AT&T and the Boston Marathon are proud to announce that you can now sign-up for the AT&T Athlete Alert program. Whether you want updates on top runners leading this year's race, or want to track the progress of your friends and family as they make their way from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, the AT&T Athlete Alert program is the easiest way to stay up on latest from the 2009 Boston Marathon.

There are three ways to sign up for the AT&T Athlete Alert program:

• Simply text RUNNER to 41234. You will then receive an SMS text message confirming how to complete registration.
• Continue to the registration page for the AT&T Athlete Alert program on the race website. Sign-up using your US mobile phone number for SMS text message updates, or by entering an email address for email updates. Please note that this method will require that you have an athlete’s bib number and date of birth. Click here now to continue to registration.
• If you prefer to register in person or have any questions, representatives will be available in the Bib Number Pick-Up area at the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo on Friday, April 17 from 2:00pm-7:00pm, and on Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19 from 9:00am-6:00pm.

If you register online, you will receive a message asking you to confirm your intention to receive updates from the 2009 Boston Marathon AT&T Athlete Alert Program. Once you’ve completed registration for the AT&T Athlete Alert, you will receive text updates courtesy of AT&T and the Boston Marathon when your runner reaches the following points on the course:

Starting line
10k
Half-Marathon
30k
Finish

The cutoff date for registration into the AT&T Athlete Alert is 6:00am EDT on race day, April 20.

Race Favorites
Want to track pre-race favorites, such as Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher as they aim to become the first Americans to win in Boston since 1985? Now you can by using AT&T Athlete Alert. The names of the elite men and women fields for the 2009 Boston Marathon are listed below. To track your prerace favorites, simply text RUNNER to 41234 and you will receive an SMS text message asking you to reply with the bib number of the runner you would like to track. Once you've signed up, you’ll receive the same updates as you will for your friends in family as they make their own way from Hopkington to Boylston Street.

Note: the “Race Favorites” option is available ONLY by signing up via your US mobile phone and not via online registration.

About AT&T Athlete Alert
AT&T is once again proud to sponsor the AT&T Athlete Alert Program at the Boston Marathon. At AT&T, our goal is to connect people with their world wherever they live and work – at home, at the office or running up Heartbreak Hill – and the 2009 AT&T Athlete Alert program helps friends and family keep tabs on the progress of registered runners in real time. As the network with the best coverage in Boston, AT&T actively supports events and traditions that strengthen its communities – and that certainly includes the historic Boston Marathon.

For more information on AT&T’s wireless products and services, please feel free to visit one of our Boston-area stores or shop online at www.wireless.att.com.