 2024 distance record, but also extended the world record by an incredible 1.58km. Fukuda’s performance was nothing short of a masterclass in ultra running, solidifying his place as a world-class winner.
“I’m really happy I won because I was absolutely determined to win again this year!”, Fukuda said after completing his monumental run.
The women’s competition also delivered a thrilling finish, with a historic breakthrough for Germany. In Munich, Esther Pfeiffer became the country’s first-ever women’s global champion in spectacular fashion. Clocking 59.03km, she also earned the accolade of becoming only the second woman ever to surpass the 59km mark, coming remarkably close to the all-time distance record. It was a magical moment for Pfeiffer, who fought hard through the final kilometers to secure the win and her place in the history books. Pfeiffer’s husband Hendrik also finished his race as the men’s winner at the Munich Flagship Run, and achieved fifth place globally.
“The first kilometers were really easy, but then after 30km it was really tough because I’m not running longer than 25km in my training. At every kilometer there were a lot of people who cheered for me, and that’s why I’m at 59km now!” Pfeiffer commented after securing her win.
In the Wings for Life World Run, everyone worldwide starts simultaneously at 11:00 am UTC – which, for example, is 1:00 pm in Central Europe, 11:00 pm in mainland New Zealand and 4:00 am in Vancouver, Canada – so the participants experienced a variety of conditions. According to the official race weather forecaster, UBIMET, the hottest temperature recorded was in Dubai at 41°C and the coldest 6°C in Stockholm. Participants in Almeria faced wind speeds of 76km/h whilst the wettest conditions were recorded in the Red Bull Ring, Austria.
Since the first edition in 2014, a total of 1,870,253 Wings for Life World Run participants have raised a tally of 60.53 million euros. A total of 324 promising research projects and clinical trials have been supported by the Wings for Life foundation since its founding in 2004, all chosen through an exacting selection procedure.
The 13th edition of the Wings for Life World Run will take place on May 10, 2026. Registration for 2026 – including numerous App Run Events (with more to follow), all Flagship Runs and running individually with the Wings for Life World Run App – will open on November 5, 2025. For more information, to receive notifications and to register: www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com.
Full results list, news and reactions are available at www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com.
