April 11, 2007
Star Tracker

Dear Master Yvonne,

Surprise!  It’s your loyal, loving (and hungry) dog Lincoln here.  Stuck at home guarding the fridge as you make your way to Boston to run the marathon.

I wish I could be there with you, especially after all our training runs.  But at least I will be there in spirit.  The super tech-savvy race organizers have this cool tool that lets me follow your progress online.

All I have to do is go to the Athlete Tracking section of their website (www.BostonMarathon.org) on race day and enter your name or bib number.  And voilà, I get your 5 km split times, practically in real-time. It’s like having a front row seat for 26.2 miles.  And I’m sure if you knew that I was so handy with email (or if I owned a mobile phone), you would have signed me up to receive automatic alerts to be sent to my email (or phone).  Best of all, this tool is free, because it’s not like a I get an allowance.

A lot of the marathons are getting in on this tracking action.  New York.  Chicago.  Marine Corps.  Honolulu.  All made possible through that cool little chip you wear on your shoe.

Good luck on Monday!  And even if you don’t win, you’ll still receive my over-the-top star treatment when you come home!

Happy wags and sloppy kisses!
Lincoln

Boston Marathon
www.BostonMarathon.org
PS – the Athlete Tracking section will be made available on race day (April 16)