Does anyone know the rules about racing on the roads with a Garmin, heart rate monitor or anything else that might be considered by some to be an aide?
Does anyone know the rules about racing on the roads with a Garmin, heart rate monitor or anything else that might be considered by some to be an aide?
You may wear a Garmin in any race I've ever heard of. There are no rules against it.
No rule against HRM either.
Perhaps you can consult the online rulebooks at
or
Now I think there are HS federations that do not allow watches. A friend was doing a research project with Michigan HS runners and they could not wear a Garmin during the XC race. It bummed him since he was gathering training and racing data using the Garmin and a special program for analyzing the files.
If a HR monitor could be considered an aid, then so could a watch used in conjunction with those km/mile marks beside the road. They could take the marks away, but someone might remember that the tall building just past the ice cream shop is the 5km mark and the big oak tree is the half way point, and pace themselves that way... so maybe they would have to ban watches too.
You should be o.k. with most wearable electronic devices as long as you don't plug headphones into it.