Whether you’re hitting the pavements for the primary time, operating with a membership or racing for private glory, the flexibility to trace your exercises has change into an important a part of any coaching regime. Not solely can it assist you enhance, however you may as well use it to keep away from harm and share within the social expertise. A operating watch isn’t the one method to do that, however it’s a fairly efficient possibility.
However with the market flooded with choices, providing an array of options, you would possibly discover it tough to reply all of the questions that come up. Do you want offline maps? Do you wish to take heed to music whilst you run? Which model is finest, and the way a lot do you actually need to spend?
Since a operating watch is prone to final for a lot longer than most different bits of tech, you’ll wish to make a wise funding – and I’m right here that can assist you do exactly that.
I ran greater than 1,000km to information you thru my tried-and-tested choices, so you’ll be able to choose up the very best operating look ahead to you.
At a look
Why it’s best to belief me
I’ve been reviewing client electronics for 18 years, with greater than a decade spent because the Guardian’s gadget skilled. In that point I’ve seen all method of tech fads come and go, watched cutting-edge know-how change into mainstream commodities, used my physique as a take a look at bench for tons of of watches, rings, glasses, goggles and different wearable gadgets, and coated 1000’s of kilometres as a eager membership runner.
How I examined
To actually decide whether or not a operating watch goes past the fundamentals, you need to use it for a while. I ran properly over 1,000km, testing every watch by itself and in pairs, sporting the gadgets for brief and lengthy runs, throughout completely different city and wooded environments. I wore them for membership runs and on solo efforts, for coaching, exercises and races, plus throughout the day and evening, to completely consider their functionality to trace metrics and analyse knowledge.
I’ve poked and prodded them, up to date them, examined their maps and navigation, and monitored their stamina. I’ve in contrast readings from the wrist-based optical heart-rate sensors to extra correct chest straps, in contrast tempo and cadence readings, splits and complete distances, routes and traces. And since GPS accuracy is so essential and varies between watches, I put the highest contenders by two completely different city stress take a look at routes to see which gadgets have been dependable and which misplaced the plot. The primary noticed me weave between the tallest buildings within the Metropolis of London, whereas the opposite was across the infamous Canary Wharf loop of the London marathon, which tends to ship racers’ watches wild.
Do you want a operating watch?
Simply beginning out? Use your cellphone at no cost
In case your operating journey is simply starting, then it’s doubtless you have already got a tool to trace your exercises. Your smartphone will be capable to observe your route, distance and tempo; you simply want the fitting app to do it.
In the event you’re an iPhone consumer, Apple’s built-in Health app can observe runs and different exercises, too. Android telephones often arrive with a workout-tracking app put in; which one will rely upon the model of your cellphone. Samsung’s Well being, Google’s Match or Fitbit, for instance, can all observe the fundamentals.
Some of the well-liked free, cross-platform apps is Strava. It not solely tracks your exercises but additionally allows you to share them with family and friends by its built-in social options for assist and encouragement.
Do you already personal a smartwatch?
Just like phone-based monitoring, virtually any smartwatch can be utilized for monitoring runs. Even older variations of the Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch will work nice, with built-in GPS and heart-rate displays, and lots of of them observe excess of the fundamentals.
The draw back is comparatively quick battery life, however they need to be positive for runs beneath marathon distances. All fashions ought to come pre-loaded with fitness-tracking apps that may document your runs, however Strava additionally has free apps for the Apple Watch and Google’s Put on OS.
The perfect operating watches for 2026
Greatest operating look ahead to freshmen:
Garmin Forerunner 55
Garmin
Forerunner 55
from £122.49
The Forerunner 55 is the most cost effective in market-leader Garmin’s operating watch lineup, and covers greater than the necessities.
In addition to 20 hours of exercise battery life, this compact watch provides strong heart-rate monitoring and may monitor cadence, tempo and different important metrics. It connects to the superb Garmin Join app in your cellphone by way of Bluetooth or laptop by way of USB, which might then ship the info to Strava and different third-party apps.
Utilizing Garmin’s Coach function, you’ll be able to go away the watch to routinely create a coaching plan for you, or load your personal structured exercises equivalent to intervals. Sleep monitoring and restoration instruments assist you determine whether or not it’s best to step up a gear or if try to be taking it straightforward. Plus, it has race-time predictions and a race planner, so you’ll be able to pre-program the route and see what’s arising across the bend.
