Kenya joined the rest of the world in participating in the ‘Wings for Life World Run’ to create awareness for spinal cord injuries and research.
The race attracted 161,892 participants globally, including world record holder athletes.
The App-based run was held in different parts of the world and saw people drawn from 192 countries register for the event.
Two physical runs were organized in Kenya; the first at Jamhuri Sports Grounds, Ngong Road and the second at Indiana Ocean Beach Club, Diani.
The charity run, was open to everyone and attracted both elite and casual runners alike.
The run also saw the participation of reigning 100m African champion, Ferdinand Omanyala, paraplegic rally driver, Nikhil Schania, and the National Duathlon athlete, James Mwaura.
James Mwaura covered 28km to become the last man running in Kenya.
In Diani, Sophia Nekesa, covered the longest distance by registering 16.5km.
Globally, Nina Zarina and Jo Fukuda, registered the longest distance in the Women’s and men’s categories respectively. Nina Zarina covered a total of 56km while Jo Fukuda covered a total of 64.4 km.
Jo Fukuda, who is part of the NN running team, attributed his performance to the inspiration that he got from fellow teammate, Eliud Kipchoge.
“Seeing my friend Eliud Kipchoge make the world a better place through his run, it inspired me to also want to do the same through running as well,” he said.
According to Rally Driver, Nikhil Schania, the run was a step in the right direction towards efforts of supporting people with Spinal Cord complications.
“Apart from supporting efforts in Spinal Cord Research, the run was an opportunity for me to improve on my fitness, “Schania stated.
The reigning 100m African record holder, Ferdinand Omanyala, added that he decided to participate in the event to run for those who could not run due to spinal cord injuries.
“The main reason I joined the race was to support spinal cord injury victims and to raise awareness for Spinal Cord Injuries and research in the community and run for those who can’t,” Omanyala said.
Reflecting on his performance in the race the reigning last man standing in the 2021 Edition of the run, James Mwaura, said that even though he was not able to reach his target, of 70 km the aim of the run was achieved and that was to run for a good course.
“We are here for a purpose and the purpose is to make the world a better place for everyone,” Mwaura cited.
In total 161,892 participants from 4,055 teams drawn from all over the world registered for this year’s event with 920 wheelchair participants in attendance globally.
All the proceeds raised from the charity run will go into funding and supporting Spinal Cord research and curing in different parts of the world.
Focus now shifts to the next Edition of the run, which will be held on May 7th 2023.
By Evangeline Mola
