For the first time ever, Moving Words enabled marathoners to have a real-time Facebook dialogue with supporters while they were actually running. Using the RFID tag embedded in marathon bibs, we tracked runners’ data, translating it into conversational Facebook posts that described how runners were feeling at different points throughout the race.

Each marathoner was able to select a personalized tone. So the resulting posts sounded like they were written by the runners themselves, encouraging more meaningful responses from their supporters in the comments. These comments then appeared course-side, targeting runners at the most difficult parts of the race.

With virtually no paid media, nearly ten percent of this year’s marathon runners signed up for the Moving Words platform. More than 3,000 runners—and an untold number of friends and family—communicated in real-time during the race. In the process, they experienced for themselves Liberty Mutual Insurance’s brand promise of helping people on the road.

The marathon lasted just 6 hours. In that time we generated:

Over 80,000 comments from friends and family

More than 160,000 likes

And over 5.2 million impressions

Best of all? More marathoners crossed the finish line in 2014 than in any other Chicago Marathon.