What units the Forerunner 55 other than the competitors at this worth, nevertheless, is the velocity and accuracy of its GPS monitoring. Regardless of missing the extra superior dual-band GPS of pricier fashions, it proved surprisingly dependable throughout testing, even in probably the most built-up areas of central London.
Nevertheless, the Forerunner 55 is now a reasonably previous watch with a tiny low-res LCD display and button-only performance. It additionally lacks offline maps, music, contactless funds and most of the extra superior metrics which have change into more and more helpful coaching aids on extra fashionable and costly watches.
Display: 1.04in LCD
Weight: 37g
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Garmin
Forerunner 55
from £122.49
Greatest finances operating watch:
Suunto Run
The Run is a shock finances hit from longtime Finnish GPS-maker Suunto, which takes the very best bits of its dear fashions and condenses them right into a super-light, vibrant operating look ahead to beneath £200.
The nice-size 1.3in OLED touchscreen is crisp and appears nice, whereas the physique of the watch is neat and slim on the wrist. It arrives with two lengths of a quick-release nylon band, however can also be suitable with customary 22mm straps, must you favor a silicone one.
Coronary heart-rate monitoring is strong, and the dual-band GPS achieves a lock rapidly, outclassing a lot of its rivals for accuracy in our city stress assessments. The Run data many of the superior metrics you’d want, together with the standard tempo, heart-rate zones, cadence, operating energy and dynamics, plus it has strong VO2 max, coaching load and restoration monitoring viewable on the watch or within the respectable Suunto cellphone app.
The Run lasts a great 20 hours of monitoring at its highest accuracy stage, and has profiles for exercises on out of doors operating tracks, multisport for triathlons and lots of different modes. It additionally helps structured exercises and interval coaching when issues get a bit extra critical.
Whereas the display is vibrant sufficient to see in direct daylight, a number of the dim gray fonts have been a battle to learn at a look. Among the metrics regarded just a little too comparable when 4 have been on the display on the identical time, too. However the two buttons and crown make navigating, beginning and pausing the watch straightforward, and it’s helpful to have the ability to disable the touchscreen throughout exercises to stop unintentional presses.
The Suunto app, whether or not on an Android or iPhone, is pretty easy, displaying respectable maps and graphs, plus day by day well being and sleep monitoring. However the Run lacks offline maps, restricted to easy breadcrumb navigation – a line with no underlying map tiles – in case you sync routes out of your cellphone beforehand. It helps offline music by way of Bluetooth headphones, however solely with MP3s; there’s no assist for Spotify or different streaming providers. The USB-C charging puck is a bit flimsy with weak magnets, too, so you need to watch out to maintain the watch charging.
Display: 1.3in OLED touchscreen
Weight: 36g
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Various:
Coros Tempo 3
Coros’s Tempo 3 is a well-liked finances operating look ahead to good motive: it packs so much in for the value. However for GPS accuracy, it was crushed by the Suunto Run in our city stress assessments. Its battery life is shorter, too, and it has an older-style LCD display. It has comparable limitations with offline music and no maps.
An excellent possibility if the Suunto Run isn’t for you.
Display: 1.2in LCD
Weight: 30g (nylon band)
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Greatest mid-range operating watch:
Coros Tempo Professional
With extremely succesful finances watches champing at their heels, mid-range operating watches primarily add one factor: offline maps.
Probably the greatest in a crowded pack is the Coros Tempo Professional, which provides so much whereas costing lower than rivals. It has a vibrant and crisp OLED touchscreen, a button and crown on the aspect for management, in addition to respectable haptics and beeps to let what’s taking place.
The interface is pretty fundamental however responsive, with the watch monitoring a wide selection of sports activities, together with a triathlon. Its heart-rate monitoring is strong, and the dual-band GPS obtained a lock rapidly and carried out properly in our city stress assessments. Battery life is as much as 31 hours in its highest accuracy mode, which is excellent. It even ships with a natty little keyring charging adapter that you just plug into your personal USB-C cable after which into the again of the watch.
The Coros tracks all of the metrics you in all probability need, too, with an honest set of coaching and evaluation instruments. Nevertheless, I did discover its restoration metrics just a little optimistic – and, bizarrely, its coaching load instruments reset each Monday moderately than utilizing a seven-day rolling common, which make them a bit ineffective.
