Poltrax Tracker
Live tracking — without renting trackers
The Poltrax Tracker app lets your participants track themselves with their own phone. You enable the option for selected distances, they scan a code — and you and the fans see them on the same live map as runners with physical trackers.
What you gain
Less hardware
No handing out, collecting or charging trackers. Participants use the phone they already carry.
More people tracked, at lower cost
Especially on mass, shorter races — more runners on the map without extra hardware.
The same live coverage
Positions from phones land on the same map as those from physical trackers.
When to use it (important — safety)
We recommend phone tracking for marathon distances and shorter — mass, urban, shorter routes. We do not recommend it for ultra and trail: such races last longer than a phone battery realistically holds, and on trail the phone is mainly for emergency calls. There, keep a dedicated tracker — the app can only be a supplement. You decide on which distances and categories to enable the option.
Keep in mind, too, that the app always remains the participant's choice — they install and turn it on themselves, so you can never be certain every registered entrant will use it. If a complete field on the map is your priority, only trackers guarantee that. It's best to treat the app as a great, lightweight way to extend coverage, rather than a replacement that puts everyone on the map.
Battery under control
The app picks an economical GPS mode and disconnects tracking on its own at a low battery level — to leave the participant energy for an emergency call. You won’t drain anyone’s phone to zero. It is deliberate, responsible design, not chance.
Push messages during the race
Send a notification to every participant with the app — route change, shortened race, weather warning, delayed start. It arrives even when the app runs in the background.
How it looks for a participant
The participant downloads the free app, scans or types a code (or taps a link from the SMS or email they receive from the system) and sets off. You’ll find the full guide you send to runners here.