How to Record a 24 Hour Ultra Running Event

We hear it quite frequently, "I've got this ultra marathon and I want to track it with my Forerunner 305.  How do I go about making sure I capture all the data?"  There's a chance, although slim, that you'll be able to wear the one device to record your data.  But why take the chance that the device won't have the storage capacity for your event?  One of our creative users, reiner.stucky.motionbased.com, used his device along with donated devices from a shop in his area (Avnic in South Africa) to track his progress while running the 3rd South African Addo Elephant 100 Mile Trail Run on 28 April 2007.  After the First Leg of 55 miles was recorded he changed out the device for a new one.  Leg Two was a little shorter, measuring 24 miles.  The third device recorded the Final Leg just over 21 miles.  For the full Combined event, check out Reiner's activity:

Finally, check out the activity on Google Earth.  I've left the sections divided so you can see where Reiner swapped out each device.

Congratulations on a fantastic event, Reiner!  Can't wait to see what you do next year!

MBlog post brought to you by kk.

Comments

[Remco de Kock]

What a joke!
I'm participating in a 86k trailrun in august, and so I have to buy a second Forerunner?
Can someone tell me what is the limiting factor here? Does it run out of power or waypoints first? And when exactly does it run out of power or waypoints?

[Kathryn]

Hi Remco,

As is described in the above post, Mr. Stucky was fortunate enough to have a local business show some interest in the event so they lent him the device. Another thing to note is that Mr Stucky's race was 161 km, or 100 miles. He recorded the first 55 mile leg of his race with one device. Your race is 86 km, or 53.4 miles. Your one Forerunner 205/305 should be fine. Just remember to keep the recording set to Smart Recording and you should not have a problem. The battery life sits between 8 - 10 hours, and there is a 13000 trackpoint capacity.

Hope this information helps.

Kathryn

[Alex Pope]

You will run out of power long before you run out of trackpoints. I am running into the same problem with the Edge 305, as I participate in Randonneur brevets that exceed the capability of the Edge to record. My solution has been to use an external power source to charge the Edge while I am riding my bike which has solved the power issue, but I still ran out of trackpoints when cycling in a 600km brevet last month (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/email/accept.mb?senderPk.pkValue=95011&unitSystemPkValue=1&episodePk.pkValue=2464053). As a result of running out of trackpoints, I lost approx the first 65km of the brevet. The only solution for future brevets I can think of is to have someone meet me at a checkpoint with my laptop to download the first part of the brevet.

[Remco de Kock]

Thank you Kathryn, thank you Alex,

This information is very helpful, but will not solve my problem.
The event I will run might take as long as 24h (this is my first Ultra and even the winner finishes in over 10h).
I was thinking of modifying my Forerunner to accept an external power source like Alex, but since the Forerunner 305 does not have an USB-connector it will be a little more difficult.
Then there's still the 13.000 trackpoint limit. I am really disappointed by the lack of memory of the 305. With todays memory prices one really should not be limited by a lack of memory...
Instead of buying 1 or 2 extra units, fortunatly I will be able to lend 2 from my local distributor. I will have to ask some friends to meet me at 1/3rd and 2/3rds of the race.
Hopefully Garmin will release an updated version in the near future!

Thanks again!

[Dylan]

So I have a old school Forerunner 301 (with a USB port)

If you go to a place like Ebay, you can find an Emergency 9V USB charger for less than $10. It is typically used for ipods and cell phones, but it should work to charge your USB ready GPS.
There are also many DIY kits available online as well.

The 9V Battery USB solution should take care of your power issue, but I too am trying to figure out how many way points I can store, and if I can change the interval between way point storage.

Good luck,

Dylan

[John Hale]

If you go to my page (sorry for shameless plug...) I have a bike-oriented battery pack idea for the Forerunner 305. I'm sure it could easily be modified for running - perhaps strapping the cradle to the watch and using an armband?

http://www.jwshale.com/

John