However, there are many exercise configuration choices, with as much as eight metrics on show per display. They’re solely accessible from the Coros app in your cellphone, although. That app is just a little fundamental, however it will get the job executed, displaying your knowledge, routes and maps properly.
This app can also be the place you propose and ship routes to your watch – you’ll be able to’t create routes straight on the machine. Searching a map on the watch is quick and responsive by way of contact, as is zooming into highway names utilizing the crown. However in case you do occur to veer off beam, the watch can’t routinely re-route you again to the proper path.
The Coros provides assist for offline music, however it’s solely of the MP3 selection, which is much less helpful if you use streaming providers. It lacks contactless fee assist, and whereas the Tempo Professional is gentle and comfy, it doesn’t look or really feel as premium as some costlier rivals.
Display: 1.3in OLED touchscreen
Weight: 37g (nylon band)
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Greatest-looking mid-range operating watch:
Suunto Race 2
The Suunto Race 2 simply misses out on being the highest mid-range choose: it’s considerably costlier than the Coros Tempo Professional, but didn’t carry out fairly as properly in our city GPS stress assessments.
This watch has loads going for it, although. It’s handsome, with a strong, premium really feel, whereas the big, crisp 1.5in OLED touchscreen is vibrant and coated in tremendous scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The crown and two buttons make it straightforward to manage the machine throughout exercises, and the superb rubber straps give a safe match.
The Race 2 tracks greater than 110 completely different sports activities, together with multisport and triathlons, and the gathering of free apps within the SuuntoPlus retailer can add additional components to every sport profile, equivalent to a cadence coach or a climb app. It tracks each operating metric you’re prone to want, with a brand new respectable heart-rate sensor and dual-band GPS traces, assist for structured exercises and exterior sensors equivalent to footpods. It additionally has an honest set of coaching and evaluation instruments, a few of that are from main coaching agency TrainingPeaks.
Battery life is spectacular, with an impressive 55 hours of monitoring on the highest accuracy ranges. That determine drops in case you activate the always-on display possibility, although. Its offline maps look nice on the large touchscreen, however just like the Coros Tempo Professional and different non-Garmin watches, you need to set routes in your cellphone first or depend on handbook navigation.
The companion app in your cellphone is just a little basic-looking however has respectable maps, stats, knowledge and graphs, plus day by day well being and sleep monitoring. In contrast with a Coros or Garmin, the watch is just a little quick on completely different faces and customisations, however the ones included look good. It doesn’t have contactless funds or offline music, both.
Display: 1.5in OLED touchscreen
Weight: 76g (metal); 65g (titanium)
Water resistance: 10 ATM
The perfect operating watch cash should buy:
Garmin Forerunner 970
Garmin
Forerunner 970
from £579
If you need the easiest operating watch there’s, there’s one clear winner: the Garmin Forerunner 970. It tracks each metric and statistic you may presumably need, each on the run and after the actual fact, and appears the enterprise doing it.
Alongside a compact and comfy match, the watch has a big and crisp OLED touchscreen, protected by super-hard sapphire crystal. There are 5 buttons for if you don’t wish to use the touchscreen; contactless funds; and a built-in speaker and microphone for calls, voice instructions and accessing your cellphone’s voice assistant. The Forerunner 970 even has an especially helpful built-in torch, which can be utilized as a strobe gentle for operating or for simply illuminating your method at evening.
On a run, the watch can clearly present as much as eight completely different metrics onscreen without delay and has wonderful, extremely detailed built-in offline maps. Not like opponents, Garmin’s maps are routable, which suggests you’ll be able to plan routes on the watch itself, and it might re-route you want a automotive’s GPS in case you veer off beam. It additionally helps offline music from numerous streaming providers, together with Spotify, Amazon and YouTube Music, or your personal MP3s.
Garmin’s dual-band GPS with best-in-class monitoring accuracy did very properly in our city stress assessments. Plus, its battery lasts a strong 23 hours of monitoring – or extra, in case you flip down the display’s brightness, or swap to much less power-hungry GPS modes. The center-rate sensor stays constant even in tough situations and takes ECGs for monitoring arrhythmia, much like the very best health-tracking watches.
