Fast food restaurant Subway is sponsoring the Mobile Spectator app that is running for spectators and participants in the ING New York City Marathon to offer location-based deals.

In addition to Subway, the New York City Marathon?s other partners will be able to send targeted deals during the race on Nov. 6 throughout New York?s five boroughs that the race runs through. The goal behind the app is to broaden the event?s demographic.

?One of the core elements of New York Road Runners? business strategy is to broaden the audience for and the relevancy of running, especially with our marquee race properties including the New York City Marathon,? said Ann Wells Crandall, executive vice president of business development and strategy at New York Road Runners, New York.

The New York Road Runners is an organization that promotes exercise and running with a variety of events, including the New York City Marathon.

Follow my lead
Subway?s sponsorship of the app includes branded pages throughout the app with special offers.

A Subway-sponsored splash page is also the first page to load when launching the app.

In addition to Subway, fifteen out of the marathon?s 30 partners will be included in the app with branding and offers.

Poland Spring and Gatorade?s hydration spots around the race will be promoted inside the app.

Additionally, Dunkin? Donuts is letting consumers win prizes by stopping by one of its twelve locations around the route on race day.

Coors Light is participating in the marathon?s Race to Refreshment program before the race in more than twenty restaurants and bars in New York, which is promoted in the app.

To get the word out about the sponsor?s location-based deals, the app using push notifications to alert consumers of nearby offers.

Run on
The main purpose of the app is to let runners and their family and friends track their progress during the ING New York City Marathon.

The app will be available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices on Oct. 28.

The premium version of the app is $2.99 and a free light version will also available from Apple?s App Store and Google?s Android Market.

Runners can plug in their race number and track their 26-mile race.

Consumers watching the marathon can also track up to ten racers by entering their race numbers.

During the race, the app will also keep tabs on runners? progress with athlete profiles and a leader board.

Premium versions of the app will also include live streaming from New York?s local NBC television station.

The New York Marathon is not the only the only sporting event to utilize mobile.

Most recently, ESPN and foursquare partnered to let consumers interact more at sporting events (see story).

From both a spectator and participant point of view, the Marathon Mobile Spectator app is a smart tool for the marathon by combing real-time events and offers with information about the event.

?As a global event, the New York City Marathon attracts 30,000 runners from outside New York to town for race week,? Ms. Wells Crandall said.

?The Marathon Mobile Spectator app provides these visitors with a tour of the city and fun ways to enhance their Marathon Week and Race Day experiences,? she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York