A new app for marathon runners will be put to the test this weekend.The app aims to create video films of individual runners' race - using videos collected by thousands of spectators.
It is going to be trialled this weekend at the Robin Hood Marathon and Half-Marathon in Nottingham, held on Sunday 28 September.
Scientists from Nottingham University created the app, which
lets spectators capture the entire race of a runner from start to finish,
by taking footage of them at various points during the race.
Computer scientist Dr Martin Flintham explains: "While
there's some official video coverage of marathons already (for example the BBC's
coverage of the London Marathon using 51 high definition cameras along the
course), this tends to naturally focus on the elite professional runners, or
provide a view from a small number of fixed viewpoints such as the official
finish line photography."
But this time, spectators with android phones can use the 'RunSpotRun'
app and allow their friends or family to re-live their race afterwards.
Dr Flintham continues: "We thought about developing the
app from the perspective that there's an interest in documenting the stories of
the amateur and charity runners who take part for friends and family,
especially at races like the Robin Hood Marathon, which the BBC wouldn't bother
with."
The app will capture the runners' bib number so it can
record the position and time that the runner has been spotted. With up to 10,000
spectators along the route, many collectively building footage by using
the app, all of the video clips of a particular runner can be automatically
extracted from their tags to make an individual montage video.
A prototype of the app was successfully used at the
same marathon last year - 17 spectators collected 11.5 hours of video and
managed to spot 2,500 runners. It might almost be enough to make me return to
half-marathon running!
by Kate Richards
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