Avtex and Twin Cities In Motion Partner to Bring Races to Fans’ Mobile Phones
St. Paul, Minn. - September 28, 2016: Fans of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and the Medtronic TC 10 Mile on October 9 can follow the progress of runners via text message again this year thanks to AthleteTracker, powered by Avtex, a complimentary application that will send real-time reports on individual runners on race day.
Avtex, a provider of customer experience technology solutions, is again partnering with Twin Cities In Motion to bring the state’s premier running events closer to the people following them. Fans can track up to three athletes registered in the marathon or 10 mile. As runners move along the course, real-time updates via text-message will be sent to their fans’ phones. In addition to allowing spectators to sign up and use the service, AthleteTracker includes the ability for runners to sign up and see who is following them and invite others to follow them.
"AthleteTracker takes advantage of Microsoft’s cloud technologies," said Neil Iversen, Director of Software Development at Avtex. "We send over 150,000 text messages during race time with AthleteTracker and we leverage the scalability of the cloud to provide the best experience to the fans."
The registration website has been optimized for mobility to allow individuals to sign up using a smartphone, tablet or computer. To register for the free service, visit: avtex.com/athletetracker.
At the sign up page, fans simply enter their mobile phone number and submit the names of the runners they wish to track. Athletes running in the events can use the same webpage to see who plans to follow them on race day. To use AthleteTracker, users must register by Saturday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m.
"We value our partnership with Avtex which brings AthleteTracker to our runners and spectators," Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director for Twin Cities In Motion, said. "Our runners and their friends and families appreciate having updates on how their runner is doing, and the technology also allows us to better track race leaders for event announcers and the media."
More than 22,000 runners are registered in the 35th anniversary Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and Medtronic TC 10 Mile. In turn, they will be followed by more than 300,000 fans along the course and by additional friends and family members who cannot be in Minneapolis and St. Paul on race day but who can now track the race from afar with AthleteTracker. For more information, contact athletetracker@avtex.com.
About Twin Cities In Motion (TCM): Twin Cities In Motion organizes the region’s premier running events, including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, a Top 10 U.S. Marathon. With a mission of promoting healthy lifestyles through running events and community outreach, TCM contributes a portion of every race dollar to local youth and professional athletes and helps raise more than $950,000 annually with its charity partners. For more information, visit us at TCMEvents.org, or find us on Facebook and on Twitter @tcmarathon.
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