The global running movement, Run in the Dark, returns to Luxembourg on 14 November for its 5th year.
Participants can join the 5k or 10k run taking them through the heart of Luxembourg in a unique night running experience that starts at 20:00. Run in the Dark is the main fundraiser of the Mark Pollock Trust, which is named after blind Irish adventure athlete Mark Pollock who suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury in 2010 when he fell from a second-storey window, which left him paralysed. Prior to the accident, Mark had competed in ultra-endurance races across deserts, mountains, and the polar ice caps and was the first blind person to race to the South Pole.
The first Run in the Dark took place in Ireland in 2011 to support Mark while he was still in hospital. Powered by Mark’s friends and the Irish expat community, the event quickly spread beyond Ireland to all corners of the world, with runs taking place in Edmonton, New York, Luxembourg, Sydney, and Singapore, all in support of the Mark Pollock Trust.
In the past year, fuelled by Run in the Dark, the Mark Pollock Trust has secured two new sets of Ekso Bionics robotic legs worth more than $400,000. Both exoskeletons are used as research devices in Irish universities in studies with paralysed people.
Commenting on his quest to cure paralysis Mark Pollock said: “We believe we can cure paralysis in our lifetime. And, right now, we are at an exciting inflection point with the research. Breakthrough therapies have been discovered and some will be made available to paralysed people within the next 10 years, if we support our collaborators to navigate a pathway from scientific breakthrough, to regulatory approval and commercialisation. By making these therapies available, we will change the lives of up to 500,000 people worldwide who suffer the injury each year.”
Jane Murray, Luxembourg ambassador for Run in the Dark said: “We are delighted to bring Run in the Dark to Luxembourg again this year and would like to thank our partners ING, Kerry Group, DMS Governance, and Big Beer Company for their support. Run in the Dark is one of the highlights of the running calendar in Luxembourg, not just because of the unique experience, but also due to the important cause powering the event. Every run entry, every donation, every step moves us towards a cure for paralysis and enabling people to walk again.”
Sign up to Run in the Dark Luxembourg at www.runinthedark.org/luxembourg
