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The best running watch can offer you a wealth of knowledge throughout your run and after, serving to track your progress and improve your overall running.
The biggest problem we face when selecting a running watch is the sheer total amount of running watches on the market today. This makes it difficult to choose the right running watch specifically for you. They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Their pricing differs greatly based on their features.
I have put together a wide range of running watches from the companies Garmin, Polar, and Fitbit with detailed reviews of each watch. If the details bore you, you can find my best of picks directly below:
The best overall watches for running half and full marathons:
Allows storing and playback of music (Phone-Free):
- Garmin Forerunner 245 Music (budget choice) complete review of the Garmin 245 Music Watch
- Garmin Forerunner 645 Music (more $ – more features)
No Music capabilities:
- Garmin Forerunner 235 (I’ve run with this watch for over 3 years – 0 issues)
- Garmin 35 (least expensive – no connect IQ)
- Garmin 45 (most expensive – easiest to use)
Allows storing and playback of music (with phone nearby):
Best running watch for half and full marathons with all the bells and whistles:
If you want a running watch that breaks through the barrier giving you advanced running metrics + on-display maps + phone-free music storage/playback + a ton of other trackable activities such as snowboarding/skiing you want either of these watches:
- Garmin Fenix 6x Pro This is the other Garmin Watch I own. It blows the Garmin Forerunner 235 out of the water for multisport events. Triathlons included.
- Garmin Forerunner 945
Either of the two above watches can be used for triathlon training as well.
Best overall triathlete training watch
If you’re a triathlete or are thinking about training for a triathlon in the near future you might consider a specific watch for your triathlon training. Both of my recommendations don’t store or playback music. But in reality, if you’re going to be swimming are you going to be listening to music?
- Polar Vantage V (twice as expensive as the 735XT but offers more feedback)
- Garmin Forerunner 735XT
As a running coach what watch would I buy if I had to decide today?
Since I participate in other sports such as snowboarding, skiing, hiking, and soccer my current watch the Garmin Forerunner 235 doesn’t track those activities. I’m not an elite athlete, however, I do race and run more than the average mid 40-year-old.
My choice would be between these two models. Both give me all the running metrics that I would ever need and some I’ll probably never use. I also need snowboarding/skiing/hiking trackable capabilities. The ultimate question comes down to do I need built-in ski resorts TOPO maps at my wrist in case I don’t have a phone on me and want to go off the grid:
- Garmin Forerunner 645 Music (no TOPO built-in maps)
- Garmin Fenix 6 Pro (total geeked out watch with TOPO maps – ski resorts, etc.)
Best Watch For Half Marathon Training Reviews
Let’s summarize the best watch for half marathon and marathon training on the market today:
Fitbit Charge 4 Review
With this fitness watch, you can better measure calorie consumption, comprehend resting pulse, and more with day in and day out pulse following and a battery life that lasts about seven days (shifts with use and different elements); charge time (0 to100 percent) 2 hours.
Tracks over 15 exercise modes including running, cycling, swimming, yoga, high-intensity aerobics, and that’s just the beginning. You can also set a goal or objective, and get continuous details during your exercises to perceive how you can continue showing signs of improvement.
You can record time spent in sunlight and REM rest stages. You can analyze activity patterns, sound experiences, and customized direction in one spot.
What We Liked
- Supports Bluetooth
- Fits almost all wrist sizes
-
Has features to monitor almost all fitness activities
- Tracks swimming
- Tracks floors climbed
What We Didn’t Like
- Plays Spotify music but your phone must be present
Fitbit Versa 3 Review
The Fitbit Versa 3 smart running watch, you can use Amazon Alexa to ensure that you get snappy news and data, check the climate, set clocks and cautions, control your savvy home gadgets, through the sound of your voice (application might be required; Amazon Alexa not accessible in all nations).
Because of your pulse, time snoozing, and eagerness, rest score causes you to better comprehend your rest quality every night. Additionally, you can track your time spent in sunlight, and REM rest to gain additional insight into your resting habits.
With a bigger presentation and a consistently of choice, your data is consistently a brisk look away. Track your pulse day in and day out, steps, calories consumed, hourly movement, and floors climbed.
Works nonstop with a 6+ day battery life (changes with use and different components). The Fitbit Versa 3 accepts calls, texts, schedules, and cell phone application notices when your telephone is close by.
What We Liked
- Built-in GPS
- Can be used to answer calls and text
- Good battery life
-
Can be used with Amazon Alexa (built-in)
- Barometer - Tracks Floors Climbed
What We Didn’t Like
- Some devices may face an issue while syncing
- Can play music but phone must be present
Garmin Forerunner 245 Music Review
Click here for a complete review of the Garmin 245 Music Watch.
