Posted: April 3, 2006

Science of Sport: Garmin(R) Runs, Pedals Its Way Into Spring With New Forerunner(R) & Edge(TM) Lineup

OLATHE, Kan., April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN - News) and a leading provider of GPS enabled fitness products, today announced that it will sponsor a series of more than a dozen marathons and cycling events to coincide with the release of its new Forerunner and Edge series of fitness products.

"We are excited to be a sponsor of some of the United States' largest and highest-profile races," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing. "Whether you're a serious athlete competing at the highest levels, or simply want to use GPS technology to help you get in shape and lose a few pounds, the Garmin Forerunner and Edge series of fitness products is just what the doctor ordered."

As part of the sponsorships, Garmin will host an interactive booth at each event's exposition area, as well as at many finish lines. Signage and outreach to participants is also included in the sponsorship. Look for Garmin at the following events through 2006 and into 2007:

    -- Los Angeles Marathon, 3-19-06
    -- Sea Otter Classic Bike Race, 4-06-06
    -- Boston Marathon, 4-17-06
    -- Runner's World Half Marathon, 4-30-06
    -- Salt Lake City Marathon, 6-3-06
    -- San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, 6-4-06
    -- Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, 9-3-06
    -- San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, 10-8-06
    -- Chicago Marathon, 10-22-06
    -- Marine Corps Marathon, 10-29-06
    -- Las Vegas Marathon, 12-10-06
    -- P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon & Half Marathon, 1-14-07
    -- Country Music Marathon & Half Marathon, TBD

Just in time for Spring 2006, Garmin is now shipping its award-winning Forerunner 305 and 205 GPS-enabled fitness trainers. The compact, waterproof, and wrist-worn Forerunner 205 and 305 are redesigned to maximize GPS satellite reception, including a new high sensitivity GPS receiver that provides for faster acquisition times and improved tracking.

Like earlier generations of the Forerunner, the 205 and 305 incorporate features like Auto Lap and Auto Pause that let users measure, calculate and analyze lap times. Virtual Partner lets users compete against themselves by graphically displaying goal pace/speed compared to current pace/speed. Alerts can be programmed to let users know when to speed up, slow down or stop. The Forerunner 305 includes a heart rate monitor.

For cyclists, Garmin incorporates many of the same location-based features into its bike-mounted Edge 205 and 305, one-of-a-kind cycling trainers that track time, pace, distance, and more. The Edge 205 is a stand-alone unit, and the Edge 305 incorporates a barometric altimeter and either a heart rate monitor, cadence sensor, or both.

Athletes can tailor their workouts to meet specific goals and objectives with Garmin's Training Center(TM) utility. Users may create their own workouts or use workout templates that can be downloaded into the unit for any level of personal training.

Data acquired on the Forerunner and Edge may be analyzed with MotionBased.com, a ground-breaking web-based application that translates GPS, heart rate and cadence data into performance analysis, online mapping and route sharing. MotionBased(TM) displays the information acquired through charts, illustrations, reports and maps. Users can overlay and analyze their routes on a variety of elevation profiles and maps -- including Google Maps, aerial images, topographic maps and 3-D mapping technology from Google Earth. In addition, MotionBased's TrailNetwork lets athletes share over 235,000 courses from around the world with other users.

To demonstrate the power of the Forerunner and Edge fitness products, Garmin will showcase members of "Team Garmin" -- everyday athletes who are using the devices to help them run and pedal faster and farther. Visit garmin.blogs.com to follow Team Garmin's pursuits.

For more information on Garmin's Forerunner and Edge fitness devices, go to www.garmin.com

The Garmin products can be purchased online at: Store.RunnersWeb.com

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