In a race last year I sighed up with a web-based service that allowed my chip times to be sent to my Facebook page and to Twitter. You're likely asking the same question my wife Sally did at the time, “Who cares about your 'chip time'”? To be honest, I couldn't answer her before the race but when I got home afterward I was pleasantly surprised with the response from friends and family on Facebook who saw my progress as I crossed the various timing mats. And Sally confessed that yes she had checked my progress as well.
Just last week, I heard about this new iPhone App that does it directly from your smartphone while running. Not chip times but real, live tracking. Now Sally can keep track of where I am…and not just during races
but on my long slow distance training runs. Below is an excerpt from the letter we received from the developer with where and how to get the App:
Hello
I would like to quickly take the opportunity to introduce an iPhone app that I had developed after I ran last years Edinburgh Marathon, at which my wife stood for 5 hours wondering where I was on the course and how quickly I was moving along!
Not a great experience for her and she only got to see me once at the start and then at the finish line!
So to fix this problem for future events I had the MyWhereAbouts app developed.
The basic principles behind the app are to keep the athletes friends and family either at the event or anywhere in the world informed of their progress, pace and location through real-time ‘Tweets’ or ‘Posts’ to Twitter and Facebook.
Now when my wife comes to an event she can see dire
ctly on her iPhone where I am on the course, how far away I am from her which allows her to confidently move to points on the route to cheer me on!
As you would expect the app has all the usual features of a training app along with the added functionality for charity runners/cyclists etc to post their ‘Giving’ page website link on every update during the race to help drive those last minute donations.
Please have a look our Facebook Page for more information, screen images and the many other day to day uses the app has for people on the move who want to keep Friends, Family informed of their real-time progress and location. You can download the App at MyWhereAbouts.
Android and Blackberry versions of the app will also be available very soon.
This does look like a cool. And very useful. If you try it, we'd love to hear about your experience. I'll definitely update you when I use it in my upcoming races this year.
Until next time…
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For more information check the Reggae Marathon Web Site. To register now for some great prizes, click here for the Reggae Marathon Registration Page.
