Does a GPX file include heart rate?

Sometimes. Many apps add heart rate, cadence and temperature as extensions inside the GPX file, but not all tools read them. The route itself is always there.

Guide

How to export a GPX file from Strava, Garmin, Coros or Apple Watch

A GPX file is a plain record of where you went: latitude, longitude, elevation and time for every point of your activity. Almost every watch and app can produce one, which makes it the easiest way to move an activity between tools. Menu labels shift between app versions, so if a step doesn't match exactly, look for Export, Share or a ⋯ menu on the activity.

Updated 14 October 2026

Strava

Open the activity on strava.com in a web browser (the phone app has no GPX export).
Click the ⋯ button on the left side of the activity page.
Choose Export GPX. The file downloads straight away.

You can only export your own activities. If you don't see the option, check you're signed in as the athlete who recorded it.

Garmin Connect

Open the activity on connect.garmin.com in a web browser.
Click the gear icon at the top right of the activity.
Choose Export to GPX. (Export Original gives you the FIT file instead.)

Coros

In the Coros app, open the activity from your history.
Tap the share/export icon at the top right.
Choose to export the data file and pick GPX, then save it to your phone or send it to yourself.

Apple Watch (Apple Health)

Apple Health doesn't export a single workout as GPX. You have three options:

Sync to Strava (Strava app → Settings → Applications, Services and Devices → Health) and export the GPX from strava.com as above.
Export all Health data: Health app → your profile picture → Export All Health Data. The zip contains a workout-routes folder with one GPX per outdoor workout.
Use a third-party exporter app from the App Store that writes GPX per workout.

Only got a FIT file?

FIT is the binary format most watches record natively. The simplest route to a GPX is to upload the FIT file to Strava (strava.com → Upload activity → File) and export the GPX from there.

What to do with your GPX

Upload it to Relic to make a 3D flyover video and posters, or drop it into the free GPX to STL tool to get a 3D-printable model of the route.

Questions

GPX is a text format holding the route: position, elevation and time. FIT is a binary format from Garmin that also stores heart rate, power, laps and device data. Most route and mapping tools prefer GPX; training platforms prefer FIT.