Thanks to the use of TI-RFid technology, the Boston Marathon was able to offer updates on runners' progress via the Internet for the first time in 1999. A transponder threaded through the sneaker laces of each runner allowed runners' times to be logged easily and sent to the Internet. Friends and family of the athletes were able to log on to the official Boston Marathon web site, enter a person's name or race number, and view the runner's time, updated approximately every 3 miles along the course.