Lesson 2. Garmin Tread XL Baja Race Edition. Pre-running
GOOD MAYHEM RACING LLC is an Authorized Dealer for GARMIN®. This training seminar is written by Nathan Sumrall of Good Mayhem Racing, by desert racers for desert racers. This blog will be continuously updated with images, stories, and details as time goes on. Please refer to this from time to time, as it will get better.
Topic for Today’s Training Seminar:
2. Pre-running in Chase Mode
How to Pre-run
Download Satellite Imagery
How to add waypoints
How to export Pre-run Notes
Common Mistakes and How to Fix them
Assignment (Recommended for seminar. Required for Certification)
2.1. Pre-running
2.1.1. Pre-running is done in the Chase Map. The Chase Map is Garmin’s UI for Pre-running, Chasing, and general exploring outside of a desert race. Pre-running wasn’t a flushed out feature at the product’s original launch in 2023, but it is much better now. The more detailed you can document a racecourse upfront will help on the backend.
2.1.2. Pre-running is studied best with Satellite Imagery. No matter if you use the sat imagery during a race or not, use it while pre-running. Having that extra context on the map helps reveal better lines, options for passing, and help reveal day-ending dangers ahead of time.
2.1.3. Remember this: pre-running is not a race. You’re not required to pre-run, but if you can, make time for it. Even a little exposure to the race course ahead of time helps de-risk your whole adventure. These are some tips if you’re new to pre-running
2.1.3.1. Course knowledge is your responsibility. Study it offline, ahead of time, and prepare for prerunning the course.
2.1.3.2. Pre-run at a safe, reasonable and controlled speed. I sustained back injuries after a driver showed off and didn’t slow down. He wrecked his pre-runner in Baja, and we had to limp back to civilization after one of the corners ripped off.
2.1.3.3. Pre-run with two vehicles if possible. This greatly enhances safety while in the wild. The race course will not have volunteers at this stage, and you’ll be on your own with little to no assistance from race ops. Bring survival supplies.
2.1.3.4. Pre-run with Garmin’s magnetic base and 12V power charging. USB charging in an open cockpit like a SXS compromises the Garmin’s watertight integrity and can get the electronics wet. Wet circuits will nuke the device and ruin your pre-run. Loss of navigation is life threatening in Baja.
2.1.3.5. Always pre-run with spare GPS enabled devices in the car. If you bring a phone, download offline maps ahead of time using OnX Offroad, Garmin Tread, Gaia or similar. If your main navigator is destroyed for any reason, a spare device is a life saving navigation aid. Bring a paper map too.
2.1.3.6. Prioritize your part of the racecourse. Pre-run your section of the race course if possible before helping others with theirs. Granted, if the course is long, this may not be an option. Even mere studying of the Satellite imagery before the race will make you more competative.
2.1.4 Program and use the waypoint shortcuts. Details in section 2.3 below.
2.1.5 When you get on course, start track recorder if it’s not turned on already. Warning: There are two track recorders in the UI. Start the track recording in team messages if your inReach subscription is active. Use the regular, basic track recorder if inReach is not active. Save your track at the end of every preprun. You can merge all of your pre-run tracks, and we will discuss this in Lesson 3.
2.2 Satellite Imagery
2.2.1. This topic is exhaustively covered in the video below.
2.3. Waypoints
2.3.1. Pre-run notes are merely a collection of waypoints. Waypoints are the notes. When you mark a waypoint, that is a single data point in a final, compiled collection. Add a thousand waypoints to a racecourse during prerunning, and you’ll have decent start for a race collection / GPX file.
2.3.2. Touch, or ‘Mark’ the waypoint icon (preferably a waypoint shortcut icon you edited), and the waypoint is automatically saved.
2.3.3. Waypoints can be created by
2.3.3.1. Pre-programming waypoint shortcuts. Waypoint shortcuts can be accessed by the three bar icon on the bottom-right of the Chase Map screen. The Garmin comes with four generic waypoints. You need more. The Garmin can show eight waypoint options at a time. Touch and hold any of these waypoint shortcuts to edit them, and touch the “+” to add more.
2.3.3.2. Manually adding basic waypoint and editing it’s text afterwards w/ Garmin’s keyboard. I do not recommend this. It’s painful.
2.3.3.3. Offline programming on a PC, phone app or code-writing in a text editor. We will cover that nerd level stuff in Lesson 3, coming soon.
2.3.3.4. Suggested waypoint shortcuts and shorthand is below.
2.3.3.1. Pre-programming waypoint shortcuts.
[CHASE MAP> THREE BAR MENU ICON LOWER RIGHT > WAYPOINT SHORTCUTS > TOUCH & HOLD A WAYPONT SHORTUCT > EDIT AND “+” TO ADD]
Pre-running happens at a slow and steady pace. If you come across a unique obstacle or hazard, stop, edit a waypoint shortcut, and then mark the waypoint. There’s a good chance you’ll need it again in a few miles.
