My Vasaloppet race with an Apple Watch

I built Watchletic, so the 90 km Vasaloppet cross-country skiing race was a good chance to test it properly. The race took me 11 hours, and I wanted to know whether my Apple Watch Ultra could record heart rate and GPS for the whole thing without running out of battery.

Battery life

The watch lasted for the full race while Watchletic recorded GPS, speed, and heart rate. Battery life was my biggest concern going in, so that was a relief.

Tracking heart rate

I watched my heart rate on the climbs and tried to adjust my pace. ~This helped me conserve my energy and maintain my stamina for the long haul.~ That's what I wanted to say, but the truth is I ran out of energy after 30 km because I wanted to go faster than I should've. Oh well, live and learn!

The result

Watchletic recorded the full 11 hours, including my route and heart rate, and the Apple Watch Ultra made it to the finish. As a beginner skier, finishing was the only goal that mattered to me.