Wings for Life ?zmir runs first, parties later

Some 8,000 people gathered in Gündo?du Square in the Aegean province of ?zmir on May 8 to "run for those who cannot run" as part of the "Wings for Life World Run 2016."

The event, which takes place in 34 different locations with the participation of 130,000 people globally, aims to raise funds for spinal damage treatment research. The Wings for Life Organization, carried out for the third time, spreads onto six continents, where running starts everywhere at the same time, meaning a nighttime run in Japan equals inconvenient noon heat in ?zmir.

The Wings for Life ?zmir organizers claimed that ?zmir's participation made it the second largest globally, after Vienna. Although announcements stressed the run was "an awareness event" rather than a race, new records were broken globally. Giorgio Calcaterra won the Wings for Life World Run 2016 after outpacing the Catcher Car for five hours and 30 minutes in Milan, Italy. The Italian runner covered a record distance of 88.4 km to outdo everyone else taking part around the world. Kaori Yoshida of Japan ran a whopping 65.78 km in Takashima, smashing the previous female record of 56.33 km, said a statement from Run for Life.

In ?zmir, Svetlana Sheperava was first among women and Ahmet Bayram was the winner in the men's category.

The ?zmir run was a source of pride for local associations, universities, businesses and the region's colorful youth. T-shirts from ?zmir's P?nar Kar??yaka basketball team were seen throughout the event, with more than 360 athletes signing up, making it the sixth largest team to sign up for the global event. The ?zmir Trade Chamber (IZTO) was there with 131 volunteers to signify its 131-year history, while the Hilton ?zmir team with 100 people in their white shirts...