THE wait is nearly over for the first Wings for Life World Run on Sunday.
With residents being able to register for the event on the day, V8 champion Jamie Whincup said there was no excuse for Busselton to get on board.
So far there are 520 people registered to race the world first event in Busselton.
People will be able to register on Sunday May 4 at the Busselton Foreshore.
There will be a runner pump-up zone in the afternoon to get everyone ready for the race.
Whincup is just one of the high profile athletes who will be in town for the inaugural event.
Other athletes include Ellyse Perry, Matt Poole, Courtney Atkinson, Jessica Fox, Alex Pullin and Ross Clarke Jones.
Olympian Steve Hooker will also be bringing along his wife and young child to the event which will start at 6pm.
While Whincup said he did not need to change his training regime, Hooker said he had been trying to longer runs to last the distance.
“I will be running with my wife and son, so I will have to get used to pushing the pram as well,” Hooker said.
Whincup hopes to reach 20 kilometres before the catcher car comes past him but Hooker is in it for the scenery.
“I’m just looking forward to running through beautiful Busselton with my family and everyone else who turns up on the day to support the event,” Hooker said.
Triathlete Courtney Atkinson will also be running in Busselton and Whincup’s tip to win the Australian race and potentially the world title.
“My guess is Courtney Atkinson will get the furthest in the quickest time, but there might be a couple of proper runners who will turtle pass him at the end,” Whincup said.
While Atkinson might be vying for the top spot, Hooker is hoping for a different title.
“It would be a huge honour to be the first runner eliminated globally, I fear Katya, my wife, might pull me out of last place though,” he said.
The Wings for Life World Run will be raising money for spinal cord injury research, something which is close to Hooker’s heart.
“A friend who I used to coach for Pole Vault had her life permanently changed by spinal cord injury,” Hooker said.
“Watching her go through that change is something that will always stay with me.”
For more information about the event see our dedicated page at busseltonmail.com.au
