Text Updates Available For TCM Races

MINNEAPOLIS — Fans of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and the Medtronic TC 10 Mile this coming Sunday 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, will once again partner with Twin Cities In Motion to bring the state’s premiere running events closer to the people following them. Fans can now track up to three athletes registered in the marathon or ten 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, this year AthleteTracker includes the ability for runners to sign-up and see who is following them and invite others to follow them.

“We received a lot of great feedback from runners last year and wanted to improve the experience to allow them to have some control over who was following them,” said Eric Raarup, Chief Marketing Technology Officer for Avtex.

This year, AthleteTracker will also take advantage of the latest cloud technologies from Microsoft. Raarup added, “We send tens of thousands of text messages with AthleteTracker and we wanted to leverage the scalability of the cloud during the race.”

The registration website has been optimized to allow individuals to sign-up using a smartphone, tablet or computer. To register for the free service, go to: www.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 web-page to see who plans to follow them on race day. To use AthleteTracker, users must register by Saturday, October 6 at 7:00pm.

“We’re happy to have AthleteTracker back at our event,” Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director for Twin Cities In Motion, said. “New technology solutions from innovative companies like Avtex allow us to offer an interactive race experience. With AthleteTracker, we are able to extend the thrill of the race to a broader audience, giving them more visibility while supporting the runner with a more aware and participatory fan base.”

More than 20,000 runners will compete in the 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.