FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AthleteTracker Offers Text Updates for Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Fans
Avtex and Twin Cities In Motion Partner to
Bring Races to Fans' Mobile Phones
Fans of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and the Medtronic TC 10 Mile on
October 7 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 said, "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,
visit: http://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
7:00 p.m.
"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.
For more information, contact .
About Avtex: Avtex, a Pohlad Family Company, is a provider of customer
experience solutions that enable businesses to optimize interactions with
their customers, employees, partners and prospects through communication
and collaboration technologies. As a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner™ and
Interactive Intelligence Platinum Elite Partner™, Avtex has deep
capabilities in contact center, UC, CRM, portals and collaboration,
infrastructure solutions and application development. Avtex has over 500
customers in seven countries with offices located across the country. Find
out more about Avtex online at www.avtex.com or follow Avtex on Twitter at
@avtex.
About Twin Cities In Motion (TCM): Twin Cities In Motion (formerly Twin
Cities Marathon, Inc.) is the non-profit organization that provides
nationally recognized, high quality running events throughout the year,
including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. With a mission of promoting a
healthy lifestyle through running, TCM and its charity partners contribute
over $500,000 to related causes each year. For more information, visit
www.tcmevents.org, www.facebook.com/TwinCitiesInMotion, and follow us on
Twitter @tcmarathon.
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