Suunto Firmware v2.50.26 Adds Triathlon Transitions and New OHR Algorithm

Suunto just pushed firmware v2.50.26 to the Race and Race S, and it's one of the bigger updates the platform has seen. Two headline changes: automatic triathlon transitions and a completely rebuilt optical heart rate algorithm developed in-house.

The automatic transition detection matters for triathletes who don't want to fumble with buttons mid-race. Garmin has had solid multisport auto-detection for years on the Forerunner 965 and Fenix 7, so Suunto is closing a real competitive gap here. The sensor management overhaul also gets an upgrade, which should clean up ANT+ and BLE pairing stability during T1 and T2.

The new OHR algorithm is the bigger technical story. Suunto is moving away from a third-party solution toward proprietary processing, similar to what Polar did with their Precision Prime tech. On paper that means faster skin contact calibration and better performance during high-cadence efforts. Real-world accuracy during intervals is where previous Suunto OHR struggled compared to a Garmin HRM-Pro chest strap, so this needs proper field testing before drawing conclusions.

For Hyrox and CrossFit athletes using the Race S as a CrossFit-capable watch, better OHR during mixed-modality efforts would be genuinely useful. Wrist HR during rowing, burpees, or sled pushes is notoriously noisy on most optical sensors, Whoop 4.0 included.

Solid update on paper. The triathlon automation and OHR rebuild are the right priorities. Wait for independent accuracy data before deciding if this moves the needle against the Garmin or Coros Pace 3 stack.