What does "elapsed time" actually mean?

http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhe...C49DBB821.html Elapsed Time
The total time recorded. For example, if you start the timer and run for 10 minutes, then stop the timer for 5 minutes, then start the timer and run for 20 minutes, your elapsed time is 35 minutes.

I don't know whether a solution was ever found but it seems to me as if it is from the time you start even past when you stopped it and only once you say done.  Have had several runs where I stopped the watch for 1min literally and then started it again but elapsed time shows about 10 min more than the actual moving time.

Yes, the Elapsed Time in activities is indeed in the true exact sense of the word - time that elapsed from the beginning to the end (regardless whether you moved, or not), while the Moving Time also respect the wording, and only shows (or should show) the time when you moved. 

Yes but it seems as if it doesn't stop when you press stop but rather when you select Done on the exercise.

No, not when pressing Done. It stops when you Save the app, which is logical, because when you just press Stop, you can still restart it, and continue in the activity (that happens also with the auto-stop feature on), hence it was not closed. 

Apologies I meant SAVE.  Yeah so the issue with this is that I stop the activity but don't necessarily save it immediately so even though I was doing the exercise for 60min for argument's sake I might catch my breath etc en then only save.   But your explanation makes sense, thank you.

The functionality could be more intelligent in keeping time since stop is pressed in the back to either continue if start is pressed again or to subtract if start is not pressed but save selected.  Small things really.

Thanks again.

Yes, it could perhaps remove the last non-moving section, but then again, you would certainly find people complaining about it too. The way it is done is logical, makes sense, and if you need to see the true time of the activity, you should look at the Moving Time, anyway.

It's more a case of, when uploaded to i.e. STRAVA some people may not understand and think that my sub 40 10k was not sub 40 because time elapsed says 52 min so I must have rested hehe 

But yeah agree, can't please all the people all the time ;)

You can trim the activity in Garmin Connect, and remove the offending dead parts.