Race Screen

Race Screen Garmin Connect IQ data field

Race Screen is a data field for Garmin watches that displays the most relevant information for running a race or training. It can also correct the difference between the GPS-measured distance and the actual race course distance: when enabled in its settings, pressing the lap button when passing a course marker rounds the distance it displays and adjusts the average pace accordingly. If you set a race distance, it predicts your finish time.

Race Screen is available for free on Garmin's Connect IQ Store: https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/6a30651b-ca67-41a5-96dc-60634983fc93.

Race Screen has been downloaded over 500,000 times, was one of three finalists for the Best Wearable Workout App in Garmin's inaugural Connect IQ developer awards, and was nicely reviewed by DC Rainmaker here.

Feedback

Race Screen and all its features are absolutely free. Nevertheless, if you find it useful and wish to contribute to its development, there are tip jars at:

Thanks!

Leaving a positive review or ratings on Garmin's Connect IQ Store is another way to encourage Race Screen's development. If you have problems, using the Contact developer link on Garmin's Connect IQ Store is preferable to leaving a negative or lukewarm review.

Installation

Race Screen is not an App but a Data Field. It will not appear in the list of apps on the watch. Instead, you need to display it as a field within an activity, like the standard built-in Run activity. Race Screen needs its own screen within the activity.

You first install Race Screen on your watch from Garmin's Connect IQ Store: https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/6a30651b-ca67-41a5-96dc-60634983fc93. You can do this using Garmin's Connect IQ Store phone app on your phone or Garmin Express on your computer. Newer devices also give access to Garmin's Connect IQ Store directly from the device.

Next, in your watch, go to the main Settings menu, Watch Settings, Activities, Run, Run Settings, Data Screens. Configure a data screen with 1 Field as the layout (that is, a single field taking the entire screen), in Data Fields select Connect IQ Fields, and select Race Screen. On recent devices you will be prompted to tailor Race Screen's settings to your needs (see the section Configuration and settings below).

Repeat the previous step for any other Activity in which you wish to use Race Screen. Besides the built-in Run Activity, you can do this for Track Run, Trail Run, Treadmill, or any other running Activity.

The field displays distance based on the unit (km/mile) set for distance in your device's settings and recent and average pace based on the unit set for pace. These units can be different, so that you can match the distance unit to your race's course markers and still keep a different pace unit if you wish.

To adjust race distance using the lap button, you need to enable Round GPS distance on new lap button press in Race Screen's settings explicitly (this used to be the default, but caused confusion to users who where just looking for a data field to display rich information nicely and had not read the instructions). If you have Round GPS distance on new lap button press enabled in Race Screen's settings, you should set Auto-Lap to Off on your watch.

Correction of GPS distance and average pace on a race course

When running a race, the GPS distance measured by your watch almost always differs from the official course distance. Even the most careful runners inevitably weave away from the shortest race line, and there are GPS errors, particularly close to tall buildings and inside tunnels. This can affect your race plans since the average pace displayed by your device may be inaccurate.

Race Screen can help. If you enable Round GPS distance on new lap button press in its settings, then triggering a manual lap on your watch when passing a course marker rounds the distance shown by Race Screen to the nearest kilometre or mile (depending on the distance unit set on your watch). It also adjusts the average pace accordingly. The rounding can be upward or downward.

For example, if Race Screen shows 22.17 km and you trigger a manual lap, it assumes you are passing the 22 km marker and subtracts 0.17 km from the GPS distance. The same behaviour applies to miles instead of kilometres if that is the distance unit set on your watch. The adjustment applied to the distance is also used to recalculate your average pace.

When an adjustment is being applied, grid lines turn red. You do not need to trigger a lap every course marker; any new lap rounds the currently displayed distance again. Triggering a lap twice within 15 seconds removes all adjustments, which is helpful if you press the lap button by mistake.

If you wish to use this feature, you should set Auto-Lap to Off on your watch.

If you wish to use Race Screen only as a way to display information nicely in a single screen, you can switch off the distance/average pace adjustment in the app settings.

Race pacing features

If you set a race distance in the app settings, Race Screen predicts your race finish time. By default, the prediction is based on your current pace. Race Screen sees what race distance remains (subtracting from the target distance the current elapsed distance, adjusted for GPS error). It then adds to the current elapsed time, the time it would take you to finish the race if you keep your current pace. Alternatively, you can specify in the app settings if you prefer the prediction based on your average pace. The calculation is the same but assumes you keep your average pace so far, instead of your current pace, until the end.

You can also set a race target time in the app settings. Then the background changes colour when you are behind the target (when your predicted time is longer than your target time).

Readable and rich display of running-relevant fields

In addition to helping correct GPS errors and pace races, Race Screen displays the most relevant information for running a race or training in a single screen.

The display is specific to each Garmin device, accounting for different screen shapes, resolutions, and fonts. The size and placement of each field are chosen to achieve a good balance between readability and wealth of information. The result is cleaner and richer than configuring a standard built-in multiple-field screen.