The Garmin Forerunner 245 watch is a slight step above the Garmin Forerunner 235 watch (this is the watch that I own and have run with for the past 3 years).
With music playing capabilities this might be the next watch that I purchase.
The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is smaller and lighter, yet has a more colorful display,
The battery will allow you to play music for 24 hours. Realistically you only need less than 6 for ultramarathons and marathons.
Features were taken from the Garmin Fenix 5 and integrated into the 245.
If you have your phone with you during a run, Incident Detection and Assistance will let you use the Forerunner 245 to contact emergency services. The location coordinates are then sent to emergency services so they can locate you.
What We Liked
- Good battery life
- Can store music
- Built-in GPS
- Store/play back music (phone-free)
- Emergency Service Location Provider (phone must be with you)
What We Didn’t Like
- No Barometer (Doesn't Track Floors Climbed)
- Display is smaller than the Garmin FR 235
Garmin Vivoactive 4 Review
Customize your watch with a large number of free watch faces, applications, and gadgets from the Connect IQ store. It has over 15 GPS and indoor games, and that’s just the beginning. Screen your wellness level with VO2 max and wellness made assessments.
Keep your exercise plan new. Make your custom running, cycling, cardio, or other exercise schedules, and download them to your watch. At that point, your vívoactive smartwatch will monitor the activities, reps, sets, and rest time for you.
Get associated highlights, for example, notices, programmed transfers to Garmin Connect, Live Track, and more when combined with a good cell phone. It has a battery life of up to 7 days in smartwatch mode and 13 hours in GPS mode. The display size is 1.2-inch in width
Currently you can download an app from the IQ store, such as Amazon Music, Feeder, and Spotify (no apple music at this time). This app will allow you to download and store music on your phone for phone-free listening on your runs.
What We Liked
- Built-in GPS
- Contactless payments
- Pre-loaded applications
- Can store customized workouts on it
- Comfortable to wear
- Store/Listen to Music - Phone Free
- Tracks floors climbed
What We Didn’t Like
- Has an issue recording swimming laps as well as floors climbed
Garmin Forerunner 735XT Review
The Garmin Forerunner 735XT is a GPS running watch with multisport highlights. This watch was primarily targeted for multisport – especially Tri-athletes (swimming, running, cycling). The watch has assessments pulse at the wrist so you can run well on race day. Regarding its battery life, in Smartwatch Mode, the battery lasts up to 11 days.
This sports smartwatch has some associated features like smart notices, programmed transfers to Garmin Connect, live following, and more. You can grab free watch faces, applications, and more from the Connect IQ store.
If you don’t plan on running a triathlon and you just want to run you could save some money and go with a Garmin 235 (running) or Garmin 245 (running + music).
What We Liked
- Can monitor a wide variety of factors
- Offers a VO2 max gauge
- Shock safe
- Good battery life
- A inexpensive watch for triathletes
- Power meter compatible
What We Didn’t Like
- May have issues syncing with Connect IQ store
- No Barometer (Doesn't Track Floors Climbed)
- Doesn't store/playback music
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music Review
The Forerunner 645 Music running watch has the perfect fit to assist you with putting on an extraordinary session each time you throw on your running shoes. It includes on-watch music storage – so you can run with your preferred tunes – and contactless payments that let you purchase what you need without thinking twice.
With each one of these highlights, in addition to cutting edge running elements and execution observing devices, this GPS running watch is the instrument you have to refine the presentation.
Download up to 500 songs, podcasts, audiobooks to listen to on the go. The watch pairs with Bluetooth earphones (sold independently) for phone free listening.
It uses wrist-based pulse information to offer training guidance, highlights, and present status after running for adequate recovery time.
What We Liked
- Built-in GPS
- One of the best running smartwatch
- Contactless payment
- Store/Listen to Music - Phone Free
- Tracks Skiing/Snowboarding
What We Didn’t Like
- None
Garmin Forerunner 935 Review
Forerunner 935 gives you rich information like running metrics, wrist-based pulse, training status, FTP, and VO2 max. This excellent GPS running/ half/full marathon watch causes you to tweak your training and recuperation to be a superior competitor.
It has height changes with an inherent indicator; altimeter and electronic compass assist that will help you stay on course. The watch assesses your training status to gain additional insight into your training.
The Forerunner 935 provides progressed dynamic metrics for running, cycling, and swimming, including ground contact time balance, stride length, etc.
It has a battery life that lasts for fourteen days in smartwatch mode. It can last for 24 hours in GPS mode, 50 hours in UltraTrac mode (with a wrist-based pulse), or for 60 hours in UltraTrac mode (without a wrist-based pulse).
