So far more than 1,700 RunKeeper enthusiasts have signed up for runs in 734 cities. The largest of these will be held in London, with 45 scheduled to attend, followed by RunKeeper's hometown, Boston, with 43 RSVPs.
Participants will meet at designated locations throughout the day and record their runs using one of RunKeeper's apps for iPhone, Android or Windows 7, or certain GPS-enabled devices such as Garmin watches.
RunKeeper CEO Jason Jacobs compares the initiative to Nike's annual Human Race initiative, which organizes 10Ks for hundreds of thousands of Nike+ enthusiasts in more than 25 cities. Those unable to attend one of the organized races can still participate by logging their run using a device with Nike+ integration.
What's impressive about RunKeeper's project is that it's being organized by a relatively tiny startup in Boston with no marketing budget. But thanks largely to Meetup's platform participants are able to efficiently organize local branches of larger events.
Several of Mashable's staff will be doing their own RunKeeper runs on July 9 -- will you?