Boston
Marathon World Run application encourages runners of all abilities to
participate
in the athletic spirit of the 2014 Boston Marathon
BOSTON, February 5, 2014 –
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), organizer of the Boston Marathon,
today launched Boston Marathon World Run, a mobile application and website that
connects runners from around the world with the 2014 Boston Marathon. In
response to receiving an unprecedented amount of inquiries from runners seeking
to participate in the 2014 Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. created a virtual
experience in which all runners, regardless of ability or geography, could run
a distance of their choosing and participate in the athletic spirit of the
event.
“We’ve seen a tremendous
outpouring of support and a high-level of interest in participating this year,”
said Tom Grilk, executive director, Boston Athletic Association. “While
we were able to increase our field size by 9,000 to 36,000 runners, we can only
physically accommodate so many runners on the course and we were nowhere near
meeting demand. Through technology, we wanted to create something that
engendered that same sense of community and resiliency as the race itself, ensuring
that no one would be denied the chance to have their own 2014 Boston Marathon
experience. The app does just that.”
Created in partnership
with John Hancock Financial, Boston Marathon World Run is available for Apple
and Android devices and integrates with social media networks to create a
virtual running community. There is no registration fee. It’s also
available in website form at www.bostonmarathonworldrun.org.
The objective is for participants to achieve their self-determined running
goals by the evening of the 2014 Boston Marathon, April 21, 2014. Users, who
can participate individually or in teams, receive digital training and finisher
badges as part of the program, as well as a bib number and finisher
certificate.
“As a long-time partner of
the B.A.A. and the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock is
eager to support the B.A.A. in this first of its kind inclusive global event,”
said Rob Friedman, head of sponsorship and event marketing at John Hancock
Financial. “No matter where you live, or how fast you move forward, we
invite you to become a Boston Marathon World Runner. Let’s show our support for
the City of Boston and see how far we can go together in 2014.”
Boston Marathon World Run
also encourages participants to contribute to One Fund Boston
through distance pledging and online donations. One Fund Boston was created by
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to
raise money to help the families most affected by the tragic events that
unfolded on April 15, 2013.
Lagardére Unlimited, a
global consulting and sports marketing agency, created and developed the app in
conjunction with the B.A.A. The goal of the app is to build a community of
virtual runners and fans from all over the world who can participate, donate,
post pictures and videos, and interact with one another in real time.
Additional notes on Boston
Marathon World Run:
•
All participants will be able to
begin a group or join an existing group and invite their contacts to
participate.
•
All runners will be able to pledge
a distance, in miles or kilometers, and may update that pledge as they
progress.
•
Global Ambassadors, including past
Boston Marathon champions and current Boston Marathon elite athletes, will also
be logging miles and uploading photos and videos.
•
The number of registrants, the
total miles or kilometers pledged, and the funds raised through World Run for
One Fund Boston will be updated in real time.
•
Participants will be able to share
their experience with the community by uploading photos and videos. An
interactive map will display participants’ content to show community activity
in real time.
Screenshots from the iOS version
of the mobile app are below. (Hi-Res versions are available by request.)
大波士頓地區南京大學，東南大學兩校近百名校友，二日一日借著劍橋中國文化中心的場地，以茶水代美酒，以佳餚饗口腹，同慶飛“馬”奔來，喜迎農曆新春。