What We Liked
- Can be used for a variety of open-air recreational sports
- Informs you about altitude changes
- Extremely good battery life
- Power meter compatible
What We Didn’t Like
- None
Garmin Forerunner 945 Review
The Garmin 945 screens your performance and even offers customized understanding, so you can train more efficiently. The smartwatch tracks your VO2 max and senses the ambient temperature and elevation to adjust its measurements.
Training progress assesses your ongoing activity history and execution pointers to inform you as to whether you’re training efficiently, cresting, or exceeding. The perceived effort tracks how your exercises impact the advancement of continuance, speed, and force with oxygen-consuming and anaerobic training.
Recovery time causes you to adjust the advantage of your activities by foreseeing when you will be trained for your next extreme test. You can even view your general training load, which quantifies your activity volume from the most recent seven days and derives the ideal range for your wellness and ongoing training load.
The Forerunner 945’s training load center sorts your ongoing training history into various classes dependent on the activity and force. Battery life lasts about fourteen days in smartwatch mode.
What We Liked
- Can be used for a variety of open-air recreational sports
- Informs you about altitude changes
- Extremely good battery life
- Power meter compatible
- Automated Emergency Contact
- Tracks Floors Climbed
- Store/Listen to Music - Phone Free
- Tracks Skiing/Snowboarding
- Maps can be download to your watch
- Strength training tracking profile
What We Didn’t Like
- Expensive
Garmin Fenix 5X Review
Consolidating world-class execution with the best highlights of our wellness and open-air watches, Fenix 5X is the debut multisport smartwatch. It’s the first Fenix arrangement watch to offer full-shading TOPO U.S. maps for route assistance and area reference.
You get propelled highlights, for example, elevated wrist pulse innovation, working in-action profiles, execution measurements, and health status readings that show your health improvements.
Alert warnings assist you with keeping in contact instantly. Also, QuickFit groups let you tailor the look to any way of life or movement – no apparatuses required. Go from your work to exercise without breaking stride.
This extreme multisport GPS watch features full shading Topo U.S. planning, routable cycling maps, and other open-air route highlights.
In route sensors incorporate GPS and Glonass capability to follow more intricate and precise navigational situations than GPS alone. Three extra Glonass measuring methods include pivot compasses, whirligigs, and barometric altimeters.
What We Liked
- Has cycling maps
- Pre-loaded run profiles
- Lightweight and sturdy
- GPS along with GLONASS
- Tracks Skiing/Snowboarding
- Store/Listen to Music - Phone Free
- Contactless Payment
What We Didn’t Like
- Altimeter accuracy is an issue on some devices
- Expensive
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Review
This running smartwatch is fit for execution with a rough, advanced layout that includes a consistently on 1.3″ (18% bigger than past Fenix models) daylight intelligible presentation with bezels in treated steel, titanium, or jewel-like carbon (DLC) covering.
It is an upgraded assessed wrist pulse and Pulse Ox to help propelled rest observing and height acclimation at high rises.
Propelled training highlights incorporate PacePro for grade-balanced pace direction all through your activities in addition to earth balanced VO2 max and training status gauges.
You can explore the world with pre-loaded topo maps, ski maps for more than 2,000 overall ski resorts, various worldwide route satellite framework (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) support, and implicit sensors for 3-hub compass, gyrator, and barometric altimeter.
Battery execution: Up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, as long as 10 hours in GPS and music mode, as long as 28 days in campaign GPS action mode, and as long as 48 days in battery saver watch mode.
What We Liked
- Rich in features and sophisticated
- Durable
- GPS + GLONASS + GALILEO
- Built-in Maps
- Solar powered charging
- Contactless payment
- Built-in compass
- Tracks Skiing/Snowboarding
- Download Ski Resort maps to watch
- Tracks floors climbed
- Store/Listen to Music - Phone Free
What We Didn’t Like
- Most expensive Garmin
Polar Vantage V Review
The Polar Vantage Titan is progressive in both structure and tech. Lift the viability and exactness of your workout goal with running force – no extra sensors required.
This progressed multisport watch keeps going for 40 hours with GPS and HRM active. The finished two tone coloring of the sports wristband gives both an exceptional look and feel.
The Vantage Titan HRM movement tracker is implanted with next-level smart innovation that offers exact pulse observation and activity tracking for 130+ activities, including swimming and cycling.
The multisport watch gives an exhaustive perspective on how exercising strains your body. The watch provides additional knowledge for rest and recovery to abstain from overtraining and wounds.
A good watch for triathletes. Might be overkill to be uses strictly as a running watch.
