GMap Pedometer to Google Route
I wanted to draw running routes in google maps that I could follow during the legs of the Ragnar Chicago relay race I was part of this past weekend. However, it was not intuitive to me how to do this with Google Map Maker. Fortunately, I am an avid user of gmap-pedometer. So, I drew my routes using the “draw route automatically” feature for runners and bicyclists. This is a tremendous time savings feature. The only problem is that gmap-pedometer is not a mobile-friendly website, and I would be running with my iPhone. So, I really wanted the routes to show up in a mobile-friendly app. Google Maps works well on the iPhone, so I simply had to export the gmap-pedometer data into Google Maps.
I exported the routes from gmap-pedometer as GPX files (using the great bookmarklet script from http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/gmaptogpx/#). Google maps expects KML files though, not GPX files.
So once I saved the GPX file, I uploaded it to the very helpful and detailed GPS Visualizer and was able to create a KML file.
Using the KML file, I was able to import the route into Google Maps (within the My Maps section, after logging into Google). One note: turn off Waypoints on the GPS Visualizer. Select “None” in the “Waypoint Options” section of the form.