Retreiving runs

[smashrun]

If a user creates a new run type activity then the summary of the activity shows up in the activities/list.json end point. To retrieve the details of that run (location, heart rate, cadence, speed) a request can be made to the TCX endpoint.

However, if no GPS data is available than the TCX file that is returned will be empty. The TCX spec supports data streams without GPS, so this appears to be an implementation issue. Compare, for example TCX files generated by Strava, Garmin, Polar that can support treadmill runs.

If a 3rd party wants to retrieve the details (speed, heart rate, cadence) of a treadmill (or Fitbit surge, etc) run that is listed in the run summary endpoint what is the recommended implimentation? 

[JohnFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi @smashrun,

It looks like our documentation is a little outdated, but I am happy to inform you that we do present TCX files without GPS data.

When using the GET Activity TCX endpoint, be sure to include "?includePartialTCX=true" at the end of your endpoint, so it will look like this:

GET https://api.fitbit.com/1/user/[user-id]/activities/[log-id].tcx?includePartialTCX=true

We are in the process of updating our documentation, and this information will be included once it's published.

I hope this helps!