The Forerunner 970 comes with the total suite of Garmin’s industry-leading health monitoring, coaching and restoration instruments. That features the brand new influence load and operating tolerance metrics that assist you keep away from harm by extra precisely measuring the pressure every run places in your physique, whereas holding a rolling seven-day log of distance and influence, so that you don’t overdo it.
If you wish to observe greater than operating, the watch is absolutely triathlon-ready and tracks 30-plus sports activities of all guises. It’s nice at basic well being and exercise monitoring, too, with numerous coaches for sleep, coaching and restoration. Garmin’s wonderful computerized exercise plans may be tailor-made to imminent races or may be changed by your personal or third-party plans simply as simply.
The Garmin Join app is the very best within the enterprise, with each stat, analyses and metric you’re prone to wish to deep dive into; strong route planning and built-in social options, together with choices to share the info to Strava or different platforms; plus a great web site for big-screen interrogation.
Learn our full Garmin Forerunner 970 overview: the brand new benchmark for operating watches
Display: 1.4in OLED touchscreen
Weight: 56g
Water resistance: 5 ATM
Garmin
Forerunner 970
from £579
Various:
Garmin Fenix 8
In the event you just like the sound of the Forerunner 970 however desire a watch that appears extra like a conventional timepiece, the Fenix 8 has all the identical options and extra. It is available in three sizes, with an incredible OLED display, longer battery life and the identical stage of monitoring accuracy throughout the board; however it’s heavier, a bit thicker and prices extra.
Learn our full Garmin Fenix 8 overview: finest journey watch turns into smarter
Display: 1.3in OLED touchscreen (43 and 47mm); 1.4in OLED touchscreen (51mm); weight: metal: 66g (43mm), 80g (47mm), 102g (51mm); titanium: 60g (43mm), 73g (47mm), 92g (51mm); water resistance: 10 ATM
Greatest operating look ahead to battery life:
Garmin Enduro 3
Garmin
Enduro 3
from £615.99
Most good operating watches will final a minimum of a marathon whereas monitoring all metrics, but when it’s essential go additional, then there are watches constructed for ultramarathoners that present super-long battery life.
The Garmin Enduro 3 is the very best there’s, lasting as much as 60 hours of monitoring at its highest GPS accuracy stage – and even longer in case you’re operating in vibrant situations, because of the built-in photo voltaic charging. And in case you actually need to go the space, swap to a particular “expedition GPS mode” and it’ll handle as much as 77 days.
This stage of stamina does include a couple of drawbacks, although. The primary is its sheer dimension: the Enduro 3 is huge all spherical, and makes use of a low-power LCD display moderately than the flowery OLEDs geared up to Garmin’s different watches.
In any other case, it has many of the identical options and excessive accuracy ranges because the Forerunner 970 and Fenix 8, together with offline maps and a torch.
Display: 1.4in LCD
Weight: 63g
Water resistance: 10 ATM
Garmin
Enduro 3
from £615.99
Greatest operating watch with LTE/satellite tv for pc:
Garmin Fenix 8 Professional
Garmin
Fenix 8 Professional
from £875.49
All operating watches have a minimum of a information or a map that can assist you out in tough conditions, however a brand new breed of gadgets has not too long ago upped the sport by including mobile and satellite tv for pc connectivity – which might assist save your life in an emergency.
On the prime of the sport is the Garmin Fenix 8 Professional, which takes the superb common Fenix 8 and provides LTE and satellite tv for pc connectivity. If it has cell sign, it might hold you in touch and share your location with family members with out you having to hold a cellphone. Extra importantly, you’ll be able to contact the emergency providers by way of satellite tv for pc if you end up with out reception in Europe and North America.
Coupled with its full offline mapping, together with re-routing on the watch, and the actual fact it tracks each metric beneath the solar, it’s a killer go-anywhere, do-anything machine.
Nevertheless, for all this performance, you’ll must half with the large bucks. Along with the price of the watch, you’ll need to subscribe to Garmin inReach for the phone-free communications options, which prices from £7.99 a month.
Learn our full Garmin Fenix 8 Professional overview: built-in LTE and satellite tv for pc for phone-free messaging
Display: 1.4in OLED touchscreen
Weight: 77g (47mm); 90g (51mm)
Water resistance: 10 ATM
Garmin
Fenix 8 Professional
from £875.49
Various:
Apple Watch Extremely 3
Apple
Watch Extremely 3
from £719
It is probably not a devoted operating watch, however the Apple Watch Extremely 3 ticks virtually each field for operating in case you’re an iPhone consumer, together with a dual-band GPS that was one of the vital correct in our city stress assessments.