What We Liked
- Lightweight and durable
- Excellent battery life
- Takes into to account training strains as well
- Built-in GPS
- Recovery Pro Module
- Training load Pro Module
- Tracks floors climbed
- Route Guidance
- Swimming metrics
- Color touch display
- Tracks Skiing/Snowboarding
- Running Power Meter
What We Didn’t Like
- May be small for some users
- Does not play/store music
- Expensive for a running watch
POLAR VANTAGE M Review
The Polar Vantage M Advanced GPS Running and Multisport Watch can last for 30 hours on smartwatch tracking. Polar’s pulse screen watches rethink the highest quality level in optical pulse exactness by consolidating the most recent in bio-impedance terminals and optical sensors.
The Vantage M is a wellness tracker, isolating muscle load, cardio load, and work load.
As a waterproof watch, significant distance running watch, and cycling activity tracker, you can catch key measurements like pace and swimming stroke.
The Polar Precision Prime sensor combination innovation ensures Polar Vantage M screens your pulse from the wrist precisely in any event when troubles arise.
The Polar Vantage M recognizes your pulse, swimming style, separation, pace, strokes, and rest times. Distance and strokes get followed in swimming.
The Polar Vantage M is basically a stripped down version of the Polar Vantage V. If you’re a recreational runner you could get by with this model easily.
What We Liked
- Good battery life
- Waterproof and good for swimming
What We Didn’t Like
- Does not come with Gorilla glass
- Does not track floors climbed
- Does not play/store music
POLAR M430 Review
The Polar M430 is a running watch with coordinated GPS, every minute of everyday movement tracking, and 6 LED wrist-based pulse. It features a new, improved Fitness Test, breathable wristbands in energizing hues, and 8 hours of standby time.
It incorporates smart notifications (using Vibra alert), wrist-based running measurements (rhythm, speed, and separation), the Polar Back to Start, and Polar’s extraordinary Smart Coaching highlights.
This running smartwatch has an integrated GPS with A-GPS information anticipating sensor for more precise location identification.
It also has propelled training highlights, including Polar Fitness Test, customized Running Program, and Running Index utilizing Bluetooth. – Water-safe capabilities.
Features a vibrating alarm and smart notifications. It syncs information to the Polar Flow application via Bluetooth. The Polar M430 has customizable watch faces and a high-resolution display.
This is a bare-bones running watch that might be a good choice for the occasional runner.
What We Liked
- LED wrist-based pulse
- Notifications for information needed
- High-resolution display
What We Didn’t Like
- Some people might not like square watch face
Conclusion
Whether you are a beginner tackling your first 5k or prepping for your 1st marathon, shopping for a running watch will supercharge your running.
A running watch offers an honest appraisal of your running efforts and achievements.
In this article, we’ve reviewed the simplest running watches on the market – from low-cost choices to the careful alternatives for budding athletes – and compiled a roundup of the simplest picks from our testing.
The best running watches have the flexibility to track almost every single physical activity daily. They will also track workouts such as cycling, swimming, rowing, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, etc.
If you’re attempting to lose some extra weight, purchasing a running watch may a great choice to help you stay accountable. Running watches track pulse in real-time, on your wrist, and are capable of estimating the calories you burned throughout the day, supplying you with a clearer image of your energy expenditures.
Running watches can help adjust your training by providing feedback on such metrics as VO2 max levels, cadence, and pulse/heart rate zones.
Check Out My Other Reviews:
Best Running Watch For Half Marathon/Marathon Racing
Best Earbuds For Running That Won’t Fall Out
Best Cross-Training Stationary Bikes For Runners
Best Hydration\Water Packs For Runners
10 Running Gadgets You Can’t Live Without!
Best Energy Gels For Half Marathons
Best Race Medal Display Ideas For Runners
Best Waterproof Running Jackets
Best Ways To Carry Your Phone While You Run
Best Protein Recovery Drinks For Runners
Best Mineral-Based Sunscreens For Runners
The Xiaomi Mi GPS Smartwatch comes with GPS. When you turn on GPS and heart rate detection, it allows hours of continued use, Global Version, Waterproof and Fitness Heart Rate Monitor.
Thanks for the input on Xiaomi Mi GPS Smartwatch. I haven’t personally reviewed or tested this watch, however at the price it might not be a bad watch to consider. At this price, you might be risking quality. Buy at your own risk.
If you want to dabble in the “lower-end” price market for smartwatches I would recommend the MuGo Smart Watch over the Xiaomi Mi GPS Smartwatch, however, this recommendation is simply trying to stack up the best “lower-end” smartwatches. Again, buy at your own risk.
The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 for just a simple fitness tracker is probably better than the Xiaomi Mi GPS Smartwatch, however, the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 requires your phone to be tethered via Bluetooth for GPS tracking.