Track3D Guide
Using a Garmin Watch for Ultramarathon Race Tracking
Most ultra runners already have a GPS watch that knows where they are. The harder problem is getting useful race-day information from the runner’s wrist to the crew while the race is unfolding.
A crew trying to meet a runner at a checkpoint needs more than pace, distance or a position on a map. They need to know where the runner is in the actual race, which planned checkpoint is next, when they are likely to arrive, how they are tracking against cutoff and what needs to happen when they get there.
Track3D Connect IQ
Use the Garmin watch you already run with.
Track3D starts before race day. The Track3D Race Planner lets the runner build a Race Plan from the course, including checkpoints, cutoffs, expected timing and the information their crew will need along the way.
On race day, the Track3D Connect IQ Data Field runs inside a normal Garmin Run or Trail Run activity. While the compatible watch is paired to the runner’s phone and the phone has a usable internet connection, Track3D can send location observations approximately every 60 seconds of active activity time.
Track3D matches those observations to the Race Plan and updates the race picture for the crew. Garmin still records the activity and remains the runner’s watch and navigation platform.
- Runs inside a normal Garmin activity
- Approximately 60-second observations in suitable connectivity
- Track3D Crew turns those observations into race context
The Track3D Connect IQ Data Field is implemented and tested. Public Garmin Store publication is pending.
Why wouldn’t I just use Garmin LiveTrack?
You can. Garmin LiveTrack is a useful way to share the runner’s current location, activity statistics and, on supported setups, the planned course. If that is all your crew needs, LiveTrack may be enough.
Track3D is for the race-specific questions LiveTrack does not know from your Track3D Race Plan: which checkpoint is next, when the runner is likely to arrive there, the current Finish ETA, how they are tracking against cutoff, what checkpoint notes were prepared and when the crew should get ready.
Garmin LiveTrack only shares the activity. Track3D uses the watch location to keep the Race Plan current for the crew.
Can your Garmin keep your crew updated during an ultramarathon?
Yes. With Track3D, a compatible Garmin watch can help keep your crew updated as your race unfolds.
You keep using your Garmin the way you normally would: start your Run or Trail Run activity and use Garmin for recording and navigation. Track3D can use location updates from the watch to keep your crew’s view of the race current whenever the watch has a working connection through the paired phone.
Instead of your crew only seeing where you are, Track3D matches those updates to your course and Race Plan. That means they can see where you are in the race, which checkpoint is next, when you are likely to arrive, your current Finish ETA and how you are tracking against cutoff.
For a crew trying to decide when to leave for the next checkpoint, that is far more useful than simply watching a location move across a map.
Garmin LiveTrack and Track3D solve different parts of the problem
Garmin LiveTrack can already share useful live activity information. Track3D does not need to pretend otherwise.
Garmin documents LiveTrack as able to share current location, pace, elapsed time, distance, elevation gain and other activity information, and supported devices can also share the planned course. That is useful for friends or crew who want to follow the activity.
Track3D adds a different layer: the runner’s Track3D Race Plan. That gives the same location evidence meaning in the context of the race and the crew plan.
| Race-day question | Garmin LiveTrack | What Track3D adds for the crew |
|---|---|---|
| Which checkpoint is next? | Does not know the next checkpoint in the Track3D Race Plan. | Shows the next planned checkpoint and where the runner is relative to it, giving the crew a clear picture of what is coming next. |
| When will they reach the next checkpoint? | Does not calculate Track3D’s Adaptive ETA. | Recalculates the checkpoint ETA as the race unfolds. If the runner slows down or speeds up, the expected arrival time moves with them. |
| What is the Finish ETA? | Does not calculate the Track3D Finish ETA from the Race Plan. | Updates the expected finish time from the runner’s actual race progress instead of leaving the crew with the estimate made before the race. |
| How are they tracking against cutoff? | Does not use the Track3D Race Plan cutoffs. | Shows the relevant cutoff and the runner’s current buffer, so the crew can immediately see whether the race is comfortable or getting tight. |
| When should the crew get ready? | The crew has to interpret the activity and work that out themselves. | Adaptive Alerts can notify the crew as the runner approaches based on the changing ETA, so they do not need to keep watching the tracker. |
| What does the crew need to do there? | The shared activity does not contain the Track3D crew plan. | Checkpoint Notes keep the planned instructions with the checkpoint, so the crew knows what to bring, what to do and what the runner needs when they arrive. |
Keep using Garmin for the activity and course navigation. Track3D uses race-day observations from the watch to keep the separate Track3D race picture useful for the crew.
