London, 26th April 2009. From my bird’s eye view I’m watching him pass the Tower of London; pulse rate is 125 beats per minute, he’s running at a steady 10kph and, along with thousands of others, he’s just passed the 20 kilometre mark in the London Marathon. I’m with him every step of the way and I’m almost sharing his pain in the 23 degree heat.
I say almost, because it’s at this point that I leave my laptop and go to the fridge in my house in North Wales to get myself a cold beer. (Well, its thirsty work watching other people push their bodies to the limit.)
Armchair Athletics 2.0
This is all thanks to a new service being offered by TDL, an events company in the UK that could forever change spectator involvement in sporting events like the marathon. We are now able to watch our nearest and dearest compete in sporting events all over the world, without leaving the comfort of our own homes.
We can select who we want to track and then follow them round the course on satellite imagery; constantly kept up to date with their speed, time and heart rate.
We just need an internet connection to access the spectator website. There’s no cost for viewing; the competitor simply pays to carry a lightweight GPS tracking device for the duration of the event.
Who will use it? And how?
The system has been used for mountain biking, cycling, running, rowing, sailing and windsurfing. What I like most about the concept though is the multiplicity of customers and routes to market, many of which are yet to be exploited as the market wakes up to the possibilities.
Organisers of mass participation events can now know exactly where their leaders and back markers are at any given moment, they can identify problems and even tell if competitors have gone off course or are potentially in difficulty. Television coverage takes on a whole new dimension when stroke rate, heart rate, position and pace can be relayed, graphically and in real time.
Charities at big events like the London marathon can get their sponsors really engaged in the ‘£ per mile’ concept as they follow their competitor’s progress online. Last, but definitely not least, competitors can go back and review their performance, see where they lost out and plan training and tactics for their next event.
These are just a few of the possibilities that excite me about this new service, and I can’t help but feel that, as with many new technologies, the market will surprise us by finding its very own applications and moulding this service to its own needs.
If you’ve got any ideas for applications or markets then feel free to let us know at iddictive.com
Site: www.tdl.ltd.uk
Chris Hillier is the founder of marketing and communications outfit Twelfth Man. You can read more about him here.
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