Today, over 20,000 individuals from across the world will converge in Boston to compete in the 113th annual Boston Marathon – and one of them, Jason Jacobs, will be dressed as an iPhone.
Jason Jacobs helped work on the iPhone application “Runkeeper”, an app that uses GPS to track the routes of runners, bikers, and hikers. Runkeeper is also able to monitor a number of other variables such as how far and long you’ve been running, your pace, your speed, and it can even measure how your speed changes when you venture off into higher and less forgiving altitudes. “Runkeeper” has been pretty popular among runners and bikers, but in an effort to generate even more interest in the application, Jacobs recently dropped by a Social Media Marketing class at Emerson College for some marketing advice. Typically, iPhone apps that center on running don’t get a lot of hype, but the Emerson students were able came up with a brilliant idea comprised of 2 parts. The easy part? Dress up as an iPhone. The hard part? Run the Boston Marathon. And oh yeah, Jacobs would only have 3.5 weeks to train. Jacobs has documented the process on Runkeeper’s website, and has even contemplated sending out tweets during the race. Talk about taking a social media marketing blitz to the next level. Jacobs is an avid runner who has completed a marathon before, but running the Boston Marathon on such short notice is no joke. Adding an underdog twist to the story is the fact that Jacobs recently suffered an injury known as plantar fasciitis, a condition which makes it tough for Jacobs to even walk. Nevertheless, Jacobs took to the idea and will not let his nagging injury get in the way of his attempt to run 26.2 miles dressed up as, of all things, an iPhone. And what will be on the iPhone display you ask? Why a copy of “Runkeeper”, of course.
