Colin Jackson & Ben Tansley

We spoke to Colin and Ben in January 2025

At this year's National Running Show we caught up with Colin Jackson and Ben Tansley to find out about Wings For Life World Run. We discussed spinal injuries, training, motivation, and how people can get involved in the event.

The Interview—Colin Jackson

Colin Jackson, CBE, is an author, BBC commentator and pundit, and a former 110 meters hurdles world champion, world record holder, and Olympic medallist.

Colin, what's Wings for Life all about and how are you involved?

Wings for Life raises money for spinal cord research. Every single penny that's raised goes to labs and into research to try to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. We're the biggest fundraisers for spinal cord research. As an example, last year we got over eight million Euro on the day of the run, which is great. And we know that all that money is spent really well.

As for me, I'm the International Sports Director for Wings for Life. Many guises. But the main thing for me is to promote the event really boldly and strongly. Another thing I have to keep an eye on is cheating!

How does the race work?

On May 4^th, you as a runner start at 11 am UTC. And that's the same no matter where you are in the world. So we'll have people running at all times of day. For some it'll be before breakfast and for others it might be in the middle of the night. You have a 30-minute head start on what we call the Catcher Car, and when the Catcher Car catches you that's the end of your race.

Once you've signed up you download the Wings for Life World Run app and that guides you along with audio and keeps track of what you're doing. The app has a virtual Catcher Car that'll tell you when your race is over.

Sounds like everybody can get involved.

Absolutely. You don't have to be a great runner. Just take your time. You can walk, jog, run—whatever you like. The key thing is to just get out there and do it.

You said you keep an eye on cheating. Surely people don't really cheat?

Well, not really cheaters. But we can help people stick to the rules. It's all about going as far as you can go. It's that old thing that you'd only be cheating yourself really.

We do like people to have a good time and to enjoy the process. If you're using the app you put your headphones on, and have fun listening to us chatting away to you. It means you never feel like you're alone

“Every penny of your entry fee goes towards spinal cord research”

Looks like a bargain. How are the costs covered?

Sponsors really help us, and that means that nobody loses out. Red Bull cover all the costs, which means that every penny of your entry fee goes towards spinal cord research. One of the things we're really proud of is we've got a brand that is really pushing and using their status to make us come alive. That's really important. We've made good use of their marketing skills and their marketing budget for promotion. For us it's great.

Are you in training for it yourself? What does your exercise regime look like these days?

Oh, wow. I could not put myself through what I used to do! Nowadays, if I do a yoga class then I do a yoga class, if I run I run, if I walk I walk. So, for me, I don't have a set training agenda. My goal is just to keep active and that's the most important thing for me. It's more of a lifestyle thing which goes day by day.

Let's pretend you could travel back in time to peak fitness and you're allowed to run any athlete from any era in any race? Who is it and what happens?

That would have to be Ed Moses in the 400 metre hurdles. Just so I can see how good he really was!

And who's going to win? Remember, it's your fantasy race.

Oh, Ed is winning all the way. I am a long way behind.

See the results of Colin and Ed's race

Keep up with Colin on instagram.

The Interview—Ben Tansley

Ben Tansley is an all-round athlete who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2017 following a motorcycle accident. Not one to waste time, Ben completed a parkrun in a wheelchair the day after he left hospital, he can now walk with crutches and has an impressive list of sporting achievements under his belt.

Ben, how would you describe Wings For Life?

Wings For Life is really hope for anyone with a spinal cord injury that one day it isn't going to be a problem. There are loads of causes out there that get lots of funding, but spinal cord injury not so much. Wings for Life is putting so much money into research, and one day they're going to solve the problem. It's just a great charity with great people.

Everybody involved seems really optimistic about finding a cure

There are a number of amazing charities out there, like the Spinal Injuries Association, that help people getting back to life and back into sport, but what stands our for me with Wings for Life is they want to solve the problem. It's not a case of just providing assistance to people with spinal cord injury, it's about getting to the root cause of the problem.

You're very optimistic about your own injury. Is it correct that you were told you were unlikely to be able to stand again following your accident?

Over the course of about two weeks I was in and out of consciousness, and I would get bits of information from everybody. Nobody was really allowed to deliver me news. I'd ask the nurses, “Am I gonna walk again?” and they'd be a bit vague, like, “Oh, we'll see.” So when the surgeon came back round and my brother asked the question the surgeon wasn't positive and my stomach went. Although I knew it was coming, hearing it was another thing entirely.

