Track your favorite runners with the ING New York Marathon app

There are some people who regard the prospect of a 26 mile-long run across the bridges, avenues and streets of New York City's five boroughs with eager anticipation, who train diligently for months with single-minded focus to be able to say with well-deserved pride, "Yes, on November 7 2010, I completed the NYC Marathon."

Let me be perfectly clear: I am not one of these people. I do, however, live just steps away from the marathon route, so it's a family tradition for all of us to traipse down the block early tomorrow morning to watch the mayor's motorcade, the wheelchair racers and the lead runners followed by an absolute flood of humanity -- quite a spectacle.

Whether you're a casual fan or an eager follower of a specific runner, you might want to grab the official race app for iPhone. Bearing the awkward moniker "NYRR Presents the ING New York City Marathon 2010," the free app includes race details, course facts, time updates and more. With an in-app purchase, you can watch live video of the race or track up to five specific runners by name or bib number (the developer notes that you may need to restart your device after the upgrade to make sure tracking is working as expected).

Best of luck to all tomorrow's competitiors; stay safe out there, and remember to be on time for your start -- best not to depend on your iPhone alarm during Daylight Saving wacky fun time.