India’s largest IT services firm recently renewed its title and technology sponsorship of the TCS New York City Marathon, and became the new title and technology sponsor of the TCS London Marathon this year.
TCS and Canada Running Series aim to modernise marathon running in Canada through a new official race app. It will offer a first-of-its-kind environmental impact calculator that will enable runners and spectators to track and offset their environmental impact.
The organisations will also work together to create a hybrid and immersive race experience for all runners and spectators around the globe.
The official race app will offer unlimited tracking of both in-person and virtual runners on the same racecourse map and let spectators create digital cheer cards to share messages of encouragement on social media. Runners will be able to share a link to friends and family that automatically initiates the app download with them already selected to be tracked. The app will also incorporate AR features that became popular during the pandemic to support both in-person and virtual runners.
“The new TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon race app will be a symbol of our collaboration that will connect, sustain and inspire us all whether we are participating in-person or virtually, from anywhere around the globe,” said Charlotte Brookes, event director of CRS and the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
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TCS will also donate 32,000 person-hours toward helping the marathon become the most sustainable race in Canada. CRS’ goal is to achieve Evergreen Certification by 2022. When achieved, it will be the only race in Canada to attain this level of environmental certification from the Council of Responsible Sport.
Expanding on this commitment to technology and sustainability, TCS and CRS will be adding two new Charity Partners: Trans Canada Trail and Trees for Life Canada.
Sports sponsorships and technology partnerships have been used by IT companies to drive brand recognition as well as innovation in customer experience for some time now. Infosys has similar associations with the Madison Square Garden in New York, the Australian Open and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). HCL Technologies has a partnership with the Volvo Ocean Race and Tech Mahindra has one with Jacksonville Jaguars (American football team). TCS also has a similar engagement with the Dutch Golf Open announced in July.
