Should I wear my tracker during a Mud Run?

[mmathyer]

Has anyone successfully worn a Charge HR while running a Tough-Mudder? I am thinking about putting mine in a zip-lock baggie to try and count the steps & climbing - I don't expect it will track heart rate thru the plastic. Wondering if anyone else has tried.

[SteveH]

I did a quick search and although there are several questions about this there don't seem to be any responses from people who have tried it.

My view is it's a big gamble. Given that, as you say, you probably won't get HR readings in a bag why not leave your fitbit safely at home and manually log the activity instead using this procedure:

http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1144

The downside would be that manually logged steps don't count towards challenges or badges.

[AlejandraFitbit]

Welcome to the Forums @mmathyer and @SteveH thanks for stopping by and the information!  I personally, don't recommend wearing your tracker during a mud run. It can get damaged and your information won't be accurate if you wear it in a bad as mentioned. 

If you need anything else, do not hesitate in posting it! 

[bbrowning]

So did you end up wearing your fitbit or leaving it at home? I am getting ready to do my first mud run and was asking the same question.

[afenoglio]

Hi,

There's a good solution on Amazon that may help. Just search for "Fitbit mud cover".

good luck in your run!

Andy

[Emily__R · Accepted solution]

I have done 2 mud runs (The Muddy Mainer and The Tough Mountain Challenge) where I crawled through mud, swam in muddy water etc and my Fitbit was fine when I wrapped it in Glad Press & Seal!!! I put a mudbandz over it during the TMC and just put a headband over it to keep it on during the other mud run!! Worked awesome!!!

[Mychelle213]

I have worn a charge 2 during tough mudder and ionic during a recent mud run. Both survived just fine.

[SantiR]

@Mychelle213 Welcome to the Fitbit family! Thanks for sharing your experience about mud running with Fitbit devices on this thread.

In the case of Fitbit Ionic, it is water-resistant up to 50 meters so it should survive those runs. In the case of Charge 2, it is splash and rain resistant. So it should survive as long as it doesn't get submerged at any point. Same with Charge HR.

Hope this helps. See you around! 

[Jon1417]

Hi,

Just weighing in as I was very nervous before taking the risk myself and could have done with more reassurance! I took my ionic on a Wolf run which involved it being submerged in thick mud and freezing cold lakes. It also coped fine with the impact from me jumping over obstacles and walls! I did buy a protective case to protect the watch component from scratches. 

Take it at your own risk (I should imagine insurance companies wouldn’t repair due to the activity not classed as “reasonable care”) but that is my experience... I’ll be taking mine on more!

[SantiR]

@Jon1417 Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Thanks for sharing your awesome experience on these runs. Sounds like a challenge! Would like to try that someday. 

I'm really glad that your Fitbit device survived the event. What kind of Fitbit device do you have? Is it a Charge HR?

Also, what kind of protector did you got for your Fitbit device?

Thanks again for sharing your experience on this thread. Keep me posted! 

[FrangeB]

I just ran the Sydney Tough Mudder this weekend (17th Nov 2018). I swapped out my Ionic and wore my Versa instead since it doesn't have visible indents/crevices for mud to creep into.

I wore a long sleeve compression top and tucked the edge of the sleeve over and under my watch to keep it from scratching. And guess what?! It survived! 

So, if you have a versa, yes it can survive the mud run. There was no mud residue in the metal charging bit as well. 

[SantiR]

@FrangeB Welcome to the Fitbit forums! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. That run sounds like fun. I'm glad your Versa did a great job too.

I think Versa is more appropriate than Charge HR to wear on a mud run as it is waterproof!

Thanks again for sharing your experience here! 

[dlopez9]

I have worn multiple Fitbits throughout the years. I am pretty rough and beat them through Spartans, Tough Mudders, Rugged Maniacs, Terrain Racing Events, and so on. I simply recommend a screen protector, and a third party rugged band (yes, they do exist).