Every year between 250000 and 500000 people suffer a spinal cord injury. All it takes is a slip, a trip or a bad fall. The tragic fact is that this type of injury can happen to anyone and the effects are life changing. Spinal cord injuries often occur during sports events, running or cycling or from a road traffic accident and the numbers are increasing as more people take to the road.
But there is hope. Wings for Life is a not-for-profit organisation set up to find a cure for spinal cord injury by funding scientific research and clinical trials around the world. Wings for Life believes in the power of technology to improve lives, and that’s a principle we share here at Hexagon. One of the founders of Wings for Life was Dietrich Mateschitz, owner of Red Bull Racing, and through our partnership we first became aware of the great work they do.
Every year since 2015 we have taken part in the Wings for Life World Run. It’s a fundraising event with a twist, you can take part using a mobile app from anywhere in the world and everyone starts running at the same time, wherever you are. There is no finishing line, instead runners are pursued by a virtual catcher car which starts chasing 30 minutes after the start.
In case you missed it, Sunday 8 May was the Wings for Life race day and now everyone has caught their breath back, it’s time to celebrate the remarkable achievement of those Hexagon heroes who took part.
This year we had more than 80 people running, from 26 different countries. Between them the total distance covered was an astonishing 1075.55 km and together they raised €3190.38 which will be doubled by Hexagon giving a grand total of €6380.
Wings for Life is all about challenging the status quo, finding a cure and solving a problem. It’s about making a positive change to bring about a better future. Here at Hexagon we love a challenge, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that such remarkable people exist within our organisation and the purpose of this blog is to celebrate those shining Hexagon stars. Let’s have a global round of applause for everyone who took part in the Wings for Life run.
The biggest congratulations goes to Mr Dariusz Szelest who ran a fantastic 37.5 km. Dariusz was closely followed by Amadeusz Juskowiak, Steve Seiler and Thorsten Schnitker, while Emily ODea was our leading lady through the course, covering an incredible 29.33 km and ranking at fifth in team Hexagon.
A Hexagon Hero: Dariusz Szelest
Well done to all the inspirational people who took part. The money raised will make an important contribution to medical research and progress the aim of finding a cure for spinal cord injury.
On behalf of Hexagon, Wings for Life and all those who will benefit from your fundraising, thank you.