The newest mannequin provides emergency satellite tv for pc communications to its present mobile connectivity, so just like the Fenix 8 Professional, it might assist you search rescue if you end up in a sticky scenario off-grid.
Elsewhere, it tracks virtually each operating metric you may want, has an enormous and vibrant display, an correct heart-rate monitor and a sturdy physique product of titanium and sapphire. Battery life isn’t fairly so long as correct operating watches when monitoring, however it’ll handle a marathon or two. And it comes with all the trimmings of a real smartwatch, together with offline maps, music, Apple Pay, notifications and Siri.
The Apple Watch solely works with an iPhone, and whereas the satellite tv for pc SOS function is free, utilizing 4G or 5G requires a suitable plan along with your cellphone supplier.
Learn our full Apple Watch Extremely 3 overview: the largest and finest smartwatch for an iPhone
Display: 1.93in OLED touchscreen; weight: 61.6g (pure titanium strap); water resistance: WR100
Apple
Watch Extremely 3
from £719
Others value contemplating
Garmin Forerunner 570 – a extremely nice operating watch that’s just a bit too costly for what it provides, specifically, the dearth of offline maps. An excellent possibility at a reduced worth, although.
Suunto Race – software program updates see the predecessor to the good Race 2 acquire many of the new options of current fashions. It’s a wise purchase at a great low cost.
Garmin Forerunner 165 – Garmin’s entry-level OLED operating watch is nice, however it prices a bit an excessive amount of to be a finances choose and lacks dual-band GPS. Search for a deal.
Garmin Forerunner 265 – the older-generation mid-range Garmin was among the finest with dual-band GPS, an OLED display and a number of sizes, however was fairly costly at launch with out maps and has since been phased out.
Garmin Forerunner 965 – Garmin’s earlier top-of-the-line Forerunner stays extraordinarily succesful, lacking only some of the Forerunner 970’s options. A great purchase at a steep low cost.
How I picked
Go to the trouble of shopping for a devoted operating watch and also you need the machine in your wrist to a minimum of work as exhausting as you might be, pounding the pavements. So whereas virtually any watch with a GPS will get the job executed to some extent, it’s the options under that I thought of alongside when deciding on fashions for this take a look at:
Display – it must be vibrant, crisp and clear sufficient to view and perceive at a look throughout the run.
Match and profile – it has to take a seat on the wrist comfortably and securely, neither transferring about throughout vigorous train, nor being too tight as you change into heat on account of exercise.
Strap alternative – straps change into sweaty, smelly and put on out, so with the ability to exchange them simply is crucial, both with a like for like, or with completely different choices for various events.
Ease of use on the run – do the buttons work, are you able to lock the touchscreen, are the haptics robust sufficient, and may you hear the beeps and chimes whereas pushing for that subsequent PB?
Coronary heart-rate accuracy – correct and constant heart-rate monitoring is crucial for utilizing heart-rate zones for coaching, in addition to evaluating effort, health and restoration.
GPS accuracy – how lengthy does the watch’s GPS take to get a lock and the way properly does it maintain on to it in tough forested or city situations? That is very important for correct traces, distances, paces and numerous different metrics.
Battery life – will it final lengthy sufficient for all of your weekly runs, and the way typically will you need to cost the machine?
Water resistance and sturdiness – a operating watch ought to be capable to take some punishment and survive rain, wind, mud, snow, sleet, swims, freezing temperatures and baking summer time days – something you’ll be able to deal with, it ought to do too.
Companion app and knowledge export – a great cross-platform app is crucial, providing dependable syncing, loads of stats, graphs and maps, in addition to the flexibility to ship your knowledge to Strava, different providers, or export it to industry-standard information equivalent to GPX or FIT to be used elsewhere.
Coaching and evaluation – how good is the info evaluation of your coaching, health and restoration? Is it consultant and can it adapt to your progress?
Software program assist – a operating watch isn’t an enormous goal for cybercriminals, however because it and the related service comprise loads of delicate knowledge, it must be safe and saved updated for an prolonged interval.
For extra:
The perfect trainers for women and men
The perfect treadmills, examined
The perfect health tech and devices, based on specialists
Samuel Gibbs is the Guardian’s client know-how editor
