Download HRM Pro Plus Data after Multisport

I just finished my first ever 6hr long Ironman 70.3 distance triathlon yesterday. Good times.

My Garmin HRM Pro Plus has always instantly connected to my Garmin Epix Gen 2 with zero issues for the last year and more of training. So imagine my surprise when I finish my event and try to save it later and it can't find downloaded HR data? I tried for almost twenty minutes before I had to move on because of my family, toddler, and the like.

If I look at the logged multisport event on my watch, it does not give me an option to download HR data like it does for any other events (swim, bike, or run).

Has anyone encountered or overcome this issue? I haven't found a way to manually connect the HRM to my computer to download the HR data and import it to Garmin Connect either. I just really want to know what my ACTUAL HR data was like on my run and if I was blowing up and just didn't know it (which pace says may have been possible).

First world problem for sure, but its irritating to invest over $1100 in the Garmin ecosystem only to have devices suddenly spawn problems when they've been otherwise reliable? At the worst possible moment?

To clarify, yes the battery is good and yes I can connect it to my watch. Did a run this afternoon with HRM connected and data attached no issue.

I believe this is a software issue that the watch does not present the option to download the HR data at all. Which is absolutely insane for one of the longest events you can possibly log, with one of the exclusive event features of their most high-end watches.

  • I can't help you, but I feel your disappointment. Currently I'm trying a different watch additionally to my Epix Pro and connect both to the HRM-DUAL I have. Usually this works without fault, the HRM-DUAL connects via ANT+ to the Epix Pro and via Bluetooth to the other watch. Today it didn't. 

    I was very surprised that both watches showed different HR after a while, the Epix Pro in its usual fashion lower that it should be. I only found out after the run as I analyzed the FIT file.

    On a second thought, could you possibly have upgraded to the latest version 20.16 before your Ironman? Because it was my first run after I upgraded...

  • i may not have got it right, but why would you need to download hr data from HRM if it was connected all the time?

    since it's multisport, going into run/swim etc separate legs of the multisport activity, maybe there's option in there to download hr, not sure. 

    last thing to try is also connecting pro plus (to pair it) in Garmin Connect directly. probably won't update activities, but you may be able to recover at least HR over the time (pro plus can be used as standalone device tracking steps, hr etc independently and adding to your day stats in GC)

  • why would you need to download hr data from HRM if it was connected all the time?

    For the swim leg it was not connected for sure, because external sensors don't work when submerged.

  • i tested it out of curiosity, i have instinct 2 and pro plus hrm. started with cycling, changed sport to running then changed sport to open water swim. i did not use triathlon activity (not sure it even is available on instinct). after stipping swim, i actually did not see option to download hr, just like you said. but while saving, watch displayed screen searching for stored hr data or sth similar. so it did work actually, at least while testing it with short activities 

    might be your firmware miss/bug, but try again just to see if you even get that message? 

  • While I appreciate the effort, you didn't actually test my problem. The true problem is the multisport function. If you do that, it ties all 3 sports under one activity and doesn't give the option to download HR under the whole activity or any individual one, sadly.

    And yes, directly after I finished my event it searched for stored HR data. But it seems that after firmware version 20.16 update, my watch doesn't normally find my HRM anymore, even though my other connected devices still instantly connect like normal. So after 20 minutes of fighting my watch after the triathlon, I had to give up and then had no way to download it later. 

  • I'm glad you asked this because I realized this shortly after posting. Yes, it happened right after 20.16. I had to forget and reconnect my HRM Pro last night just to get it to finally connect with my watch? And my Garmin Edge 540 connects to it instantly still with zero problem.

    I think the lack of instant connection and finding it after the race when I tried for twenty minutes was watch firmware related. Then not being able to download HR data to a multisport activity is a software bug that needs to be addressed (and has needed to for years based on previous posts).

  • i actually tested multisport just like you did, 3 activities under one. 

    for me watch showed searching for stored hr data screen, so either it's a bug in your case (we have diff watches) or might be your hrm battery went flat and there was no connection while you were saving it? just one of possibilities. i am just regular user like you. for me it works though. try to test a bit to see if you can reproduce this so anything can be done, good luck either way!

  • Ah, my apologies. I see what you were saying now and misread it before. Thanks for clarifying.

    On the searching thing after, I actually did get that. I tried for about twenty minutes to connect to my HRM and it wouldn't work. I eventually had to give up and tend to my family. The next day I went on a run and it instantly connected no problem, nothing different. Lately though, I have to manually connect to my HRM on my watch. It works fine with any other device (Garmin Edge 540, phone, tablet) like normal, but not the watch sadly. Tonight, I ended up having to select it manually and then it connected. A couple of days ago, I had to forget it and reconnect it as a new device and it worked. I believe it's a result of the new 20.16 firmware.

    Also, my other concern is that you can't download HR stored data from a multisport event in the history of your watch events like all the other singular events. Just a couple of bugs. One unique with multisport, but frustrating nonetheless.