athlete tracking?

Yes. Used them for the last two years at IMLP and it worked great. He them to ship the transponders to your race hotel/house/etc. Since I know IMLP is your big race this year what you really need to know is that the cellular network in town gets really over-run on race day. Unless things have changed in the past 6 months Lake Placid just does not have the data capacity to handle all the triathlete families and their smart phones. We actually had folks following myathlete live from out of state then calling and texting our Sherpas in LP to tell them where we were. My experience has been that ironman.com tracking stinks - it always seems to crap out late in the day.

I used it for Augusta 70.3 and it worked great.  The family really appreciated being able to tell where i was at on the bike so they knew when i would be coming back and they could leave the bar/restaurant at the right time and know they didn't miss me. My brother had one as well and was in a different wave so it was fun for them to compare us as well.  Had it shipped to my house before i left and shipped it back when i got back in town.

Especially a good idea if you're doing IMLP. The wiring under the Oval can really wreak havoc on the timing mats. (In fact, they also manually track people coming through at least the bike finish in case the mat doesn't pick it up.)

I also know that last year the Athlete Tracker didn't pick up my run until I was on Mile 8. (Luckily my boyfriend was keeping an eye on my whereabouts by bike and updating everyone.)

You will mail it back - they provide an envelope with shipping already attached (it is included in your fee). Both times we used them we just dropped it in the Mail in LP before we left town.

on a side note I should mention that the device transmits data via cellular, and coverage can be spotty outside of Lake Placid. It seemed to work ok though - a few drops, but the data packets are so small and it sends them so frequently that it is fairly reliable all day, even in some areas where a cell phone wouldn't work. It just needs to get a little signal for just a moment or two to transmit data evidently.

Another option for tracking is the Garmin GTU10 unit - we use those all the time during training. But for races where they are supported, the myathlete interface is much more useful and user friendly for those that are tracking you. It shows the actual course route (the garmin does not) and a public interface where you can see all of the racers using the device. The garmin requires a private invitation and a (free) garmin account for each person following. That is just too much work for the casual watcher.

Thanks for taking the time to respond...as well as the others above, I appreciate it....I will probably go with this and not the garmin for the reasons you stated (I may look into the garmin for future training etc) thanks again

Good info. The site says the transmitter is about the size of a matchbox car and fits in a pouch on the provided (or your own) race belt.

Does the transmitter work under a wetsuit? For those of you that have used these did you add your bib to the race belt after the swim? Hmmmmm

It would be interesting if the could leverage the new technology Garmin has on their 510 and 810 cycling computers.  Currently, they can work with your cell phone (I think through bluetooth) to not only transmit current location, but pace/speed, HR, power, etc. 

If My Athlete Live can create new transmitters to talk to devices via bluetooth or ANT+, they could provide much more information for live racing.  Or you could do this now for races if the USAT/WTC lifts the ban on carrying a cell phone with you during races.

I wore one at IMLOU in 2011 and would describe the transmitter as quite the opposite. It was small, unnoticeable and fit in my fuel belt perfectly. Here's a photo, you can see it on my belt:

Did you wear it for the swim?

They actually give you specific instructions NOT to wear it on the swim (it wouldn't be able to get a gps signal in the water anyway). Just turn it on race morning, make sure it gets a signal, put it on your race belt (or use the one they provide) and forget about it. It has enough juice to last for the whole ironman day.

As to the size comments from Dlyon, I think maybe you have a "Princess and the Pea" thing going on?  

Or maybe you just have your movies mixed up? It is not the size of Michael Douglas' cell phone - it is more like the size of Ben Stiller's in Zoolander. And it actally weighs less than two gel packets.

Good point, thanks for the info.

I used them the last year for a few races. The only issue that ever came up was the correct position of the racer. IMCDA it was a little off here and there but my wife/Sherpa figured it out. When we did a race as a team i used my phone for updates. When I refreshed the screen to see where she was it said she was about 10 miles away. I went to the restroom and came back and she was there. It was off a little. No huge deal but be aware of it.

No to the water. The weight was not a big thing for me either. I do not use the back zip pocket in my tri shorts so i put it in there and went on my day. Never noticed it. Also try it out before the race to be sure you know how it all works, you and your family.

Talked to DH last night about using one for Oceanside he likes the idea. Did you run in to accuracy issues as described by edawno?

You didn't' ask me, but my family said in Louisville there was only one point on the run it appeared I was stopped for like 10 minutes (which I wasn't). Probably a dead spot in cellular coverage is what I'm guessing. But otherwise they said it worked flawlessly. The little icon moves on the screen, it's pretty cool. They met me at every time/place they intended to (which was NOT the case at my 1st Ironman, they missed me about half the time).

They were accessing the information on smart phones and an iPad - said it worked the best on the iPad (not sure if their technology has changed in the past 2 seasons). Other friends at home accessed on a home computer which also worked really well.