How to track a runner during a race: apps, live GPS and tips

The easiest way to track a runner during a race is the race's official tracking app or live results page: search for their name or bib number and you'll see split times, pace and a projected finish time. If the race has no official tracker, the runner can share their live GPS location from their phone or watch (Strava Beacon, Garmin LiveTrack, phone location sharing). And if you want them to hear you as well, an app like Cobbr plays your voice messages in their headphones while they run.

How do you track a runner during a race?

There are three ways to do it, and they work well together.

• The race's official tracking: the organiser or its timing company publishes an app or a live page. The data comes from the chip in the bib, read at every timing mat. It's the most reliable source for times.
• The runner's own GPS sharing: they switch on a tracking link from their phone or watch. You see a moving dot on a map, even at a race with no live timing or during a training run.
• A support app: its main job isn't telling you where they are, but getting your voice to them at the right moment, at a chosen kilometre or live.

Before race day, ask them for three things: their name exactly as it appears on the entry, their bib number, and their target pace. With those, any tool will work.

Which app should you use to track a runner?

Always start with the race's official website and look for "live tracking", "tracker" or "results". It will tell you which app to use, because each organiser works with its own timing company. A few names you'll come across often:

• RTRT.me: used by major events around the world, often rebranded under the race's own name, with progress notifications.
• RaceJoy: a GPS tracking app where both the runner and the spectator install the app; it sends progress alerts and lets you send pre-recorded audio cheers or personalised Text-to-Cheer messages.
• LiveTrail: widely used for trail and ultra races, with GPS tracking, checkpoint time estimates and a favourites list.
• Chrono-Course: a free app on the App Store and Google Play, also available on desktop, used at many races in France, with live race time, pace, ranking and an interactive map.
• Follow My Sport: real-time GPS tracking plus a private Fan Zone where supporters can leave text, audio, photo and video cheers.

Many big marathons also have their own official app, usually built with one of these providers. At a small local race, tracking may be limited to results published after the finish.

Can you track a runner for free?

Yes, in most cases. Official race trackers are free for the public. For location sharing, Strava Beacon is free when the runner records with the Strava phone app (a subscription is only needed to start it from a compatible watch), and Garmin LiveTrack runs from the Garmin Connect app. iPhone or Google Maps location sharing also works without installing anything else.

Official tracking or GPS sharing: which is better?

• Official tracking (bib chip): exact times at every mat and no battery drain for the runner. But nothing updates between timing points, so the position in between is only an estimate.
• GPS sharing (phone or watch): a near-continuous position on the map, handy for trail races or events without live timing. It needs signal and battery, and the runner has to remember to switch it on before the start.
• Both together: the best option for a marathon or an ultra. GPS tells you where they are, the official timing gives you their real splits.

Why is live tracking delayed?

With chip tracking, data only arrives when the runner crosses a timing mat, usually every few kilometres. Between mats, the app extrapolates from their pace, which is why the dot sometimes jumps. With GPS sharing, the delay depends on the network: Strava says Beacon updates the location about every 15 seconds when signal allows. On race day, thousands of phones in the same place can overload the network near the start and finish.

To avoid missing them, get to your spot early: if the tracker shows they're 2 km away, that's ten minutes at 5:00/km, eight at 4:00/km. To work out their passing times in advance, try our pace calculator.

Tracking a runner at a trail or ultra race

On trail races, tracking often relies on checkpoints several kilometres, sometimes several hours, apart. A runner can disappear for a long time between two checkpoints without anything being wrong. GPS sharing helps a lot, as long as the runner carries a power bank and the area has coverage. For an ultra, also watch the estimated arrival times: they tell you when to record your message or head to the aid station.

Track them, and let them hear you

Live tracking answers one question: where are they? It tells the runner nothing. At kilometre 30, the fact that you're watching from the sofa doesn't help them if they don't know it.

That's where Cobbr complements tracking. The runner sets up their race in the app and sends you a link. You don't install anything: you record a voice message in your browser and pick the kilometre where it plays, triggered by the GPS on their phone. If they switch on live messages in their race's advanced settings, you also see their progress live on the race page and can send a voice note the moment you notice them slowing down. It plays as soon as it arrives, in their headphones, over their music.

In practice: keep the official app open for the splits, and use the Cobbr link to talk to them.

For what to say, borrow from our encouragement messages for runners, sorted by stage of the race. And if your runner is heading off with nobody on the course, our tips on running a marathon alone will help too.

Remote supporter checklist

• Get their entry name, bib number and target pace.
• Download the official app the day before and add them as a favourite.
• Ask whether they'll share GPS, and test the link before the start.
• Note their wave start time, not just the first start time.
• Record two or three Cobbr voice messages for the hard kilometres, and keep the link open to react live.
• Charge your own phone: a marathon lasts hours, an ultra sometimes more than a day.

For a worked example of race-day planning, see our 20km de Paris guide. To find out more about the app, visit the Cobbr home page or the how-to guide.

FAQ

How do I track a runner by bib number?

Open the race's official tracking app or page and search by bib number or name. You can usually add them as a favourite to get a notification at each timing point.

Does the runner need their phone to be tracked?

Not for official tracking: the chip in their bib is enough. Yes for GPS location sharing and for hearing voice messages during the race.

Can I track several runners at once?

Yes. Most official apps let you add several runners as favourites and follow them side by side.

Why has my runner disappeared from the tracker?

Most of the time they're simply between two timing points, or their phone has lost signal. Wait for the next checkpoint before worrying.

Can I send a message to a runner during the race?

Yes. With Cobbr, you record a voice message in advance for a specific kilometre, or send one live if the runner has turned on live messages. They hear it in their headphones without touching their phone.

Cover photo: Shixart1985 / Wikimedia Commons, licence CC BY 2.0.