D&AD

Nobody runs a marathon on their own – runners depend on the support of friends and family to reach their ambition. So adidas launched their marathon service that brought together RFID chips in runners’ shoes, with timings at every 5km on the course, within an adidas run tracker application, where supporters could enter a runner number to get the latest information on that competitor’s progress. This included a mapped location, average speed and estimated finish time, allowing friends and family to be in the right place at the right time. Supporters could also send personalised messages of encouragement to large digital displays around the course; the messages came up as runners approached, helping them reach their 'impossible is nothing'. Marvellous.