How to Export Your GPX from Garmin and Suunto and Analyse It in TrackLAB

If you train with a GPS watch and want to take your data beyond the basic charts the manufacturer's app gives you, the first step is always the same: export the activity as a GPX file. This guide walks through the four most widely used platforms in Spain — Garmin, Suunto, Polar and Coros — and finishes by explaining how to load that file into TrackLAB for a full analysis in under a minute.

What a GPX file actually is, and why it matters

The GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is an open XML format, maintained by Topografix since 2002, that has become the universal standard for exchanging GPS data. A well-formed GPX contains:

• The latitude and longitude of every point your watch recorded.
• Altitude (from the barometric altimeter if your device has one; otherwise calculated by GPS).
• A timestamp for each point, which is what makes it possible to reconstruct times and pace.
• Optional extensions: heart rate, cadence, power and temperature.

When you export to GPX, you take your activity with you to any platform. It is your insurance against lock-in: if you decide to move from Garmin to Coros tomorrow, your data is still readable.

Important: GPX and FIT are not the same thing. FIT is Garmin's proprietary format and holds more data (heart rate zones, training load analysis). GPX is simpler but universally compatible. Either one works for analysis in TrackLAB: the built-in converter extracts the points in exactly the same way.

Garmin: three ways to get your GPX

Option A — From Garmin Connect in your browser (the most reliable)

1. Go to connect.garmin.com on a computer.
2. In the side menu, open Activities > All Activities.
3. Click the activity you want to export.
4. In the top right corner, click the gear icon (⚙️) and choose "Export Original" if you want the FIT, or "Export to GPX" if you would rather have the GPX directly.
5. The file lands in your downloads folder, ready to upload to TrackLAB.

Option B — From the Garmin Connect mobile app

1. Open the activity you want to export.
2. Tap the three dots (•••) in the top right corner.
3. Select Export and choose the GPX format.
4. Share the file to your own email or to WhatsApp Web, or save it to Files / Drive.

Option C — Straight from the watch

On recent models (Fenix 7, Forerunner 965, Epix Pro and so on) you can connect the watch to your computer over USB and copy the .FIT files from the GARMIN/ACTIVITY/ folder. You then convert them to GPX with TrackLAB or any conversion tool.

Suunto: GPX from the app and from a public URL

From the Suunto app

1. Open the Suunto app on your phone.
2. Go to Diary and select the activity.
3. Tap the three dots in the top right > Export as.
4. Choose GPX and save or share the file.

From a shared URL (the TrackLAB shortcut)

Suunto lets you share your activities through a public link (something like https://www.suunto.com/move/...). Rather than downloading the GPX by hand, you can paste that URL straight into TrackLAB:

1. Copy the activity link from the Suunto app ("Share activity").
2. Go to TrackLAB > Analyser.
3. Open the "Suunto URL" tab.
4. Paste the link and press Download and analyse.

TrackLAB takes care of pulling out the GPX and processing it, so you never have to touch a file.

Polar Flow

1. Sign in at flow.polar.com with your account.
2. Open the activity from the calendar.
3. Click the three dots (•••) next to the title > Export session.
4. Choose GPX. The file downloads straight away.

Coros

1. Open the COROS app or go to coros.com.
2. Select the activity.
3. Tap the download / share icon and choose GPX or FIT.

COROS exports in FIT by default. If you need a pure GPX, TrackLAB converts it automatically when you upload the FIT.

Wahoo ELEMNT

1. Open the Wahoo ELEMNT app on your phone.
2. Open the activity in your history.
3. Tap the share button > Export GPX.
4. Send the file to your email or save it to your cloud storage of choice.

How to get a clean GPX

• Wait at least five minutes after finishing the activity before you export. Some watches correct the elevation with satellite data after the fact — export too soon and you walk away with the uncorrected version.
• Turn on elevation correction in Garmin Connect (Settings > User Data). It makes a noticeable difference to your total elevation gain (D+).
• Check that your watch is recording at the highest GPS frequency ("Every Second" on Garmin, "Best" on Suunto). In "Smart" or "UltraTrac" mode the GPX can cut corners and underestimate elevation gain (D+).
• If your activity went through a tunnel or a gorge, check the track on the map before you upload it. Coordinate jumps are common on that kind of terrain.

Loading your GPX into TrackLAB

1. Open TrackLAB and go to the Analyser from the main menu.
2. Drag the GPX onto the upload area or press Select file.
3. Within seconds you will see the interactive map, the elevation profile, the key climbs detected automatically and the TrackLAB difficulty score, rated from 0 to 100.

If the activity includes heart rate, power or cadence, TrackLAB will chart those too and cross-reference them with elevation, giving you a far more complete physiological picture than your watch's own app.

In summary

Exporting your GPX is not a technical chore: it is the first step towards turning your training into genuinely useful data. Garmin, Suunto, Polar, Coros or Wahoo — every one of them hands you a GPX in fewer than five clicks. Once you have the file, upload it to TrackLAB and get the analysis your watch app does not give you: real difficulty, key climbs detected for you, estimated times by ability level and a PDF export ready for your coach.