The Lilac Bloomsday Association Partners With Outside Interactive to Create a Digital Lilac Bloomsday Run®
Race day filming of the event will allow runners to interactively experience the race course at their own pace, learn the courses ahead of time, compete virtually with family and friends, or just relive the experience, all with their iPad® or Android®tablet, on any treadmill.
Hopkinton, MA February 2nd, 2015) – Outside Interactive, a Hopkinton, MA based developer of forward motion video technology for indoor exercising, today announced it is partnering with the Lilac Bloomsday Association to create a virtual race-day experience, enabling future runners to relive the excitement of the day, train on the famous course prior to race day, and even compete remotely no matter where they are in the world, at their own pace onany treadmill.
Exclusive footage will be shot the day of this year’s race in Spokane, Washington on May3rd, immediately prior to the live event. Footage is shot from a runner’s point of view to produce a high-definition video that allows viewers to interactively run the virtual race course with their iPad® or Android® tablet, with cheering spectators lining the roads, when inclement weather, travel, or deployment prevent being on the course itself. The virtual video of the Bloomsday course is expected to be available for purchase by July of this year.
“The Lilac Bloomsday Run is one of the top races in the country in every way, and we are excited at the chance to partner with them,” said Gary McNamee, President and Founder of Outside Interactive. ”With close to 50,000 participants and thousands of spectators lining the course, we hope to capture all the electricity and excitement of race day. For future races, runners who can’t participate in the live event on race day will have an alternative to be engaged and entertained when running on their treadmill the other 364 days of the year.”
"This is a terrific new technology for our sport," stated Don Kardong, Lilac Bloomsday Founder and Race Director. “A million and a half runners have taken part in our event over the years, and now people from around the globe will also be able to enjoy our course virtually.”
Through the use of its state-of-the-art cameras, filming, and editing techniques, the HD virtual-course videos, shot from the runner’s point of view, are made interactive to the runner’s pace through its use with Outside Interactive’s free downloadable app called “Virtual Runner,” available for Windows®, iPad® and Android® platforms. For an immersive experience, all versions are compatible with footpod and heart rate monitor accessories utilizing ANT+™ wireless technology, which automatically and accurately drive the pace of Virtual Runner course videos.These accessories are what interactively drive the Virtual Runner app. ANT+ is the de facto standard in wireless for sports watches and accessories in the health and fitness industry from such manufacturers as Garmin®, Timex®, Adidas®, Wahoo Fitness® and Suunto®. With these accessories, the user interactively and accurately controls the video speed.The iPad and Android appsalso allow for manual adjustment of the video speed to match the runner’s pace by minutes per mile or kilometer.
A brief demonstration can be found here Samples of various race courses, popular running routes and scenic destinations can be found here
About: Outside Interactive is a Hopkinton, MA developer of Virtual Runner, revolutionary patent-pending forward motion technology solutions featuring famous race courses, popular running routes and scenic destinations, all shot in HD from a runner’s point of view. Founded in 2011 by Gary McNamee, a lifelong Boston resident, avid runner and serial entrepreneur, Gary developed Virtual Runner after becoming bored on the treadmill and frustrated with not being able to train properly in New England’s unpredictable and often harsh weather. For more information, visit
About: The Lilac Bloomsday Run, also known as Bloomsday, is an annual road race in Spokane, Washington, held on the first Sunday of every May since 1977. The course is 12 km (7.46 mi) long. The course starts in Downtown Spokane and heads northwest along the far west end of town, passes by Mukogowa Ft. Wright Institute and Spokane Falls Community College before heading up "Doomsday Hill" and back downtown past the Spokane County Courthouse to finish at the north end of the Monroe Street Bridge. The Lilac Bloomsday Run has had over 40,000 participants every year since 1986. Don Kardong, who founded the Bloomsday race, cites James Joyce's Ulysses as the inspiration for the name Bloomsday. For more information, visit