New Record Broken at Wings for Life World Run

The previous top mark was set last year with 265,818 participants. This year, participants from 191 nations took part, running in 170 countries. At the event, which started at 1:00 PM (CEST) in support of spinal cord research, Lower Austrian Andreas Vojta delivered an exceptionally strong debut in the ultra-run, finishing second worldwide.

Vojta came second worldwide with 68.54 km

Four weeks after his ninth place at the Vienna City Marathon (VCM), Vojta was caught by the "Catcher Car" after 68.54 km in the vicinity of Tulln during the "Flagship" run that started at Vienna's Heldenplatz. The car included, among others, the two-time snowboard Olympic champion Anna Gasser. Vojta now holds the fifth-longest distance in the current leaderboard of this event. The record is now held by the Japanese Jo Fukuda. The Asian, who ran in Vienna in 2024, improved the previous top mark in Fukuoka during his third victory with 71.67 km by more than 1.5 km.

13,500 participated in the "Flagship Run" in Vienna

While the third-placed Englishman Jake Barraclough in Tokyo came 680 m less far than Vojta, his compatriot Lemawork Ketema ran 65.03 km in Vienna and its surroundings, placing ninth worldwide. The top distance for women was achieved by the German Esther Pfeiffer in Munich with 59.03 km. The most athletes set off at the sold-out Vienna event with 13,500 people. Additionally, 114 local events were organized in Austria, with 74,087 Austrians participating worldwide.

100 percent of all entry fees and the 8.6 million euros in donations from the event benefit spinal cord research. Numerous current and former sports stars from Austria, such as Thomas Morgenstern, Lukas Müller, Manuel Feller, Andreas Goldberger, Andreas Ulmer, Benjamin Karl, Johannes Lamparter, and Michael Strasser, participated this time to generate as many kilometers and donations as possible for a cure for paraplegia. The event will take place on May 10, 2026.

(APA/Red)

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