Sandra Laros (53) from Oosterhout is a runner in heart and soul. The Wings for Life World Run in Breda is a special event for her. In 2015 she was the woman who ran the most kilometers in the game, in 2017 she had the largest team and next Sunday the ambassador will participate in a huge team: “I like to run a long way, but my biggest goal is to collect as much money as possible for charity.”
Sandra Laros has been active as a athlete since she was twelve. On the track she got the Dutch top and in the field walking she even got the European and World Championship.
Until the year 2000 she ran at a high level, but also afterwards she often put on her running shoes. In 2015, Sandra was there when the Wings for Life World Run was held in Breda for the first time. She lasted more than 37 kilometers before she was overtaken by the Catcher Car. If this moving finish line has passed by, you are finished.
A year later she chose to do the competition in the US state of Florida. “Because the start of the world is the start at the same time, we started there at seven o’clock in the morning. I made it 39 kilometers and became the fourth woman.”
Read also
This year Sandra hopes to cover a big distance in Breda, but her main goal is different from winning. She wants to participate with the largest possible team. “In 2017 we had the largest team with 150 participants, this year the counter of ‘Roll and Run’ is 174. We have already raised 8100 euros.”
In the genes
That running is in the genes of Sandra and her husband Marcel is evident from the fact that their sons are Lars and Niels talented. Niels even belongs to the absolute world top and was chosen last year as European athletics talent of the year. At the Olympic Games he took sixth place in the 1500 meters.
Research
The total yield of the Wings for Life World Run is for research into spinal cord. “For many people it goes without saying that they can run. In my work as a physiotherapist I see that that is certainly not the case for everyone. That is why I think it is great that many thousands of people are participating in this event worldwide. Whether they run, walk or sit in a wheelchair, everyone has his or her own goal.”
Live at Omroep Brabant
Omroep Brabant will be live on Sunday 4 May at the Wings for Life World Run on TV, Web/App and via Brabant+. The broadcast starts at 12.55 pm.