2.3.3.4 PRERUN SHORTHAND EXAMPLES:
USE TWO WORDS TO DESCRIBE, THREE AT MOST. FOUR OR MORE WORDS USE SHORTHAND EXAMPLES:
D2 G OUT
CA HARD RIGHT,
1D ROLLERS
TYPICAL DESERT RACING WORDS: D_ ROLLERS, D_ CROSS WASH, D_ WHOOPS, D_ G OUT, D_ DOWN HILL, D_ ROCKS, D_ SILTBED, D_ FENCE, D3 CLIFF, D_ MUD HOLE, @Y AHEAD
TYPICAL ROCK RACING WORDS
TAKE R/L LINE, D_ DROP, WINCH POINT, STAY HIGH, GO AROUND, GO OVER, SPOTTER, BYPASS R/L, ALTERNATE LINE R/L
2.4. Exporting Pre-run Notes
[APPS > RACE FILES > COLLECTIONS > UNORGANIZED > SELECT AND EDIT > “iii+” > ________|
When waypoints are marked, they are usually “unorganized.” They are not in a collection. Most race GPX files are imported in a collection already, so select all of the new waypoints from this day’s pre-run and add them to the racecourse’s collection.
2.4. Exporting Pre-run Notes
2.4.1. When waypoints are marked, they are usually “unlisted” or “unorganized.” They are not in a collection. Most race GPX files are imported in a collection already, so select all of the new waypoints from this day’s pre-run and add them to the racecourse’s collection.
2.4.2. If the racecourse is not in a collection yet, make one. Add the racecourse GPX track, your pre-run tracks and all pre-run waypoints in this single collection. Consider it your team’s master race file.
2.4.3. Share the file to the Garmin Tread App, or share via memory card or sync via USB-C Cable.
2.4.4. With the master file in-hand, it is time to make a race file. Stay tuned for Lesson 3.
2.5. Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
2.5.1. Find the waypoint shortcuts before prerunning and learn how to edit them beforehand. It’s maddening to learn how to do that in-car, and there’s lots of pressure to rush. Don’t rush this step. Learn how to get to, edit, and modify waypoint shortcuts ahead of time.
2.5.2. Always start the track recorder through Team Messages if tracking is active. The basic track recorder turns off inReach and no one will be able to track you. Details in Lesson 4, coming soon.
2.5.3. Always bring basic survival supplies (food and water too) on a pre-run if you’re in a remote location, far away from rescue.
2.5.4. Always bring a spare GPS device and paper map during prerunning. If there’s a wreck or a failure for some reason, a little redundancy can be lifesaving.
2.5.5. Do not use the unorganized collection as the place to store the master file. Make a race-course-master or something worded similar at this stage to dump all waypoints, GPS tracks and race course notes into a single collection.
2.5.6. As soon as the master file is shared to another device, back it up on the cloud if possible. Send it to your team members for safe keeping.
2.5.7. Charging via USB-C during prerunning is problematic. Use a Garmin 12V charging cable w/ Magnetic base to keep the device’s water rating.
2.6 Assignment (Recommended for seminar. Required for Certification)
2.6.1 TBD. Sorry, long day.
STAY TUNED FOR LESSON 3: GPX FILES
Baja 1000 footage
By the end of this Training Seminar, you will be able to:
Race confidently with the Garmin Tread XL, Baja Race edition.
Prerun effectively with the Garmin equipment, taking notes and waypoints down like a pro.
Edit GPX files with impunity, using everything from Apps to hard coding.
Communicate with the Garmin Inreach, Iridium Satellite system concisely.
Diagnose install issues in race cars, prerunners, chase vechiles and the pits.
This Advanced Training Seminar is provided for free by Good Mayhem Racing LLC. The information is not reviewed nor endorsed by GARMIN®. Motorsports are inherently dangerous. The information in this training seminar is provided without warranty, expressed or implied. No warranty or representation is made as to the ability of this information to protect the user from injury or death. The user assumes all risk.
Lesson 3 arriving by August 25th.
Want to test drive the Garmin Tread XL Baja Race Edition before you buy one?
Come visit us at our Brick and Mortar Store on 11505 Todd St. Houston TX.
GMR is an authorized Dealer for Garmin® Products.
010-02833-00 Navigate the unforgiving with Tread® XL - Baja Chase Edition. It’s the rugged 10” high-speed, high-performance off-road racing navigator featuring team tracking with built-in inReach® technology (active inReach Flex Team subscription required; jurisdiction restrictions apply) to see the live positions of your race team with global satellite coverage. And prerunning tools help you crush the competition.
