The superb Garmin Forerunner 255 is about to get even better

By Cat Ellis
published

A new update adds running power from the wrist, allowing you to see how much effort you're exerting without extra sensors

Garmin Forerunner 255 GPS watch
(Image credit: Future)

The Garmin Forerunner 255 will soon be able to calculate running power from the wrist. This means you'll be able to see how much effort you are exerting without the need for any extra sensors.

When the Forerunner 255 and 955 launched earlier this year, they were the first Garmin watches to measure running power natively. That means you don't need to download any extra apps, and running power is presented along all your other workout metrics in the Garmin Connect mobile app.

However, there was a catch: the watches couldn't calculate running power by themselves. Instead, you needed to connect them to either a Garmin Running Dynamics Pod or HRM heart rate monitor, which would supply additional data. Although both of those devices can be bought relatively cheaply, it's still an extra expense on top of the price of a brand new watch.

Now, that's all changing. Reddit user u/jsann has spotted that Garmin is rolling out a new beta software update that will allow the Forerunner 255 to track running power from the wrist alone. Software version 13.15 is currently being sent out to members of Garmin's public beta testing program, and because it's a Release Candidate, if no major bugs are reported, it will be rolled out to everyone very soon.

If you want to get the latest software updates as soon as possible, check our our guide to joining Garmin's beta program.

Bug fixes and more

The new software update also adds a grade adjusted pace data field to your watch, which shows your pace taking into account the gradient of the terrain you're running on, helping you better manage your effort during training sessions.

Incident reports are also getting an update, phone pairing is being simplified, and graph layouts and labels are being improved. Check out Garmin's forum for the full change log.

The update should also resolve the bug where a dashed line would sometimes appear on training pages during an activity. Garmin recently acknowledged this bug, but didn't say when it would be able to issue a fix, so it's a pleasant surprise that it's being remedied so soon.

Cat Ellis
Cat Ellis
Editor

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.