Following liveGuide
Send encouragement to a runner during a race
The short answer
Ask livedot in ChatGPT or Claude where your runner is, read the road ahead and their goal, and when it gets hard say "Give her a tap on the back." Her phone buzzes and she sees the count, with your name if your RunFast account is connected, or a first name you give. One a minute, and in the day after the finish it lands as a congratulation.
Encouragement works best at the moment it's needed: the long drag in the heat, the kilometre where the goal starts slipping away, the last push to the line. With livedot in ChatGPT or Claude you can see those moments coming and send a tap on the back from the same chat, in a sentence. This guide covers that; for every other way to cheer from afar, see how to cheer someone on remotely.
How do I send a tap from the chat?
Ask where they are, then ask for the tap.
- In ChatGPT or Claude, add livedot: search for it, or add it at
https://livedot.me/mcp. More at livedot.me/mcp. - Ask "Where's Megan?", or paste her livedot link, such as livedot.me/megan.
- Say "Give her a tap on the back."
livedot sends it and says so, with her live map: "Tap sent. Megan will feel it on their phone." It's the same tap as the button on her live page: her phone buzzes and sparkles, and she sees the count go up. livedot only sends a tap when you ask, one each time.
How do I know when she needs it?
Read the answer before you tap. It tells you three things that matter for timing:
- The heat where she is, rated from Ideal to Very hard, and the road ahead: the next stretches, their heat, and when she'll reach each one.
- Her goal: on goal pace, or minutes ahead or behind. Slipping behind is the moment.
- Her finish time at this pace: when she's in the last few kilometres.
| The moment | What the answer shows |
|---|---|
| The start | She's live: the first answer shows her on the course. |
| The heat builds | The road ahead turns Hard or Very hard, with heat stress High or Extreme. |
| She slips behind her goal | "Behind the goal" grows from one answer to the next. |
| The last few kilometres | Her finish time is close, and the road ahead runs to the end. |
| The finish | She's finished: for a day, a tap lands as a congratulation. |
Will she know it was me?
It depends on how you're connected:
- Your RunFast or Windline account connected to livedot: the tap carries your short public name, as on the live page.
- Not connected: give a first name: "Give her a tap from Sam."
- Neither: the tap still counts, with no name, and livedot tells you so.
Who can I tap?
Anyone you could tap on their own follow page, and no one else. That means runners who are live in a race, or who finished in the last day. If she turned taps off, livedot says so. If she only takes taps from people who follow her or have her link, ask about her by that link. A private race found through a livedot link can't be tapped. One tap a minute to the same person, as on the live page.
Try it now
Ask livedot "Where's Megan in the Comrades?" When nobody real matches, it shows the Comrades demo runner, labelled as the demo, always mid-race. Then say "Give her a tap on the back": the demo runner feels it in the demo, and nothing is kept.
For following her through the whole day, see how to track someone in a marathon with ChatGPT, and for taps in full, taps on the back.
Questions
Can I send a runner a tap on the back from ChatGPT?
Yes. With livedot added to ChatGPT or Claude, ask where your runner is, then say "Give her a tap on the back." It's the same tap as on her live page: her phone buzzes and she sees the count. It's free, thanks to ProLend.
How does my name show on the tap?
With your RunFast or Windline account connected to livedot, your short public name, as on the live page. Otherwise the first name you give ("from Sam"). With neither, the tap still counts, with no name.
When can I send one?
While they're live in a race, and in the day after they finish, when it lands as a congratulation. One a minute to the same person. Not if they turned taps off, and only if you could tap them on their own follow page.
When does a tap help most?
On the hard stretches: when the heat rises, when they fall behind their goal, and in the last few kilometres. livedot's answer names the road ahead and when they'll reach it, so you can time it.
Should I text a runner during a race?
Usually not. Most runners don't read messages mid-race, and a screen that keeps lighting up costs battery. A tap is quiet and counted for later; save messages for before the start and after the finish.
