On May 4, 2014, the inaugural Wings for Life World Run hopes to draw 150,000 runners to participate in up to 40 simultaneous races around the world.

Four of the races will happen in the U.S., with runs taking place in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Sunrise, Florida; Denver, Colorado; and Santa Clarita, California. Race organizers guarantee that 100% of the revenue, including all entry and sponsor fees, will help fund spinal cord research through the Wings for Life foundation.

Unlike in most races, the Wings for Life World Run’s participants will not run a fixed distance. Instead, runners will run until a “catcher car,” which serves as a moving finish line, passes them. Based on the pace at which the catcher car will travel, the race winners will likely have to run ultramarathon distances to outlast the competition, but the unique format of the race allows runners of all abilities to participate.

At 10:00 a.m. UTC (6:00 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast, 3:00 a.m. on the West Coast), runners on six continents in each of the 35 to 40 locations will begin racing simultaneously. Thirty minutes after the start of the race, each race’s catcher car will set out at a pace of 9.32 miles per hour (15 kilometers per hour), and increase its pace slightly in fixed increments that will be consistent across the globe.

The event’s web site features a “Personal Goal Calculator” that allows participants to figure out how fast they’ll need to run to cover any given distance. A runner moving at 12:00 mile pace will cover a total of 5.5 miles. Sustaining 8:30 pace would allow a participant to make it 13 miles, and 6:10 pace would allow a competitor to cover approximately 50 miles.

Viewers will be able to track participants’ progress in real time online, and the race will be webcast live. If all goes well, viewers will know who the global male and female champions are as the race is happening. Race organizers are in discussions regarding the international and domestic television rights for the event.

Each runner will carry a timing chip. However, instead of running toward a set finish line, “the finish line is actually chasing you,” as Evan Korn, race director of the Atlantic City, New Jersey event, puts it. As each runner is passed by the catcher car, he or she is eliminated from the race. The distance each participant covers will be recorded and can be compared worldwide. Location champions will win a trip to a future Wings for Life World Run event of their choosing, and global champions will earn a trip around the world.

Each race course will have “rest areas,” which, according to Korn are “medical, water, and transportation hubs.” Runners who have been eliminated from the race will make their way to the closest rest area and catch shuttle buses to the post-race celebration, near each race’s starting line.

Though the concept of holding races simultaneously is not unique—the YMCA did so with its “World Largest Run” in 2001—the concept of using a catcher car and moving finish line is new. Technologically speaking, it is likely the most ambitious running event any organization has ever attempted.

The Wings for Life research foundation was founded by Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz and two-time motocross world champion Heinz Kinigadner after Kinigadner’s son, Hannes, was involved in a motocross accident that left him quadriplegic. The mission of the foundation is to find ways to cure all those affected by spinal cord injuries.

Though race promoters are quick to point out that the race is a Wings for Life event, Red Bull is covering all of the costs, including employing staff to manage all aspects of the race, so that all of the proceeds can go toward funding spinal cord research. The event’s tagline is “Running for those who can’t.”

Each race location will offer a wheelchair division, which will have a separate start and its own catcher car, which will travel at a faster pace. The wheelchair race will begin before the running race to maximize safety.

The format of the Wings for Life World Run poses all kinds of unique challenges for race directors. However, Zoltan Polgar, director of the event in Sunrise, Florida, says that, thanks to the “effort, technology, and the brain power that Wings for Life World Run has behind it,” planning has not been as challenging as one might expect.

Korn said that the race course in Atlantic City is still being finalized, but that he’ll plan for runners to be able to cover up to 100 kilometers, which would require a world record pace, based on the pace the catcher car will travel. An added challenge is that, because of the chip technology, courses can never allow race leaders to double back and cross paths with other runners in the field while the catcher car is out on the course. Doing so would potentially cause the leaders to be eliminated prematurely.

The catcher cars will be driven by humans. Korn and Polgar were unable to say at this time what technology will be used to ensure that catcher cars across all 35 to 40 locations travel at the same pace, but they guaranteed that would be the case. Polgar also said that race courses would be wide enough to guarantee that the catcher cars will be able to proceed at their desired paces without obstruction.

Without prize money, it’s uncertain what level of competition each race location will attract, but the novelty of the event is likely to attract some strong runners. World class ultrarunner Karl Meltzer, who is sponsored by Red Bull, has committed to participating in the Denver race.

“I’d like to last near the end, but at the same time, it’s really about running for those people that can’t,” Meltzer says. “We’re [running to] raise money for spinal cord injury [research]. I have a certain pace I’ll run. I think once that catcher car gets closer, I may be inspired to keep moving.”

The maximum field size for each race location is 5,000 runners; Korn and Polgar expect the races to reach capacity. The early registration cost is $50, but it will go as high as $70 before registration closes on April 20. Participants must be at least 18 years of age by race day.

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