Wahoo Elemnt Rival smartwatch owners just got some cool free updates to rival Garmin

Wahoo Elemnt Rival softwasre update — (Image credit: Wahoo)

Have you got a Wahoo Elemnt Rival? We've got some good news for you: one of the best triathlon watches have received a number of amazing features that'll make Garmin user green with envy. As part of the latest software update, new features like Sleep Beta, Target Plan, Lap Swimming Drill Mode, STYRD integration, and Colour Zones have been added to create what Wahoo calls a "seamless performance advantage whether training for a race or competing."

Sleep Beta allows you to keep track of your sleep using Elemnt Rival. Most fitness trackers and running watches monitor and analyse sleep by now, so it's time for Wahoo to add this functionality to its watch. This is a beta, and Wahoo recommends wearing the watch 24/7 to maximise and optimise your recovery and performance. Wahoo says it'll continue to improve this feature via software updates based on user feedback.

Using the Target Plan feature, you can quickly set a target pace, power, heart rate, or cadence and get on-watch feedback indicating how you are tracking against your target. Lap Swimming Drill Mode helps keep track of your distance and swim pace in the pool when using any other stroke besides freestyle.

The Elemnt Rival now also integrates with the STRYD Running Pod to show you more comprehensive running power data, both in the Elemnt Companion App and more in-depth analysis via STRYD. Finally, to improve user experience, training zones are now easier to identify at a glance with the colour-coordinated zones.

As you can see, Wahoo is trying to make the Elemnt Rival more appealing to athletes at all skill levels, not just die-hard triathletes, something we appreciate. In our review, we mentioned the watch isn't as feature-packed as the best Garmin watches, but it might still appeal to keen triathletes thanks to its seamless transition feature that allows for button-free switching between running, cycling and swimming. Now, not-so-keen triathletes could also enjoy the perks of the Elemnt Rival.

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Matt Kollat is a journalist and content creator for T3.com and T3 Magazine, where he works as Active Editor. His areas of expertise include wearables, drones, action cameras, fitness equipment, nutrition and outdoor gear. He joined T3 in 2019.

His work has also appeared on TechRadar and Fit&Well, and he has collaborated with creators such as Garage Gym Reviews. Matt has served as a judge for multiple industry awards, including the ESSNAwards. When he isn’t running, cycling or testing new kit, he’s usually roaming the countryside with a camera or experimenting with new audio and video gear.