Pacer Support Guide · Part 7 of 33
General Race-Day Preparation: The Watch Checklist
Seven simple checks — from restarting your watch to disabling Auto Pause — that prevent the most common race-day tech failures.
Marcel Lennartz
1 min read
Updated
Most watch problems on race day are preventable. Work through this checklist before every race.
- Ensure watch readiness: fully charge your watch and verify all settings at least the day before. Do at least one test run and confirm that everything works as expected.
- Restart your watch: most runners hardly ever restart their watch. On several occasions pacers have had a watch freeze just before the race. Restarting your watch a few days beforehand reduces this risk.
- Use the correct GPS settings: accurate GPS data has a significant impact on race-day pacing. Most watches, regardless of brand, offer several GPS recording options, and some are more accurate than others.
- GPS lock-in: switch on the run activity at least 5 minutes before the start to establish a strong GPS connection.
- Bluetooth and notifications: if you carry your phone, disable Bluetooth or notifications to prevent interruptions on your watch display. This also keeps your focus where it belongs: pacing!
- Auto Pause: ensure Auto Pause is disabled to avoid inaccurate timings.
- Disable the manual lap button: disable the manual lap button and rely solely on auto-lap to prevent accidental laps.
Brand-specific settings#
Garmin-specific suggestions are given in Garmin settings: lap key and GPS recording.
