Marathon City – Sprint to Win

Organised by the New York Road Runners (NYRR), the annual TCS NYC Marathon is the largest marathon in the world and a spectacular signature event that has attracted not just athletes for about 50 years now. The game “Marathon City – Sprint to Win” has been designed with the aim to create a marathon-related, gamified fan experience that would be “inclusive” to all participants – from runners to wheelchair racers and non-athletes alike. The result is a game that enables everyone to compete against each other on an equal basis. For runners, the game is played on a specially designed floor mat equipped with sensors that tracks their footsteps, while wheelchair users roll onto a stationary trainer that translates wheel rotation into forward motion. Especially witty is the idea of inviting game players to choose a 3D avatar by ethnicity, gender, ability and style for themselves, which then runs towards the virtual finish line on the connected screen. Individually or in groups, people of all ages took part in the game, enjoying the interaction.