Marathons mix high-tech with long trek

Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco offer alerts, updates

MSN Tech and Gadgets

11 invaluable accessories for on-the-go gear

The 20 dumbest questions on Yahoo Answers

Tech Holiday Gift Guide

10 best Xbox 360 games of 2009
With all the incredible games that have been released for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 this year, trying to write a “Best of 2009” list feels an awful lot like trying to stick 20 pounds of sand into a 2-pound sack.

10 best PlayStation 3 games of 2009

Gifts for the nostalgic geek

10 best PC games of 2009

Real Women’s Guide to Technology

Getting the most from your HDTV

An MSN special that focuses on consumer technologies that can benefit women.

Pick the perfect mobile phone companion

Why smartphones are so smart

Tech and gadgets videos

Tool lets insurance firms monitor driver habits
Insurance company monitors driver habits with special device. WKYC's Michael O'Mara reports.

Last-minute gadget gifts

Rock out with our music game gift guide

Texting may be bad for you

Americans <3 texting :)

Video

Tech Watch
The latest in technology and entertainment news.

Auto Tech

6 high-tech boosts for the auto industry

A better economy may lure buyers, but these trends could seal the deal.

Go to Auto Tech

updated 5:31 p.m. ET April 6, 2007

Some of the U.S. marathons that offer instant alerts or online tracking systems for runners and spectators:

Boston (April 16):

Messages automatically sent to registered cell phones or e-mail addresses at six miles, halfway, 18 miles and the finish.
Online updates available at the start, halfway point and finish and every three miles in between.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, San Diego (June 3):

Alerts and online updates at six miles, halfway, 20 miles and finish.
A race simulator that allows finishers to stage virtual races between themselves and up to five other competitors, including elite runners.
Plans experiment at this year's race with continuous tracking of phone-carrying runners using Global Positioning Satellite technology.

San Francisco (July 29):

Alerts at the start, 7.5-mile mark, halfway, 21-mile mark and finish.

Chicago (Oct. 7):

Messages sent at the start, halfway point and finish and every three miles.
Runners' progress is searchable online.
Race officials with laptops available at 10 Starbucks coffeehouses along the race course to look up runners' progress.

Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, D.C. (Oct. 28):

Updates sent from the start, five miles, 10 mile, halfway, 15 miles, 20 miles, 23.5 miles and finish.

New York (Nov. 4):

Online updates and alerts sent at the start, halfway, finish and every three miles.

Houston (Jan. 13, 2008):

Instant update options include start and finish only, or start, six miles, halfway, 18 miles and finish.
An online map showing a runner's progress around the course.
A multipage graphical rendering of a runner's results, including comparisons with other runners by age and gender.
Searchable online video clips of every runner's finish.

Triathlons in San Francisco (June 3), New York (July 22) and Chicago (Aug. 26) offer e-mail, text message and voice alerts, along with graphical renderings of results and searchable video clips of athletes finishing.

Source: AP research.