Wings for Life World Runners break records. Again.

On Sunday, May 3, the virtual Catcher Car had a big job to do: chase down 77,103 App Runners who started their race at 11am UTC on their own handpicked trails worldwide.

Separated by distance, but united in spirit, App Runners across the globe covered an incredible 924,960km – that’s 23 loops of the planet – before that single virtual Catcher Car finished last runner Michael Taylor’s race at 4:12pm UTC. He’d covered 69.9km.

It seems having the Catcher Car in their ears for the entire race pushed the App Runners to keep going that little bit further.

Even with no crowds, no refreshment stations, no pre-race party, 27,582 still reached 15k. Another 12,342 covered a half-marathon and 291 claimed a marathon – in part thanks to the jovial taunts of the Catcher Car in their earphones.

Veterans of the Wings for Life World Run – Aron Anderson, Dominika Stelmach, Florian Neuschwander – rethought their game plan, leading to an electrifying last few minutes of the race, some impressive distances and even a few personal records.

But it was Michael Taylor, running in the UK, and Nina Zarina in the States, who went the furthest. They claimed the Global Champion crowns after 69.9km and 54.2km of the extraordinary Wings for Life World Run 2020.

For Zarina, this was her second global title. For ultrarunner Michael Taylor, though, it was his first Wings for Life World Run outing. And when Sports Director, Olympic hurdler and Taylor’s idol Colin Jackson called him to congratulate him on his global win, it all got a bit emotional.

How far did you run, walk or roll on Sunday, May 3? We’d love to know your story – share it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.