Over the last month or so there have been a lot of announcements regarding technological advancements that could ultimately have a profoundly positive impact on trail and ultramarathon running’s future. We wanted to highlight these announcements so that runners and race directors everywhere can begin to prepare for what will undoubtedly become a major win for our sport!
1.) Mac iOS 18 Texting Without Cell or WiFi
During their annual (June 2024) developers’ conference, Apple announced that with the upcoming iOS18 release, those with an iPhone 14 or newer will be able to send and receive text messages via iMessage and SMS without cell service or WiFi. Click Here For More.
Currently you can message emergency services and share your location without WiFi or a cell connection using Apple’s existing Emergency SOS via satellite. This latest announcement indicates that you won’t need Apple’s Emergency SOS to send a message or ping your location; again, using updated satellite technology will allow all iPhone users (iPhone 14 or newer) running the iOS18 operating system the ability to send and receive text messages from anywhere. In other words, you’ll never be in a “dead zone” again.
We know that many runners text their loved ones in the middle of the race. You text progress updates, seek verbal support and encouragement, and may even text ahead for someone to pick you up for a ride home based on your expected finish time. You may also text a loved one running in the same event to update each other on your location on course.
Over the years, HPRS staff has been eviscerated because you stopped texting your loved one because whod’a thunk it, you found a dead zone in the mountains and your texts stopped going through. With your loved one now unable to reach you, they panic and send countless emails and social media messages to race staff demanding an update on your whereabouts. Unfortunately, race officials also tend to operate in areas with no cell service or WiFi making it impossible for us to respond in a timely fashion, nevermind the fact that we’re working hard to produce the event and cannot also monitor our email or social media interactions.
The Apple announcement is exciting because it indicates that you will now be able to continue texting your loved ones from out on the course with little fear that you’ll drop connection and/or that your messages won’t make it through. This adds a considerable amount of “peace of mind” for you and your loved ones.
This also means that you’ll be able to text race staff if you become lost or injured while out on the course. Texting race staff in the event of an emergency will allow us to respond quicker and do what we can to provide you with medical assistance or get you back on track. This is a huge game changer for the risk management aspect of trail and ultra events.
Again… you should note that this announcement involves iPhone technology ONLY and may not apply to Android or other devices. You’ll need an iPhone 14 or newer and running iOS 18 for it to work. No announcements have yet been made about similar technology being available on Android devices. iOS 18 is scheduled for release in September 2024.
2.) Both AT&T and VERIZON Announce Upcoming Satellite Service
AT&T Announcement: Click Here
Verizon Announcement: Click Here
T-Mobile Announcement: Click Here
AT&T and Verizon have recently announced that they have entered into a Commercial Agreement with AST SpaceMobile, to provide their first space-based broadband network direct to everyday cell phones. T-Mobile recently announced that they have partnered with Starlink.
This means that in the very near future, cell phone users who use AT&T, Verizon, or TMobile as their service provider will be able to use their phone’s features using satellite technology. When this technology comes online, we presume that AT&T and Verizon customers will be able to send and receive messages, make calls, and use mapping applications (like CalTopo, GaiaGPS, COTrex, and others) through satellite tech when cell and WiFi connectivity is unavailable.
It also means that many races may be able to live track runners using mobile phones in concert with satellite technology. Your phone would act as a beacon, sending a signal to event organizers of your real time location along the course. Your loved ones would be able to live track you from wherever they are using the technology already in your hands. In other words, every race would have live tracking operability and every runner would be able to broadcast to their loved ones using their own technology.
This is a huge game changer. Many land managers throughout the nation have begun requiring the live tracking of runners as a condition of their permits. There are only a small handful of companies currently providing live tracking services to events (TrackLeaders, UltraLive.net, etc) and they honestly haven’t displayed the bandwidth to provide this service to the ever-growing list of races out there. Their services are also not very cheap considering a GPS device needs to be rented for the use of each participant.
With your personal cell phone acting as the GPS device, this would greatly decrease the cost of live tracking runners during events. It also means that a host of new technologies will come online to assist race organizers with the real-time live tracking of runners on the course, as well as your loved ones ability to live track you from afar while also sending encouragement via text.
This is a huge technological advancement that increases runner safety, affords race organizers the opportunity to satisfy live tracking conditions of our permits, and allows your loved ones to see your progress throughout a race, all using the technology in the palm of your hands. We can’t wait to evolve with these technological advancements to greatly improve the race day experience for all.
Stay tuned!