Peace Kale And Yoga: Fitbit Helps Thousands Train and Race Smarter During Summer Racing Season

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As the popularity of organized runs continues to grow, Fitbit,

Inc.

, the leader in the connected health and fitness market, is

increasing its efforts to help consumers reach their fitness goals

through new partnerships with The

San Francisco Marathon

and Destination

Races

. With industry-leading devices, impactful data and virtual

coaching, Fitbit helps users prepare for and reach their performance

goals at any level, from completing a first 5K run to setting a personal

record for a half or full marathon.

“By supporting events like The San Francisco Marathon and Destination

Races, Fitbit is helping provide positive experiences for runners of all

levels to train and reach their goals,” said Tim Rosa, VP Global

Marketing, Fitbit. “We want to enable people to train smarter by

providing them with the tools to take their training to a new level,

such as logging workouts and monitoring heart rate. We’re excited to see

runners of all levels go farther and faster this race season with the

help of Fitbit.”

Connect with Fitbit at Upcoming Race Events

As the first official fitness tracker of The San Francisco Marathon, one

of the largest marathon events in the U.S., and Destination Races, the

nation’s pioneer and premiere wine country half-marathon series, Fitbit

will help runners of all levels maximize their training and stay on

track toward their goals leading up to and throughout race weekend.

Fitbit brand ambassador and ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes has also

provided customized training

tips at Fitbit.com

to help runners prepare for race day.

“Whether you are running your first race, or 50 marathons in 50 states

in 50 consecutive days, preparing for a race begins long before race

day,” said Karnazes. “Setting a fitness goal is a great first step, but

understanding your goal and what you need to do to achieve that goal is

the key. Fitbit’s activity trackers and tools give runners the data they

need to make the smart decisions that are going to take their bodies to

the finish line.”

For participants of the eight Destination Races events across North

America, Fitbit has provided downloadable training

schedules

from Karnazes to help runners meet their race day goals.

The next Destination Races event, Napa-to-Sonoma,

will take place on Sunday, July 19, and will feature Fitbit brand

ambassadors Ryan and Sara Hall, two of America’s premier distance

runners, who will provide a little extra motivation to runners making

their way to the finish line.

Fitbit will also serve as the presenting partner of The San Francisco

Marathon 5K and The San Francisco Marathon Race

Weekend App

. For the first time, the Race Weekend App will give

runners access to real-time race data that is synced with their Fitbit

step count, delivered along-side motivational tips from Karnazes. The

app will also help spectators keep track of their friends and family

with maps and live runner tracking and live race leaderboards. To help

runners keep their muscles loose and energized for the race, Karnazes

will host a free “Shake Out Your Steps Run” on Saturday, July 25 from

The San Francisco Marathon Health and Fitness Expo. The 38^th annual

marathon event will take place the following day on Sunday, July 26.

Train More Effectively with the Fitbit Platform

The Fitbit platform combines connected health and fitness devices with

software and services, including an online dashboard and mobile apps,

data analytics, motivational and social tools, personalized insights and

virtual coaching through customized fitness plans and interactive

workouts. Knowing one size does not fit all in health and fitness, our

wide variety of connected health and fitness devices enable tracking

fitness at every level – everyday, active and performance.

When combined with easy to access to software and services, the Fitbit

platform enables people to be more active, exercise more, sleep better

and manage their weight – all key components when training for a race or

marathon. Here’s how it works:

Activity Tracker Features

Fitbit Devices: Offer a range of six different wearable health

and fitness devices that span multiple styles, form factors and price

points that fit seamlessly into people’s daily lives and activities.

All of the devices automatically track daily steps, calories burned,

distance traveled, floors climbed and active minutes
GPS Tracking on Fitbit Surge: Delivers real-time distance and

pace, along with elevation summary on the wrist, allowing runners to

track progress and identify and hit target goals; following runs users

can review route, pace and split times on the Fitbit mobile app or

online dashboard to analyze and optimize performance over time –

because for some races, seconds matter
PurePulse Heart Rate Tracking: Enables users using Fitbit

Charge HR or Fitbit Surge to establish resting heart rate and monitor

intensity to stay within optimal ranges during various stages of a run

– all without an uncomfortable chest strap
Exercise Mode on Fitbit Charge HR and Multi-Sport on Fitbit Surge: Uniquely

records various workouts in addition to running – yoga, cycling,

weight-lifting – delivering key stats, workout intensity and calories

burned for a full picture of a user’s training in preparation for the

big race
Automatic Sleep Detection*: Monitors how long and how

well users sleep, illustrating where adjustments in lifestyle might be

necessary during training

Mobile & Social Tools

FitStar:

Offers virtual coaching through streaming video workouts anytime,

anywhere to build strength, gain flexibility and maintain endurance.

To help runners elevate their training and avoid injury, FitStar

created two handcrafted workouts inspired by The San Francisco

Marathon: the “Race Day Ready” Freestyle session in the FitStar
Personal Trainer App
and “Flexible Finish” in the FitStar
Yoga App
.
Nutrition and Hydration Tracking: Logs food and water intake

right on the Fitbit app, no matter where they are, to help users

monitor calories in vs. calories out to deliver the right amount of

fuel to their bodies while in training and leading up to race day
Motivation: Social connectivity with friends and family on the

Fitbit app allows users to train, motivate, and challenge each other

to reach that next training milestone