Race Screen can simultaneously display:

How these fields are displayed varies depending on whether you are using the race pacing features and on whether you have chosen to display running power.

By default (race distance set to 0 and not set to show running power), the Race Screen screen looks as follows:

Race Screen screen

If you tick in Race Screen's settings Display running power, then power is shown to the left of current pace and heart rate and cadence are moved above:

Race Screen screen

If you specify in Race Screen's settings a race distance different from 0, the predicted race time is shown to the right of the elapsed distance instead of the timer, and the timer is moved to the lower-left corner:

Race Screen screen

If you choose to display power and specify a race distance, both changes to the default display are combined:

Race Screen screen

When Race Screen starts, it briefly shows the race distance and target time set in its settings and the lap distance used for rounding when a manual lap is triggered:

Race Screen screen

When an adjustment to the distance and average pace is being applied, grid lines turn red. Until a strong GPS signal is acquired, a GPS is shown in red in the lower-left corner. Once a strong GPS signal is available and before the start button is pressed to begin an activity, Race Screen shows the time of the day in the lower-left corner (useful when waiting for a race to start).

Configuration and settings

On recent devices, Race Screen's settings can be adjusted directly on the watch, by far the most convenient option. Regardless of the device, you can also use Garmin's Connect IQ Store phone app on your phone or Garmin Express on your computer.

On your watch, when you first install Race Screen, you will be prompted to adjust its settings, if the watch supports this. To access the settings at a later time, go into one of the Activities where you set up a 1-field screen with Race Screen (like the standard built-in Run Activity), scroll down to Connect IQ Fields, select it, then select Race Screen.

In Garmin's Connect IQ Store phone app on your phone (note this is different from the Garmin phone app), tap on Device, then on My Data Fields, then on Race Screen and Settings.

In Garmin Express, click on your watch, then IQ Apps, select Data Fields from the drop-down menu, and click on the three dots next to Race Screen.

There are 11 configurable settings in Race Screen:

Running power

If you have a Stryd pod (see https://www.stryd.com/),Stryd Race Screen can display running power. It retrieves current running power by establishing a direct connection to your Stryd pod using an ANT generic channel. If you don't have a Stryd pod, Race Screen can alternatively display Garmin's native running power estimate.

Setting up Stryd running power

  • Find out your Stryd's ANT ID. For this, connect your Stryd pod as a footpod. In the main watch menu, go to Sensors & accesories, Add New, Foot Pod. Your Stryd should be detected as FP - Stryd (Bluetooth pairing), as FP - xxxxx (ANT pairing, where xxxxx is a 3-5 digit number that corresponds to your Stryd's ANT ID), or both. If you only see FP - Stryd, add it, and then follow the same process to add a new foot pod. Move your Stryd while pairing (this might take a few attempts). Your Stryd should show up as FP - xxxxx. That 3-5 digit number is your Stryd's ANT ID.
  • Once you have the ANT ID, you can enter it in the Stryd ANT ID setting of Race Screen's settings.
  • Tick Display running power in Race Screen's settings.
  • Stryd recommends that, on these recent devices, you connect your Stryd pod as a power meter but then disable it. In the main watch menu, go to Sensors & accesories, Add new, Power. Your Stryd should be detected as PWR - Stryd (Bluetooth pairing), as PWR - xxxxx (ANT pairing, where again xxxxx is a 3-5 digit number that corresponds to your Stryd's ANT ID), or both. Once added, select Status for this sensor connection so that the connection turns off.
  • To record Stryd running power with your activity, you will also need the Stryd Power Zones data field on another screen different from the one where you display Race Screen. Add the ANT ID in the settings of the Stryd Power Zones data field too.

    • Other running power sources

    If you don't have a Stryd pod, Race Screen can display Garmin's wrist-based running power estimate. To enable this, you need to tick Display running power in Race Screen's settings but leave the Stryd ANT ID setting of Race Screen's settings at the default value of 0. If the Stryd ANT ID setting has a value different from 0 but Race Screen cannot connect to your Stryd pod, it will also display Garmin's wrist-based running power estimate instead. For clarity, the label of the power field on Race Screen's display will then show G POWER (for Garmin power) instead of just POWER.

    Important warnings

    The distance displayed by this data field may differ from the built-in distance field. This is by design, to help the user correct the difference between the GPS-measured distance and the official course distance when running a race by triggering a manual lap when passing an official course marker. If you wish to use this field only as a way to display information nicely in a single screen, you can switch off the distance/average pace adjustment and set the race distance and target time to 0 in the app settings.

    The GPS correction applied by Race Screen only affects the distance and average pace displayed by Race Screen itself during your activity. This GPS correction does not apply to the activity uploaded to Garmin Connect, which will still reflect the GPS track captured by your watch. If you set up another screen on your watch to display distance of average pace, the GPS correction will not apply to that screen either, only to Race Screen.

    This data field is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty. As a precaution, configure additional screens on your device to display information relevant for your race, and try Race Screen while training before using it during a race.

    Changelog