Then we had a bit of a conversation, and I asked him, “How do you truly know I'm never gonna walk? and he said, Look, based on everything I know, it's highly unlikely.” So, I picked up on that. He'd gone from "never" to "highly unlikely" in the space of our conversation, so there is hope. He said, “I like your way of thinking.”

I think they have to deliver worst case, because they don't want to give false hope—or even get sued. If they had said that there was a chance I could walk and then it turned out I couldn't that would be bad. But if you start with the worst case things can only get better.

How optimistic were you feeling at that point?

My son was on the back of the bike with me. So, the first question I asked when I woke up was, “Is Jude OK?” I'd rather push myself round in a wheelchair than have to push him. So, I accepted it and said to myself, “I've had a life. I'm 30 years old.” I always believe something good comes from something bad; things happen for a reason. So, I accepted it then and there. But at the same time I decided I was going to beat this. So I accepted the worst, but I was also gonna push myself for the best. It's a really hard thing to explain quite how I felt. I was neither one thing nor the other.

“If you can accept the situation for what it is right now then you can actually move forward”

From day one I haven't had a down day. Not one. And anyone around me will tell you the truth. Everyone used to tell me that I'd have days of depression, but I haven't. I think that's the power of acceptance, no matter what you go through. If you can accept the situation for what it is right now then you can actually move forward. If I'd have still been thinking, ”Oh, I wish I was doing that. I wish I was doing this.” Then, yeah, I'd still be stuck there. Really you can't recover until you accept the way things are.

Did people assume you were in denial?

There was a lot of that. I mean, you do have to process everything at some stage. That's part of the process of acceptance. But for me, the day I became a dad, my life was about being the best dad I could be, so I knew if I woke up paralysed or sad that would affect my children, so I couldn't. It probably would have been a different story had I not been a father.

What was the journey to walk again?

The day I came out of hospital I did a 5k in my chair. I was an hour in the morning on a special FES bike. I'd drive two hours to the physio, do two hours there, drive two hours home, go to the gym, another hour's physio, and another hour on the bike. I did that religiously for a year and a half. That was five hours a day. And I was thinking to myself all the time, “I am gonna beat this.”

I didn't mind being in a wheelchair and I know I will be again, what with old age and degeneration. Life is a bit difficult in a chair. For example, getting in and out of a car is a hell of a lot easier with crutches than it is with a wheelchair.

What does your exercise regime look like these days?

I've gone through loads of transitions of weight training, and other things. I've actually really started enjoying the swim in the last six months or so. I had never swum before but now I stick a mile in most days and I've grown to love it. It started when I was challenged by this protein company to do a one mile open water swim.

The idea was I'd meet an Olympian, Alice Tai. She'd give me a training plan for eight weeks, and I'd do the swim. But it turned out a mistake was made with the timings and instead of eight weeks I only had 18 days! So I went from a non-swimmer to doing a mile in Lake Windemere after 18 days. It was probably the stupidest thing I agreed to do, but it did make me fall in love with swimming.

You used to box as well, didn't you?

Yeah, boxing was a bit of a family sport. My brother's done it and I did it from a young age. Seriously, from about 12, 13, and I kind of started just because it was a family sport, but grew to love it. But ultimately a big part of that is running. I was running three or four times a week, every week.

It's great for all-round fitness, isn't it?

Oh yeah. It's a different energy system to a long run. Certainly, when I got serious with the boxing and we went from standard runs to sprints, there was a real difference in fatigue levels. I couldn't even stand up after some of those sessions. It's a great sport for fitness and it also teaches you a lot about yourself. You walk into a ring with the crowd there, and the nerves and so on. It teaches you a lot about life and it translates into learning about sport.

With boxing if you don't put the work in you don't get results. It's up to you. And it was the same with getting back to walking. Nobody else was going to make me walk. It doesn't matter how much motivation they give you or advice, it was only ever me.

So, let's say you could walk, run, wheel yourself against any competitor you like in a race. Who would it be and what would happen?

If I could go back to being 20 I would love to race that version of myself knowing what I know now. Going through what I've been through now and who I am I would push myself more than ever. So it's my 20-year-old body with my 20-year-old brain versus my 20-year-old body with my 39-year-old brain. We'll do a 10k and I'll beat him by a couple of minutes.

The whippersnapper never stood a chance

You can follow Ben on instagram. And if you're ever in King's Lynn, then why not visit his gym.