2022 TCS New York City Marathon App

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

No one gets to the finish line of a marathon alone. The 2022 TCS New York City Marathon app sets a new standard for connecting runners and spectators around the world.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

Sports are constantly striving to enhance fans’ ability to engage. Through the TCS New York City Marathon app, fans were able to watch the professional marathons unfold in their entirety for the first time. Des Linden, a professional athlete in the field noted, “Allowing the long-form stories to develop over the course of 26.2 miles will give fans the chance to learn about the contenders and appreciate the nuances of racing that they’ve never seen before.”

Providing fans uninterrupted access to major professional marathons in their entirety should become standard across the sport of running. This creates a blueprint for other road races, as well as other sports with similar formats, such as cycling and sailing, on how to provide greater access to the action.

The Course Camera Feature sets a new benchmark in runner tracking. Family and friends around the world can actually watch their tracked runners on the course. This should also become standard across the sport of running.

Finally, customized spectator guides enhance the marathon experience for fans who are cheering on their favorite runners in-person at multiple locations over the 26.2-mile course.

Objective

TCS and NYRR strive to enhance the TCS New York City Marathon experience for runners and fans alike through the race app. Three innovative app features in 2022 helped fans create lasting memories of key moments include:

• Uninterrupted Pro Race Coverage – For the first time in the history of major marathons, the professional men’s and women’s wheelchair—and open-division races were livestreamed on the app in their entirety, empowering fans to switch between feeds and watch the race of their choice. The Professional Runner Feed was available free on the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon App.
• Enhanced Runner Tracking – The app sets the standard for runner tracking by allowing spectators to track the elapsed time and pace of an unlimited number of the 50,000 runners in the race. We also introduced a first-of-its-kind Course Camera feature that allowed fans to see their runners by watching a live feed at five key points along the course.
• Customized Spectating Itineraries - The Optimized Spectator Guide gives users the ability to create detailed itineraries using runners assigned start times, predicted finish time and Google Maps API to see and cheer on their runner at multiple locations. The itineraries are shareable.

Strategy & Execution

The new features in the TCS New York City Marathon app were developed from feedback gathered following the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon via an online running industry forum. The forum contributors, made up of our sport’s most dedicated fans and harshest critics, clearly called for greater access to the action. Following this year’s race, the updated forum generated 32 pages of feedback, primarily praising the new additions to the app.

The Pro Runner Feed and Course Camera Feature also broadened the audience’s ability to tune in to the race and track their favorite runners, whether professional or amateur. Running is a global sport. While the broadcast of the TCS New York City Marathon is available in 197 territories around the world, parts of the world have limited access to technological resources.

This year, the TCS New York City Marathon App lowered the barrier of access for everyone—from the spectators lining the course in New York City to fans around the world. People from more than 150 countries downloaded the app, tuned into the Pro Runner Feed and the Course Camera Feature, and tracked runners.

Organizations

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
• New York Road Runners (NYRR)
• Tata Communications
• Film45

Credits

Michelle Taylor
Head, Global Sports Sponsorships
TCS

Haley Price
Head of Sponsorship, North America
TCS

Gowri Prabhu
Project Manager
TCS

Dinesh Naik
Project Manager
TCS

Heidi Koeppel
Director, IT Project Management
NYRR

Terrence Orpilla
Director, IT Project Management
NYRR

Thomas Thieke
IT Project Management Specialist
NYRR

Kathy Gonzalez
Director, Digital Marketing Initiatives & Planning
NYRR

Anne Liao
Director, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development
NYRR

Matt Singer
Director, Broadcast
NYRR

Jeff Carnevale
SVP, Information Technology & Information Officer
NYRR

Gary Critchlow
Executive in Charge of Production
Film 45

Madhur Arora
Associate Director, Head of Sales Engineering
Tata Communications