The Best Fitness Watches for Runners

This post is part of Find Your Fit Tech , a fitness wearable buying guide from Lifehacker. I ask tough questions about whether wearables can really improve your health, how to find the one that’s right for you, and how to make the most of the data wearables have to offer.

Runners were among the first to use smartwatches. I remember the days when “running watches” were a cube-shaped GPS device attached to your wrist, and it was a game changer when those cubes started tracking your heart rate as well.

These days, any smartwatch can track your heart rate, not to mention your location and maybe a half-dozen other things. So what makes a running watch special? Lots of extra fitness-focused features, as well as some important little details like physical buttons. Read my selection.

What to look for when choosing a running watch

It’s easy to get caught up in the specs and marketing claims, but at the end of the day, what’s important about a watch is whether it can do what you want it to do. Think of it like hiring an employee: you don’t want the person who can do the most, you want the person who can do the job you need.

So here’s what to think about when creating a “job description” for your running watch. Some of them may be crucial for you; some may not be relevant.

Does it have physical buttons?

For most everyday functions, it may not matter whether you press a physical button or tap an icon on the screen. But when you’re running laps on the track, your shaky and sweaty fingers will have a hard time operating the touchscreen. For this reason, runners often prefer watches with real buttons. All of our options below have physical buttons.

How good is GPS?

All working smartwatches track your location using GPS – that’s the main reason they exist. (To be pedantic, GPS is just a type of global navigation satellite system, or GNSS, which is what we mean when we talk about location tracking.)

But some location systems are more accurate than others. The most accurate smartwatches use multiple GPS bands, as well as other location systems such as GLONASS and Galileo. Pay attention to what systems the clock uses and if there are settings you need to be aware of. For example, some watches require you to choose which system you want to use. There may also be a battery saving mode that sacrifices accuracy to extend the life of your watch.

All of the options below use multiple satellite systems (with one obvious exception, as you’ll see). It’s worth noting that GNSS has gotten better over the years, so the newest models will provide the most accurate tracking.

What is the battery life?

Many running watches are designed to be worn all day (including while you sleep) and have a battery life of several days on a single charge. Longer standby battery life can give you more time between charges.

But if you run very long distances (perhaps you’re training for a marathon), you’ll also want to know how long you can run. Playing music and tracking your location uses more power than simply wearing the watch in standby mode, so check how many hours of active use the watch provides. Below we note the battery life of our models.

Does it help you navigate or just keep track of where you’ve been?

Some running watches include a full navigation system with preloaded maps and turn-by-turn directions. Others simply leave a trail of digital breadcrumbs behind you so that when you get home you can see where you went. Let’s note which watches have cards.

Does it tell you what to do or just keep track of what you’ve done?

More fashionable running watches can track your fatigue and readiness, suggest workouts for you, and even help you create a personalized workout plan. Meanwhile, simpler watches will trust that you’re planning the workout; their job is simply to be a tool to keep track of what you’ve done.

Do you need a running watch or a general purpose smartwatch?

Before we get into the features of the best running watches, it’s important to ask yourself whether you want a running watch with general features or a regular watch that you can take with you on your run.

The models we highlight below are designed primarily for running and then for everyday life. Check out our guide to general health and fitness trackers (LINK TK) if you’re looking for something like a “smartwatch I can run with.”

Our pick for the best running watches

With these features in mind, we have options to suit a wide range of budgets and needs.

The one everyone has: Garmin Forerunner 245 Music.

I’m not kidding: Strava’s year-end 2023 report found the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music to be the most used running watch among members in the US. (Worldwide, the best watches were the older watches 245, 235.) Yes, these are watches that were first released in 2019. Yes, there are newer and better versions. But this is an option that many runners like.

Why Forerunner 245 Music?

• Battery life : 7 days in smartwatch mode, 6 hours running with GPS and music.

• Contains recommended Garmin Coach workouts and training plans.

• Features various training and recovery metrics including VO2max, Body Battery, training load, recovery time and intensity minutes.

• Location tracking : includes GPS, GLONASS and Galileo.

• You can play music directly from the watch (if you don’t need this feature, take the regular 245 – they’re cheaper).

• The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music currently retails for $299.99 (original list price was $349.99).

Other options in this family:

• Forerunner 245 (without music) is cheaper at $199.99.

• The newest model is Forerunner 265 , which has twice the battery life, twice the music storage, additional training readiness metrics, and more accurate location tracking with multi-band GPS and SatIQ. It’s $449.99, which is $150 more than the 245 Music.

