Treadmill Distance vs. Blaze Distance - Which Is Accurate?

[SunsetRunner]

How can the distances be SO different?! 

Any advice on how to get my FitBit Blaze and Bowflex BXT116 to be on the same page? 

I don’t hold on to bars or railings and I don’t think my stride length has ever been adjusted. When not on a treadmill, everything seems to be accurate with my Blaze. 

I’ll be doing my first virtual race (a 1 mile run) in a few days and I have no idea which is the most accurate time/distance for submitting to the race results. 

[WendyB]

You not covering an exact distance because you are not moving forward. Your not walking forward on ground. Why would it be accurate?

Also See this thread by MrMarv
It explains it very well

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Alta-HR/Step-calculation/m-p/2586363/highlight/true#M22198

[SunsetRunner]

“Why would it be accurate?”

Is the ”it” you are referring to the treadmill or the FitBit Blaze? 

I’m am not concerned with my step count. My issue and question is why the distances on my treadmill and Blaze are so far apart and what can be done to get similar results on the two during workouts. 

[Rich_Laue]

Because the only way for the blaze to measure distance is through the phones GPS. Since the user isn't moving GPS still not work.

On a treadmill the user is not moving and the treadmill is reading a virtual distance.

Fitbit will need to detect the users steps and then calculate a distance. Lets think of this as an educated guess. We need to make sure that the steps are being counted correctly, holding on the rails may prevent this and may cause injury to the runner.

Once we are sure the steps are correct the stride will need to be set.

Note the stride on a treadmill usually does not match the stride on a free run and will vary with the speed.

The treadmill is simply measuring how much belt has passed below you.

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

Fixed the distance accuracy issue - bought an Apple Watch.Fixed the distance accuracy issue - bought an Apple Watch.

[Rich_Laue]

@SunsetRunnerit is still off by a tenth of a mile, that is because the AW is not able to measure the distance while you are walking/Running in place. It, like Fitbit needs to calculate, think of it as taking an educated guess. The better the user sets it up the more accurate the guess will be  Did you set both devices with the same stride setting? 

You can't trust Fitbit to get your stride from gender, and height, at best the stride setting will simply be another guess.