How Track3D turns a Garmin watch observation into race progress
The Watch path is intentionally simple from the runner’s point of view.
That separation is deliberate. The watch does the job it is already good at. Track3D receives the observation, applies the race-specific context and presents the result where it is useful to the crew.
Which Garmin watches does Track3D support?
The current V1 build targets recent Garmin endurance and multisport platforms rather than every historical Connect IQ watch.
The current compatibility set includes selected Enduro 2 and Enduro 3, fēnix 7, 8 and 9 families, Forerunner 255, 265, 570, 955, 965 and 970 families, MARQ Gen 2 and equivalent Garmin shared platforms. Internally, the V1 package is validated against 39 Garmin product targets.
Exact model support is controlled by the Garmin package and should always be checked against the current Garmin listing before installation. Track3D does not claim physical testing of every supported model; representative hardware and Garmin SDK compatibility are used across the supported display and platform classes.
What to set up before race day
The watch is only useful as a remote Track3D source if the complete path has been set up and tested before the race starts.
- Build the Race Plan. Add the correct course, checkpoints, cutoffs, expected timing and crew information in Track3D Race Planner.
- Install Track3D on a compatible Garmin watch. Add the Track3D Connect IQ Data Field to the Run or Trail Run activity the runner will actually use.
- Pair the Data Field to Track3D. Generate the existing 8-character pairing code in Race Planner, enter it in the Track3D settings in the Connect IQ mobile app, then save and sync. The on-watch pairing flow remains available as a fallback.
- Carry the paired phone. The current Track3D Watch path relies on the paired phone and a usable internet connection to get observations from the watch to Track3D.
- Start the Garmin activity normally. Track3D does not replace Garmin’s recording workflow. The Data Field operates while that normal activity is running.
- Test the complete path. Confirm the watch reaches TRACKING, Track3D receives an observation and the Crew race picture updates before relying on it during an event.
A successful watch installation is not the same as successful race tracking. Test the watch, paired phone, mobile data, Track3D pairing and Crew update together.
How often does Track3D update from a Garmin watch?
The normal Track3D Watch cadence is approximately every 60 seconds of active Garmin activity time when a valid location and delivery path are available.
≈ 60 seconds
After current activity evidence is available, normal Track3D sampling continues at approximately one-minute intervals of active activity time.
Not continuous
This is not second-by-second GPS streaming. Track3D works from real observations that are successfully delivered from the watch path.
If the field is loaded while an activity is already running, it can provide current evidence once valid location and activity time are available. After that, the approximately 60-second cadence continues while the activity is active.
Track3D also avoids making a recovered connection waste time replaying a long sequence of stale positions before returning to the runner’s current race picture. When connectivity returns, the design prioritises useful recent evidence.
What happens when mobile reception disappears?
Losing mobile reception does not stop the runner’s Garmin activity. The watch keeps recording normally, but new Track3D watch updates cannot reach the service until the phone regains an internet connection.
For the crew, that does not mean the race picture simply stops.
Track3D Crew can continue estimating the runner’s progress from their last known location, recent pace and Race Plan, giving the crew a predicted view of where the runner is likely to be and how their expected arrival times are developing while live updates are temporarily unavailable.
When mobile coverage returns, fresh watch observations begin reaching Track3D again and the race picture updates from the runner’s current position. The runner does not need to restart their Garmin activity.
That gives the crew continuity through temporary coverage gaps rather than leaving them with only the last dot that was received.
For races where the runner will spend long periods beyond mobile coverage, a Garmin inReach can independently provide satellite observations to Track3D. The two sources can be used together.
What do the Track3D watch statuses mean?
The watch tells the runner about the health of the Track3D Connect IQ delivery path without trying to become another race dashboard.
LAST SENT is the age of the last valid Track3D acknowledgement for the current configuration. It is not simply the age of the last GPS sample. Additional pairing-error and longer-outage states are also available.
