Time brings NYC Marathon to VR
Details
Michelle Clancy
| 08 November 2016

Time Inc’s Sports Illustrated and LIFE VR, and multimedia company Cyberlink have teamed up for a virtual reality (VR) video that puts viewers in the shoes of a ten-time NYC Marathon runner at the 2016 race.

The energetic 360 video was captured by runner Alex Christison using a special stabilisation rig and a Samsung Gear 360 camera as he traversed 26.2 miles and five boroughs in the largest marathon of the world, for the tenth time. Viewers can join his journey from Verrazano Bridge in Staten Island, through Brooklyn and Queens to the Queensboro Bridge, along the 59th street stretch in Manhattan and finally back to where it all began, in Central Park. It was produced and edited by multimedia company CyberLink using its flagship software PowerDirector, in collaboration with Sports Illustrated and LIFE VR.

The three-minute immersive content, 26.2 in 360, was shot entirely at this week’s iconic race and is available on the LIFE VR app for iOS and Android, with 360° video on SI.com and across SI’s social channels.

“With the launch of 26.2 in 360, we’re able to not only take our viewers on a journey that many will never otherwise take, but we are particularly excited about the timeliness of offering this experience,” said Mia Tramz, managing editor of LIFE VR. “By collaborating with the talented teams at Sports Illustrated and CyberLink, we’re thrilled to be able to offer this to our viewers the morning after the race.”

This is the latest launch from Time’s dedicated virtual reality platform, LIFE VR. An extension of the historic LIFE brand, LIFE VR launched earlier this year with a slate of immersive experiences from across the company’s stable of global brands. Scheduled to launch early next year is Messages to Mars, a new production in conjunction with Time that will bring holographic recordings of Buzz Aldrin and Reggie Watts to the platform.