The TCS NYC Marathon will stretch across all five of the city's boroughs on Nov. 6, but you don't have to leave home to keep track of your runner.
The "TCS NYC Marathon" app, which was updated on Oct. 10 for this year's race, features live, on-map tracking for up to ten runners at a time, course maps and an interactive plan of the TCS NYC Marathon Health and Wellness Expo.
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The tracker works like this — a user first types in the name or bib number of the marathoner they want to track. When that runner crosses a mile marker, data from a chip on the marathoner's bib is transmitted to the app, allowing users to see approximately where their runner is on a map, said TCS NYC Marathon digital and social media director Rob Smy.
If you'd prefer to keep tabs on your runner in a more "old-fashioned" way, Luiza Negrão Silva of the New York Flyers says she likes to track runners using the TCS Marathon website. The link will go live the day of the race.
Likewise, New York Flyers member Francine Alfandary recommends that someone stay at home to track runners online and then text the on-site spectator to provide updates.
"That's what we did in the old days, circa 2010," Alfandary said.
To figure out where to meet up with your runner after the race, check out the TCS's instructions for Family Reunion at the finish line.