The Indigenous Marathon Foundation Launches Mobile App Developed with TCS in Australia

Technology Developed by the TCS Australia & New Zealand Community Innovation Program Helps Indiginous Australians to Better Embrace Running, Fitness and Well-being

SYDNEY | MUMBAI, June 21, 2018: Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced it has launched a mobile application in partnership with the Indigenous Running Foundation, an organization that uses running as a platform to help improve fitness and well-being for Indigenous Australians. The app was developed as part of the TCS Australia & New Zealand Community Innovation Program, which offers pro-bono technology services to non-profit organizations.

TCS and the IMF runners collaborted to develop the Indigenous Marathon Foundation-Deadly Running Connect app (IMF-DRC), which was launched on June 14 at the IMF National Deadly Fun Run Championships at Uluru with participants, volunteers and community chaperones from approximately 24 Indigenous communities across Australia.

Robert de Castella, Founder, Indigenous Running Foundation stated, “TCS has perfectly designed the app with input from Indigenous communities to make it relevant and culturally appropriate as a resource that measures levels of physical activity. In the long-term data can be used to track changes in fitness, weight and other areas. Training can be challenging for IMF participants as they complete most of the training in their home communities with support provided from coaches over the phone. Similar challenges for runners outside an area where a Deadly Running group is based. The app opens up opportunities for individual runners to be part of the online Deadly Running community and gives people in remote areas access to coaches, training plans and support.”

According to data from Social Ventures Australia, graduates from the IMF program across 2014-2016 have developed greater meaningful employment and financial stability, improved mental health and wellbeing, increased self-belief and confidence, while their communities also benefited from having more influential leaders and were generally healthier communities.

Anil Snehi, VP & Country Head, TCS Australia & New Zealand added, “TCS is proud to work closely with Indigenous Marathon Foundation to help enable the IMF-Deadly Running Connect app that is helping to digitally enhance a culture of fitness and well-being. We look forward to growing our partnership with the IMF and further making an impact through this outstanding initiative.”

Powered by Tata Consultancy Services, the IMF-Deadly Running Connect app delivers a broad range of digital capabilities, enabling users to: track runners; share records and compare times against other runners in the group; gain easy access to training groups, locations for prospective new runners; get coaching tips for varying skill levels of runners; learn of events to the runners through the app; and has numerous other capabilities.

More about the TCS and IMF partnership and the app can be viewed in this video.

The IMF is one of 9 recipients of the TCS Community Innovation Program, who gained access to AUD $1 million in technical solutions and services funding for their respective social cause. More about how TCS enables sustainability at a global level is available at #DigitalEmpowers.

TCS is committed to fitness and well-being globally. They are the world’s leading corprorate sponsor and technology partner of many of the world’s most well-known distance running events, including the TCS NYC Marathon. In Australia, TCS is the title sponsor and app partner of the The Australian Running Festival in Canberra, as well as app partner to the City2Surf, the world’s largest fun run by participation. More about TCS distance running sponsorships is available here.

About the Indigenous Running Foundation

The Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) is a health promotion charity that uses running to celebrate Indigenous resilience and achievement, and create inspirational Indigenous leaders. It was born out of an initiative of marathon champion, Rob de Castella, that involved the training of four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over a 6-month period to participate in and complete a marathon. In 2010, the Indigenous Marathon Project’s inaugural cohort became the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to participate in and successfully complete the world’s biggest marathon, the New York City Marathon.

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for the last fifty years. TCS offers a consulting-led, Cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of IT, Business & Technology Services, and engineering. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group, TCS has over 394,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $19.09 billion for year ended March 31, 2018 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS' proactive stance on climate change and award winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit us at www.tcs.com.

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