Marine Corps Marathon Selects RainedOut for Text Message Alerts & Tip Line

Fourth largest marathon now prepared for swift communication with all 150,000 runners, spectators and others

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Sep 28, 2010, 09:03 ET

LEESBURG, Va., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnilert®, LLC, maker of RainedOut™, the leading group communication service for sports organizations and events, announced today a partnership with Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) to be the event's group communication service and text message tip line provider.

"A critical component to the successful execution of any Marine Corps operation is the ability to communicate effectively with all those involved," said Rick Nealis, MCM race director. "MCM runners, spectators, and Marines will benefit from the introduction of RainedOut's text message notification service."

MCM will use RainedOut's text message alerts to communicate with over 150,000 runners, spectators, staff, volunteers, vendors, medical personnel, sponsors, media and others. People can opt-in with a standard cell phone from anywhere before or during the event for on-the-go convenience.

Besides the text alerts, MCM plans to connect RainedOut with MCM's own website, Facebook Page, and Twitter account. Once connected, a single authorized user will be able to issue one RainedOut alert and simultaneously update all other communication assets within seconds.

In addition to outward communication from race organizers, MCM will also utilize RainedOut's new "uTip" inbound text message service for venues and large events. uTip lets spectators and others send text messages to MCM staff to notify them of relevant event-related activities. With uTip in place, over 100,000 spectators become MCM's largest volunteer force.

"We are very excited to showcase all the new capabilities of RainedOut including mobile opt-in, uTip, remote messaging, private group messaging, and sponsored alerts," said Jim Fitzmaurice, director of user development at RainedOut. "Brands that are vying for exposure to this elite group of athletes and spectators can directly sponsor the alerts through MCM's RainedOut webpage. Sponsored alerts enable MCM to offer RainedOut free to the runners and fans."

To receive text alerts from MCM, text "MCM2010" to 70359 or go to www.RainedOut.com/mcm and follow the brief on-screen instructions. To text a tip to MCM, text "TIPMCM" with a brief message to 70359. There is no cost to subscribe, receive or send alerts. Standard text message charges may apply from your wireless provider. RainedOut does not sell user data to sponsors or third parties and users do not receive unsolicited content.

About Marine Corps Marathon

Voted the best marathon for families, the Marine Corps Marathon honors the dedication, sportsmanship and patriotism of its participants. Runners from all walks of life participate in the largest marathon not to offer prize money, earning the nickname as "The People's Marathon." The MCM is the fourth largest marathon in the United States and the eighth largest in the world. The 35th anniversary Marine Corps Marathon will be held on October 31, in Arlington, VA. Visit www.marinemarathon.com. No Federal or Marine Corps endorsement of RainedOut is implied.

About RainedOut

Established in 2004 and used by 1,000s of organizations, award-winning RainedOut is the leading group communication service for sports organizations and events. This free sponsor-supported service enables non-technical people to administer and send instant alerts to the entire community for improved communication. It is used to cancel events, give directions, recruit volunteers, and much more. As a Web-based service, messages can initiate from a net-connected PC or from the field using a standard cell phone. Through one simple interface, RainedOut instantly and simultaneously broadcasts alerts to subscribers' mobile phones (via SMS text message) and e-mail accounts, and to the organizations' own Web pages, RainedOut Page, Facebook Page, and Twitter Account. To learn more, visit http://www.RainedOut.com.

About Omnilert

Omnilert, LLC is the leading provider of unified mass notification systems for better business continuity, emergency management, and routine communication. The easy-to-use, self-service, Web-based system enables a single person to communicate timely information to thousands of people anywhere, anytime, on any device or service. The award-winning company's 3,000 clients include the U.S. Army, Boeing, Mazda, sanofi-aventis, Arizona State University, Penn State, Marine Corps Marathon, YMCA, American Red Cross, and UNICEF. Omnilert solutions are sold under the brand names e2Campus, Amerilert, and RainedOut. The privately held company is headquartered in Leesburg, Va., and at http://www.omnilert.com online.

SOURCE Omnilert, LLC