The Best Running Watches

When you want to improve your running, knowledge is power. And because of the tech that can be wrapped around your wrist, amateur athletes have more insight into their training than ever before. 

A good running watch is more than an everyday fitness tracker. To be worthy of the name a device should contain built-in GPS, enable you to analyze run-specific metrics and include (or be able to assess) training programs.

This used to mean that even the cheapest options cost three figures but, as you’ll see, there are now GPS-ready options below that mark. However, you’ll probably still need to spend more than $100/£100 to get a decent set of features and, for fancier stuff like training and running form analysis, you’ll be looking at $300/£200-plus.

How I Test Running Watches

I am an obsessive runner, logging about 50-70 miles per week, and tracking every mile of that using at least one watch, usually two, occasionally three, and on a few notable occasions four. This gives me ample opportunity to drain the battery and test the GPS and heart rate accuracy of watches, as well as using features like navigation, structured workouts and the training analysis on offer. Over the past five years I have tested pretty much every sports watch available from Garmin, Coros, Polar and Suunto, as well as every Apple Watch and many smartwatches from other brands like Samsung, Amazfit and Huawei.

The quick list

If you have a rough idea of what you need then these top picks in the most popular categories may steer you in the right direction. Click on any watch to jump to Coach’s full review below. There are other great options in the full guide.

The Best Running Watches

Best Value

The Coros Pace 2 was renowned for being great value and that’s now true of the Coros Pace 3, even if it’s more expensive than its predecessor. The Pace 3 offers all the key running features you’ll find on watches that cost hundreds more and, in my experience, it’s an accurate watch, with its multi-band GPS largely matching up well to the accuracy of the Garmin Epix Pro.

The Pace 3 also offers breadcrumb navigation and the same training analysis you get on Coros’s most expensive watches. It has music storage, too, though this is limited for now to MP3 files you drag and drop onto the watch. I can forgive the relative lack of smarts on show here, though, because the sports tracking is spot on.

Read more in our Coros Pace 3 review

Best Entry-Level Watch

The Kiprun GPS 900 is built on the platform of the original Coros Apex, and uses Coros’s software and app. This means it lacks features that have become standard on watches in the last couple of years, such as multi-band GPS and heart rate variability tracking. However, it’s an attractive multisport watch that covers all the essentials and is cheaper than many rivals.

It doesn’t match the GPS accuracy of the best watches with multi-band, but I found it was accurate enough to pace training runs and races. The Kiprun GPS 900 offers features you may not expect at this price, such as breadcrumb navigation and detailed training analysis. It’s a shoot-out between the Kiprun GPS 900 and Coros Pace 2 for which provides better value. In my opinion, the GPS 900 has a more appealing design thanks to its metal bezel, while the all-plastic Pace 2 is lighter and a little cheaper. The Pace 2 has another key feature, however, which is that it’s available in the US, which is why it’s my entry-level pick if you’re there.

Read more in our Decathlon Kiprun GPS 900 review

Best Entry-Level Watch in US

The Pace 2 offers terrific value to runners and triathletes alike, with accurate tracking, a wealth of stats, and excellent connectivity to external sensors via ANT+ and Bluetooth, as well as a monster battery life of 30 hours of GPS. 

It’s also a very light watch that I found comfortable to wear 24/7, and you can load structured workouts and training plans on the Pace 2 to follow from your wrist. What it lacks is smart features, navigation, and the slicker software and training analysis you get with Garmin and Polar devices, which is forgivable considering the price.

Read more in our Coros Pace 2 review

Best For Beginners

The Forerunner 55 is a serious rival to the Coros Pace 2 for the title of best entry-level watch, and it has some features that make it particularly well suited to new runners. These include guided training plans for 5K, 10K and half marathon races through Garmin Coach, advice on how long you should spend recovering after each run and—best of all if you’re not following a training plan—suggested workouts each day to help ensure your training is balanced between easy and hard running.

These features are on top of an excellent all-round running package that includes strong battery life (20 hours of GPS), customisable workouts, and accurate distance and heart rate tracking. I have also found that the Forerunner 55 is a better everyday activity and sleep tracker than its Coros rival, and its small size makes it very comfortable to wear 24/7.

Read more in our Garmin Forerunner 55 review

Best Smartwatch

Whether you opt for the Series 8 or Ultra, the Apple Watch is the best smartwatch for running, though you will need an iPhone to use it. The Ultra has better hardware than the Series 8, with twice the battery life, an extra button you can use as a lap button, and dual-band GPS tracking, which has proved as accurate as anything else I’ve tried. 

As a result, the Ultra is the sportiest Apple Watch ever while still packing in all the smarts you’d expect, including access to the unrivaled App Store, which contains many excellent running apps like WorkOutDoors if you decide the native tracking isn’t good enough for you. That native tracking has been upgraded with watchOS 9, however, and now offers more stats and a structured workout mode, so it will fulfill the needs of most. 

I’ve run three marathons wearing the Apple Watch Ultra, and while you do miss out on some of the features available on sports watches––training analysis in particular––it’s undoubtedly a great running watch.

Read more in our Apple Watch Ultra review

Best Overall

The Forerunner 965 is my go-to running watch, providing all Garmin’s best features in a lightweight design with a bright AMOLED display. Despite the bright screen, the battery life is impressive, with the watch lasting me seven days on a charge with the always-on screen enabled. The sports tracking, training analysis and navigation features on the watch are second to none. 

If you need greater battery life then the Garmin Fenix 7 and Enduro 2 have the edge, and if you can get by without maps then the Forerunner 265 is better value than the 965, but as a complete package the Forerunner 965 is the best sports watch going. 

Read more in our Garmin Forerunner 965 review

Best For Battery Life

Coros has always pushed the boundaries of expected battery life and the Vertix 2 lasts longer than any other GPS sports watch I’ve tested. It will last more than a month even with intensive use and offers all the features you’d expect at this price. In my experience only the Garmin Enduro 2 gets close to the Vertix’s battery life and while it’s comparable during runs, the Coros battery drains slower in between runs to earn the prize of top spot.

That includes GPS tracking using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou satellite systems simultaneously, and you can also use multi-band tracking, though this brings the GPS battery life down from 90 hours to 50. There’s also a GPS-only mode that nets you a monster 140 hours of tracking.

The Vertix 2 is also one of the few sports watches outside Garmin’s range to offer color maps. However, there is no turn-by-turn navigation, and in general I’d say the mapping experience falls short of what you get on the Fenix range and on the Epix 2 and Enduro 2. The Vertix 2 does also offer music storage, though it can’t be linked to a streaming service yet.

Read more in our Coros Vertix 2 review

Best For Trail Running

The Garmin Fenix 7 Pro is a modest update on the Garmin Fenix 7, and the older watch remains a great option for runners. However, the new model stands out as an even better pick for those heading off-road, because every watch in the Fenix 7 Pro range has a flashlight, solar charging and more accurate multi-band GPS, all of which are particularly useful for trail runners.

If battery is a key concern then the largest model, the Fenix 7X Pro, provides the longest life, or you can upgrade to the Garmin Enduro 2 for even more battery life if needed. As you’d expect from a top Garmin, you also get brilliant mapping and navigation tools for your trail runs, plus extensive training analysis including the brand’s hill scores, which will be useful for trail runners constantly running up mountains.

Read more in our  Garmin Fenix 7 Pro review

Best For A Big Spend