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Whether you're training for the first 5km of your life, or the fastest marathon, the best running watch can help you track your progress while keeping you informed of your recovery.
Many of the best running watches on the market can be worn 24/7. In addition to GPS tracking, most of the watches on this list will monitor your heart rate, track your sleep, and tell you how long you need to rest before your next workout. They will also have multiple sport modes, so you can track any workout from HIIT to hiking, which includes water activities.
1. garmin forerunner 265
Our pick of the best sports watch and one of the best Garmin watches is also our top-of-the-line running watch: the Garmin Forerunner 265. This lightweight device gives you everything you need for a running watch, from accurate tracking to controls to features to create custom workouts with Apple Watch. The device also offers a variety of Garmin training metrics that will help you plan not only your workouts but also your recovery time.
During testing, we found the Garmin Forerunner 265's beautiful AMOLED display to be bright and easy to read even in direct sunlight. It also comes with a touch screen that makes it easy to navigate on the watch. The battery life is enough to support several workouts, even in *** situations.
The Forerunner 265 inherits some of the more advanced health features that are typically reserved for Garmin's more expensive running watches. The watch is equipped with Garmin's latest Elevate V4 sensor – a green light records heart rate and a red light records blood oxygen levels (known as Pulse Ox on the watch). The sensor is used to calculate respiratory rate, HRV, and pressure. Now, it also has the ability to track multi-sport training sessions in triathlon mode as well as Garmin's training readiness score.
This is a terrific improvement for an already great watch and a great choice for runners of all levels.
2. garmin forerunner 55
If you're starting to run, you'll most likely want a device that's more advanced than a basic fitness tracker, but also won't overwhelm you with too many features. Among Garmin watches, the Forerunner 55 is a no-brainer.
At the heart of the Garmin Forerunner 55 is an entry-level fitness watch that replaces the Forerunner 45, which was popular earlier this year. While it looks very similar to its predecessor, Garmin has made some important changes, adding some more advanced training tools that are usually reserved for its more expensive watches. The Forerunner 55 features Garmin's new PacePro technology, which gives you gentle speed and cadence alerts while running. Suggested recovery times and workouts are also provided based on your training history, fitness level, and recovery.
It's worth noting that the Garmin Forerunner 55 doesn't support storage, mobile payments, or third-party apps. It also has a relatively small display that weighs just over 1 inch. If these are must-have features for your Garmin watch, you may want to consider higher-end devices.
3.Garmin Forerunner 965
The Garmin Forerunner 965 replaced the Forerunner 955 in March 2023 as Garmin's top-of-the-line running watch. This **watch comes with a bright, beautiful 1The 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, as well as the new titanium bezel, give it a premium feel both while running and running.
However, in essence, the Forerunner 965 is almost identical to the Forerunner 955. That's not a bad thing - the 955 is a great watch, but if you already own a Forerunner 955 or Fenix 7, then it might not be worth the upgrade just now. The watch features all of Garmin's advanced training metrics, including Training Readiness Score, Morning Reports, and Garmin's new Chronic Training Load feature, which focuses on the sum of 28 days of training.
Compared to the other watches on this list, the Forerunner 965 still has the same battery life as we would expect from Garmin, despite having a brighter screen. The battery life is 23 days in smartwatch mode, 31 hours in GPS mode (not listening**), and 8 hours in GPS mode (listening**).5 hours. However, there are a few caveats, one of which is the always-on display option on the Forerunner 965. Garmin believes that when this feature is turned on, the battery life in smartwatch mode will drop from 23 days to 7 days.
4.polar vantage v2
Overtraining is a common cause of running injuries. Polar Vantage V2 has a number of unique features designed to help serious runners recover. This makes up for some of its limited smartwatch features and other standard activity tracking features.
After your run, you can use Polar Vantage V2 for a leg recovery test, which helps you determine how long you need to wait before your next hard run. Other watches offer recovery suggestions, but the leg-specific metrics are unique to Polar Vantage V2. In addition, the "Night Charge" feature links sleep quality with workout recovery.
During the testing, one feature that we found to be impressive was the training program. Once you've inserted your workout data into Polar Flow, you can create a training plan and share it with your personal trainer or trainer, which is another way to help prevent injuries.
5.apple watch ultra 2
If you're in a rigorous running session, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the best Apple Watch to buy. Like the original Ultra, the second version also has a third button - the action button, which makes it easier to pause the watch or tap the watch while sweating fingers or wearing gloves.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 didn't reinvent the wheel, Apple added features that most of the best running watches have had over the years, but from a running perspective, the Ultra 2 does feel like an upgraded version of the Apple Watch Series 9. Its 49mm screen is huge, but it's designed for adventure, and the screen is brighter than before, with brightness increasing from 2,000 nits to 3,000 nits. In direct sunlight, the improvement is subtle, but during testing we can see it more clearly than with the Apple Watch Series 9.
While the physical difference between the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 isn't huge, there is a big difference under the screen. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with an S9 processor, the first true power upgrade since the Apple Watch Series 6. Apple claims it's 25 percent more efficient, built on 5.6 billion transistors, 30 percent faster GPU animation, and features a 4-core neural engine that triples the machine's Xi.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has the longest battery life of any Apple Watch. Even with a brighter display, the watch's battery life can still reach 36 hours under normal use. In Low Power mode, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has increased battery life from 60 hours to a maximum of 72 hours.
In workout mode, the larger screen allows seven data fields to be displayed instead of six. That said, if you're looking for longer battery life, recovery metrics, or the ability to upload maps to your watch, then you're better off buying one of the Garmin watches on this list.