Wearable Tech for Long-Distance Runners

This chapter illustrates the main parameters that can be detected by means of wearable devices specifically designed for sport activities, with a focus on wearables for long-distance running. Most recent advancements in heart rate monitoring, physiological monitoring, running parameters assessment, and environmental monitoring are discussed and presented. The presented solutions are already on the market or still at the research level. The use of smartphone apps is also briefly illustrated. Some future perspectives are also discussed, especially related to the impact of the external environment on the physiological parameters of the athlete. The outline of the chapter was determined based on an interview of an expert running coach, who provided his insights on the use of wearables during running. Despite the widespread use of wearable devices, not all of them have been validated against a gold standard and some validation studies did not show high accuracy. Furthermore, the technology behind most commercially available solutions is rarely published, thus making it almost impossible for the final users to actually know how reliable their devices are.