Garmin Watch and inReach can work together
Track3D does not require the runner to choose one source for the whole race.
In suitable mobile reception, Garmin Watch and Connect IQ can contribute observations approximately every 60 seconds through the paired phone. Beyond that mobile coverage, Garmin inReach can independently contribute satellite observations at the selected 2-minute or 10-minute tracking interval, subject to normal satellite operation.
Track3D does not treat this as a permanent “watch primary, inReach backup” rule. Each valid observation is evidence about the runner’s progress. Both sources contribute to the same course match, Adaptive ETA and Crew experience.
The crew still needs an internet connection to receive remote Track3D updates. Satellite tracking solves the runner-side coverage problem; it does not make the crew’s phone an offline satellite receiver.
What Track3D Garmin Watch tracking is not
The current V1 has a deliberately narrow job.
- It is not satellite tracking from the watch. The standard Track3D Connect IQ path is mobile connected through the paired phone.
- It is not Garmin navigation. Track3D does not replace the watch’s course, map or navigation features.
- It is not a Race Plan display on the watch. Current V1 does not synchronise pacing, checkpoints, ETA or course data back to the Data Field.
- It is not continuous GPS streaming. Track3D uses delivered observations on its approximately 60-second normal cadence.
- It is not an emergency monitoring service. Track3D race tracking is not a replacement for emergency communication or SOS services.
- It is not official race timing. Track3D estimates race progress and ETA from tracking evidence. Official race timing remains authoritative.
Why this matters to a crew
A watch location becomes more useful when it is connected to the plan the crew is actually trying to execute.
What the crew gets
A new Garmin Watch observation can move the runner along the Track3D course. That can change the next-checkpoint distance, Adaptive ETA, Finish ETA and cutoff buffer seen by the crew.
If the runner slows through a difficult section, the crew does not have to keep relying on the time planned before race day. Track3D can move the ETA with the race and use that changing arrival estimate for Adaptive Alerts.
The watch supplies the observation. Track3D supplies the race context the crew can act on.
Frequently asked questions
Does the runner need to carry their phone?
For the current Track3D Connect IQ remote tracking path, yes. The compatible Garmin watch must be paired to the runner’s phone and the phone needs a usable internet connection for Watch observations to reach Track3D. The Garmin activity itself can continue recording locally when mobile reception disappears.
Does Track3D replace Garmin LiveTrack?
No. Garmin LiveTrack remains Garmin’s activity and location-sharing feature. Track3D adds Race Plan awareness, race progress, next checkpoint, Adaptive ETA, Finish ETA, cutoff context, checkpoint notes and crew planning around the Watch observations.
Does Track3D replace Garmin course navigation?
No. Garmin remains the navigation authority on the watch. The current Track3D Data Field is tracking only and does not replace Garmin’s map or course-navigation features.
Does the Track3D watch field show my Race Plan, checkpoint ETA or pacing?
No. Not in the current V1. The Data Field presents pairing and tracking status. Race Plan synchronisation, pacing, checkpoint data and course display are not part of the active Watch runtime.
What happens if the runner loses mobile reception?
The Garmin activity can keep recording. The Track3D Watch source cannot deliver new remote observations until the mobile-connected path returns. If Garmin inReach is also configured, it can independently continue contributing satellite observations beyond mobile coverage.
Can Garmin Watch and inReach both be used in the same race?
Yes. Track3D accepts them as concurrent tracking sources. The Watch can provide more frequent observations in suitable mobile coverage while inReach can contribute through satellite tracking beyond it.
Which Garmin models are supported?
The current V1 package targets selected recent Enduro, fēnix, Forerunner and MARQ platforms. Exact model compatibility should be checked against the current Garmin listing because Garmin platform support and Store compatibility can change.
Garmin LiveTrack features, Connect IQ communications behaviour and device compatibility can change. Confirm current Garmin requirements for your device before race day. Garmin documents current LiveTrack capabilities at Garmin LiveTrack and the Connect IQ mobile-to-internet communications path at Garmin Connect IQ Communications.
Already run with a Garmin watch? Start with the Race Plan.
Build the course, checkpoints, cutoffs, timing and crew notes in Track3D Race Planner. On race day, the Garmin watch can help keep that plan current for the crew whenever the mobile-connected path is available.
Open Race Planner
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