Running for those who can’t.
It was a fresh Melbourne Autumn eve on Sunday that I found myself shivering along with around 3000 runners and numerous cold support crew at the Wings for Life World Run; the only race where the finishing line catches you.
When our good friend Nicole threw it out to the universe that she was in some serious training for this event I decided it was time to get involved. I fell in love with the simple idea that the car chases me and I hadn’t stolen anything. This wasn’t your usual ma & pa fun run on a Sunday morning. I didn’t have to worry about yummy mummies with strollers and overly ambitious people trying to knee cap me in an attempt to get a PB.
Start line.
Armed with some warm clothing, some great friends and the personal goal of reaching 5km in an hour it all seemed rather achievable. At 9pm the proverbial gun went off and we were off and shuffling.
It was an amazing sight being amongst 3000 other runners in high-vis and armed with LedLense headlights (cheers to LedLense for donating these. I was super impressed with how the headlamp sat flat and didn’t move during the event) heading off. It felt as if I was in the middle of a swarm of fireflies. All bright, shiny and very visible.
The end result saw me shuffle out 8.5kms or 5.3miles in just over an hour. Not too shabby for someone who’s training consisted of thinking about going for a run, but walking the dogs to the cafe instead.
Photo credit-Nicole Tattersall
The very serious lady runners. Photo credit-Nicole Tattersall
Some quick FAQ’s about this unique event.
The Wings for Life World Run is a global running and wheelchair event. The race finishes when the last person is caught by the Catcher Car.
How does the Catcher Car work?
The Catcher Car has some clever tech that activates when you run past at the start of the race and logs your distance when the Catcher Car passes you and your race is over. You’ll know when the car is getting close by as some friendly, official cyclists will let you know.
When does the Catcher Car increase its speed and how fast does it go?
It starts 30 minutes after the race starts, then gets faster:
- 11.30am UTC – Catcher Car starts – pace: 15km/hr (9.32mph)
- 12.30am UTC – pace increases to 16km/hr (9.94 mph)
- 13.30am UTC – pace increases to 17km/hr (10.56 mph)
- 14.30am UTC – pace increases to 20 km/hr (12.43 mph)
- 16.30am UTC – pace increases to 35km/hr (21.75 mph)
Catcher Car
Wings for life Certificate 2015 see I really did it!