Best Budget Pick: Garmin Forerunner 55 ($189.99).

If the 245 Music seems like overkill, you might like the no-nonsense Forerunner 55. It has all the basic features of a modern running watch, but without much of the extras. If I was just starting out as a runner and wanted to keep things simple, this would be my first purchase. (Then, if I was missing some of the features that my friends had, I’d consider upgrading.)

The Forerunner 55 has a battery life of two weeks in smartwatch mode or 20 hours with GPS tracking.

• Garmin Forerunner 55 ($189.99)

Other options in this family:

• The Forerunner 45 is the previous model, and it is still wildly popular. Battery life isn’t as good, and it lacks some of the new learning and recovery features. However, it is still a reliable watch. Here’s the Forerunner 45 for $139.99.

Best kept secret: Coros Pace 3 ($229).

Garmin has long been the undisputed leader in running watches, but I see more and more runners switching to Coros watches. They may not be as common, but owners love them, citing their lighter weight and longer battery life than comparable Garmin models.

How much better? Well, the Coros Pace 3 can last 38 hours with GPS support, compared to 20 hours on the Forerunner 265. And it lasts 18 days in smartwatch mode if you wear it 24/7, versus 13 days on the Forerunner 265. Yes, of course. There are tradeoffs to that kind of battery life, like a smaller and less bright screen, but you’ll also save 200 grand.

• Koros Pace 3 , $229.00.

Other options in this family:

• The Coros Pace 2 is slightly cheaper, currently $179. The screen is a little smaller, the battery life is a little shorter, and the GNSS “only” uses four single-band GPS systems rather than the Pace 3’s five and dual-band.

• The Coros Apex 2 is more fashionable and retails for $349. It has longer battery life and has full landscape and topographic maps. If you do a lot of trail running, you may want to consider this option.

Fashionable watch for runners: Garmin Fenix ​​7 Pro Solar Sapphire ($899.99).

If you have a generous running watch budget and want the very best, it’s hard to go wrong with the Fenix ​​line. This option has several versions, so we will focus on its features:

• The Pro gives it several features not found on other Fenix ​​models, including a flashlight and an improved heart rate sensor.

• Solar power means they can increase the battery’s charge level just from the sunlight hitting the watch while you run. (You’ll still have to charge it, but less frequently than its non-solar counterpart—every 22 days instead of every 18.)

• Sapphire means the lens is made from the mineral sapphire, which is extremely scratch resistant. (Non-sapphire solar watches are made from Gorilla glass, which is also very durable, but this is an upgrade.)

• And finally, the number 7 means that this is the average size (47 mm) of the seventh generation of this watch. The 7S is smaller at 42mm, while the 7X is extra large at 52mm.

• The Garmin Fenix ​​7 Pro Sapphire Solar retails for $899.99.

Fenix ​​watches typically come with all the best Garmin bells and whistles and have incredible battery life. In smartwatch mode, you’re looking at a couple of weeks rather than days (three weeks with solar charging isn’t unusual), and the watch will last 10 hours of active use with GPS always on and music on.

Other options in this family:

• Combine the different features above to find a watch that suits your needs. Here’s the Fenix ​​7S Solar (not Pro or Sapphire) for $579.99. The battery life is between 11 and 14 days depending on the amount of sunlight.

• The older Fenix ​​models are still popular among runners. The Fenix ​​6 line doesn’t have the new version’s touchscreen or flashlight, but the basic features are similar. You can save a significant amount of money by choosing an older model: here’s a refurbished Fenix ​​6 Pro for $329.99.

The simplest option used by elite runners: Timex Ironman.

Yes, it’s a stupid watch. No, I don’t mean this as a joke. Many runners, including, I would say, especially professional runners , find fancy smartwatch features more distracting than helpful.

The Timex Ironman is a watch with physical buttons, a stopwatch, and a backlight that can be turned on when needed. They retail for $60. It can remember split times for an entire workout, as well as average and best split times from past workouts.

• Timex Ironman , $39.

Other options in this family:

• Ironman comes in several versions with minor variations. It has a smaller body, 34 mm (as opposed to 43 mm above), but the memory only lasts for 30 laps, not 100.

• The Armitron Dragonfly is another popular silent watch (I personally own one). At $18, it doesn’t have many features, but it’s small and unobtrusive and can tell you how many minutes you’ve been running.

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