CP Communications worked with Gravity Media to bring Gravity’s SMARThead robotic camera technology to the U.S. for the first time at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. Two SMARThead+ systems were rigged on the over-road gantries of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, looking down on more than 61,000 runners at the start. Each had a Sony HDC-P50 camera and a CJ45x zoom lens, with full pan and tilt control. The gantry positions are effectively unreachable once the bridge is closed and the race begins.
CP provides broadcast and communications services across all five boroughs of the race. Its 2026 footprint included:
- Connectivity: CBRS connectivity carrying Green-GO comms and Haivision bonded cellular video at the start and finish lines, plus a citywide trunked comms network linking motorcycles, lead vehicles, operations and production
- Production: a start line production truck and three REMI kits at remote sites, linking the 26.2-mile course with RVON, Unity Intercom Connect, and bi-directional low-latency video and data for control
- On course: five motorcycles and three custom dual-stream Smartcars equipped with POV cameras, talent audio, Sony cameras with full paint control and effects mics
- Aerial: a helicopter and five drones
“Those gantry positions are rigged well before anybody gets on that bridge, and once the race starts, nobody is going back up there,” says Kurt Heitmann, CEO, CP Communications. “Gravity’s heads let us put a full frame camera with a long lens where we couldn’t put a person. When over 61,000 people step off at once, that’s the shot people remember, and it’s worth the trouble it takes to get it. The mass start was an awesome shot, it looks like the wave of runners it was!”
“Having supported coverage of some of the world’s biggest sporting and live events, we understand the importance of capturing the moments that make each event unique,” says Nathan Spencer, Managing Director, Gravity Media USA. “Bringing this proven technology to our U.S. clients is an exciting step in our growth here, and we’re looking forward to working with CP Communications on future events.”
