How to Track a Participants at the ASICS MCR Half

Even if you can’t physically be with your loved one during their half marathon journey, you can still be with them every step of the way with live location tracking.

There are several easy ways your participant can share their location with you using their smartphone, so you can keep track of their progress and get ready to celebrate when they reach the finish line. 

Before event day: your participant will need to set up location sharing on their phone. Make sure they’ve done this before they set off on their ASICS Manchester Half. 

‘Find my’ app on Apple devices

If your participant has an iPhone, they can use Apple’s Find My app to share their location with you. 

Ask your participant to:

  1. Open the Find My app
  2. Tap the People tab
  3. Tap + and select Share my location 
  4. Choose you as the contact they’d like to share their location with
  5. Select how long they’d like to share their location for

You’ll then be able to see their location through the the Find My app. Having trouble setting it up? Click here for more information. 

Share Location on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is another simple way for your participant to share their location with you during the event. Before they can share their location, they’ll need to make sure WhatsApp has permission to access their location. They can check this by going to:

Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Permissions > Location > Allow

Once this is enabled, your participant can:

  1. Open your WhatsApp chat.
  2. Tap the Attach (paperclip) icon.
  3. Select Location.
  4. Tap Share live location.
  5. Choose how long they’d like to share their location for.
  6. Tap Send.

You’ll then be able to see their location on a map within your WhatsApp chat.

Strava Beacon

If your participant uses Strava, Strava Beacon is another option for sharing their location during the ASICS Manchester Half. Your participant will need to be connected to you on Strava first. When they’re ready to start their event, they can:

  1. Open Strava and start a new activity.
  2. Tap the Beacon icon in the bottom right.
  3. Select up to three contacts to receive their location.
  4. Start their activity.

Once Beacon is active, their selected contacts will be able to follow their progress through Strava.

Keep an eye on the finish line

Whichever method you choose, location sharing is a great way to follow your participant’s progress and know when they’re getting closer to the finish.

The finish line itself is expected to be very busy, so we discourage spectators from gathering at the finish line. You can also watch the finish line live stream through the website and on our YouTube channel, so you won’t miss those all-important finish line moments.

Want another way to know when they’re nearly finished?

We’re also offering a 2-mile-to-go text alert for supporters. One nominated supporter can sign up to receive a text when their participant is approximately two miles from the finish, including a link to the live finish line stream.

Find out more and sign up for the 2-mile text alert here.

Happy spectating! 🎉