Grandma's Marathon is sprinting to catch up with the latest electronic trends in distance running.

First it was online race registration, implemented for the first time this year, and now a tracking system allowing a runner to be followed along the 26.2-mile course from Two Harbors to Canal Park.

Friends and relatives of those entered in the 32nd Grandma's Marathon and the 18th Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon on June 21 can sign up to receive text messages or e-mails on the progress of their favorite runners. An electronic transponder chip worn on a runner's shoe will record a finishing time and times at four other checkpoints during the marathon - 6.2 miles, 13.1 miles, 20 miles and 25 miles.

"We're not usually the first on the block to do something, but our goal is to make about 20 race improvements a year and this is one we had been thinking about,'' Grandma's Marathon executive director Scott Keenan said Wednesday.

The tracking system is a cooperative effort led by funding from Verizon Wireless and computer assistance between ChampionChip Minnesota and MarathonGuide.com.

Checkpoint times will be gathered by the official race timer, ChampionChip Minnesota, and relayed to MarathonGuide.com, which will send out the text messages to wireless phones and e-mails to computers, said Laura Bergen, director of event and program development for Grandma's Marathon. MarathonGuide.com of New York coordinated online registration for the three Grandma's Marathon races this year, including the William A. Irvin 5-kilometer run on June 20. All three races are sold out.

"A number of marathons in the United States, like Boston, New York and Twin Cities, already use a tracking system, and we've had inquiries from runners wanting to know if we were going to do the same," said Bergen. "It's a service we wanted to provide."

From May 26 through June 18, those interested in receiving tracking information on race day will be able to register through a link at the marathon Web site at www.grandmasmarathon.com. The name of a registered runner will be the only information required to register, Bergen said.

Last year, tracking information was available by providing the name of a runner at the marathon Web site on race day. That service will continue this year.