New Running GPS app, RunGo will guide runners through BMO Vancouver Marathon courses
Custom course maps with voice navigation will lead runners through 3 parks, 6 beaches and 12 neighbourhoods
Vancouver, BC – February 27, 2015 – The latest app in running technology, RunGo, will provide runners with a sense of direction with turn-by-turn voice navigation for the Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon and 8KM routes. This innovative running app will help prepare and familiarize BMO Vancouver Marathon runners leading up to race day.
“As a local company based in Vancouver, we’re thrilled to partner with our City’s iconic marathon and create a way for runners to follow the event’s beautiful courses on any day of the year,” says Craig Slagel, Founder of RunGo. “Runners can train with the RunGo app to help acclimate them with the course prior to race day.”
While RunGo was developed in Vancouver and features thousands of local routes, the app also offers routes in Toronto, Seattle, London, San Francisco, Sydney and Washington, and routes are expanded globally. Available for iPhone, and Android mobile devices, RunGo tracks all standard statistics such as calories burned, pace and duration, as well as runners’ routes. In addition, the app acts as a virtual running partner by determining nearby running routes based on a user’s location.
RunGo’s original inspiration actually came at the 2013 BMO Vancouver Marathon Expo. The idea for RunGo was born when Craig mentioned his retired guide dog, Dynasty to BMO Vancouver Marathon runners and they began to ask him whether Dynasty could guide them on runs. He walked away from the Expo determined, and for the year, he went about building the technology that could do just that. “I had the opportunity to talk to thousands of runners at the Expo in 2013 and received great feedback and ideas for RunGo,” concludes Slagel.
“The RunGo app is really about the experience of running,” says Charlene Krepiakevich, Executive Director of the Vancouver International Marathon Society, the non-profit that organizes the BMO Vancouver Marathon. “We are thrilled to work with a local tech startup and have an app tailored to our courses helping bring runners success in their training and throughout their race.”
Route links on the RunGo website:
BMO Vancouver Marathon
BMO Vancouver Marathon – Half Marathon
BMO Vancouver Marathon – 8KM course
BMO Vancouver Marathon – Kids Fun Run
About The Vancouver International Marathon Society
The Vancouver International Marathon Society is the non-profit organization responsible for the BMO Vancouver Marathon. With a 44-year history within Vancouver, the event is the city’s only marathon and one of Canada’s largest marathons. Recognized by CNN and Forbes as a Top Destination Race, the event is renowned for its unique scenic views including snow-capped mountain ranges, cherry blossom trees, and 70% shoreline views. Race weekend takes place April 30 – May 3, 2015 with all events capped at: 5,000 for the Marathon, 250 teams for the Marathon Relay, 10,000 for the Half Marathon, 2,000 for the 8KM, 500 for 8KM School Challenge and 500 for the Kids Fun Run.
For more information and how to register visit: www.bmovanmarathon.ca
For more information about the Vancouver International Marathon Society visit: www.runvan.org
About BMO Donations
For nearly 200 years, BMO Financial Group has followed a principle of corporate and social responsibility and of reinvesting in the communities it serves. In 2014, BMO contributed more than C$57 million in community donations to charitable, not-for-profit and community-based institutions and organizations that help build and sustain resilient, vital and healthy communities.