Know the course of the force, do you?

Sponsored by Qualcomm® the 2013 Course of the Force (COTF), an epic Lightsaber relay event through California, kicks off today, July 9, at Skywalker Ranch and runs through the 16^th just in time for Comic Con.

You don't need to be running in this 500-mile journey to fully experience Course of the Force.

Download the official app

Using the technologies of Qualcomm's subsidiaries, including Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Qualcomm's subsidiaries helped create the official Course of the Force app (for Android and iOS, available later this week). The app harnesses the power of your smartphone to create an alternate digital sixth sense experience for COTF, complete with personalized and exclusive content–a must-have for all fans and runners.  

And check out our fun infographic to see our take on how life forms from a galaxy far, far away find certain mobile apps to be wildly useful:

Click to enlarge

Watch the Course of the Force web series

There's also a web series leading up to the event, which features guest stars Seth Green, Kumail Nanjiani, and Kyle Kinane, among others, who go in search of the stolen Lightsaber right before COTF.

The week-long Lightsaber relay starts where else but at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. It continues down the state with quarter-mile markers (considerably less than 12 parsecs) where participants hand off the official Course of the Force Lightsaber to the next runner as they begin their leg of the journey.

Join us at the Qualcomm Mos Eisley Cantina

Along the Course of the Force route will be special "Conivals". In fact, you can find Qualcomm in the Mos Eisley Cantina at one of the four Conival stops along the route:

• San Francisco at Embarcadero 4, July 10
• Santa Monica Pier, July 12
• Huntington Beach Pier,  July 13
• Oceanside Rotary Park, July 14

We'll be "serving up" the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon™ demos inside of the cantina, including hands-on opportunities with the Samsung GALAXY S4, powered by Snapdragon. You can also enter the #QualcommForce Twitter sweepstakes, for a chance to win a GALAXY S4. In addition, Qualcomm will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for every use of #QualcommForce, up to $10,000.

Follow the course, see photos and more by liking the Qualcomm Course of the Force Facebook page or following COTF on Twitter. 

Excited for the Course of the Force are you? Which Star Wars character would you dress up as?