Courtesy: event press release

The hp athlete tracking system will provide spectators of the hp houston marathon, ep 13.1 miler, and 24 hour fitness 4 miler, held Sunday Jan. 19, 2003, with updates on runners' progress through special hp athlete alerts.

Runners can register upto four friends and family members to receive electronic updates through the athlete-alert system. Each time the runner crosses a specified checkpoint, a text message will be sent to a personal computer, cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) or hand-held computer, providing the latest update on the runner's progress.

Runners can register their friends or family members on the hp houston marathon Web site at www.hphoustonmarathon.com, now through 6 p.m. Jan. 18, or at the Koala Health and Wellness Centers Health & Fitness Expo, Jan. 17 and 18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Runners also can register their own e-mail accounts on the system and have a record of split times in their e-mail for review after the race.

For marathon participants, athlete-alert updates will be sent when runners cross the following checkpoints: 10K, half- marathon, 30K and finish. Fans tracking runners in the ep 13.1 miler will receive updates when runners cross the 10K checkpoint and finish line. In the 24 hour fitness 4 miler, hp athlete alerts will be sent once runners finish the event.

"The hp houston marathon is the only event in the country providing this type of tracking technology for three races simultaneously," said Steve Huey, hp vice president of sponsorship. "This technology allows fans an opportunity to really be part of the action."

HP athlete alerts are made possible by a small computer chip that participants in all three Sunday races will wear on their running shoes. The chip transmits details about runners' progress to the event's communications center as the runners cross designated checkpoints on the course.

With a runner's name or bib number, spectators also can register to receive the updates on the marathon Web site or at the marathon expo. Fans who want to access the digital-messaging feature of their mobile telephones should ensure their cellular provider has activated the feature prior to race-day.

The 2003 hp houston marathon will be held Sunday, Jan. 19. The hp houston marathon is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and several foreign countries. In 2002, nearly 15,000 runners took part in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half-marathon, four-mile run and children's run). The hp houston marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event.

Further information is available at www.hphoustonmarathon.com or by calling (713) 957-3453.