Patent ID: 8568240

Claim:
A system for conducting and monitoring an endurance sporting competition with intermediate stages, comprising: a computer server having a central processing unit, one or more input/output communication ports for sending and receiving electronic transmissions, associated memory for storing digital information, a database memory for storing digital information relating to the sporting competition, and a communication interface; one or more mobile units associated with a participant in the competition transmit information signals to the computer server regarding the progress of one or more participants in the sporting competition; a global positioning unit associated with one or more of the sporting competition participant's vehicles, said global positioning unit receiving positioning satellite signals in order to calculate positioning and location information and transmitting positioning and location information to the computer system; said computer server monitoring the progress of one or more participants in the sporting competition through the receipt of information signals regarding event-based information and completion of intermediate stage tasks, said wherein one or more information signals relating to the completion of tasks at said intermediate stage includes uploading of information onto the computer server, social network site or applications program devoted to the participant or the sporting competition, and computer server transmitting a first instruction to one or more of the participants in the sporting competition to proceed to a next stage in the sporting competition if all tasks in an intermediate stage in the competition have been completed, or transmitting a second instruction to one or more of the participants in the sporting competition indicating that said one or more participants is eliminated from the competition upon a failure to complete all tasks in an intermediate stage in a predetermined time period.