Like Shearer and Sheringham or Torvill and Dean, a runner and his watch have become a dream double-act. There are countless numbers of these products on the market, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. MR’s Jimmy Norval rounded up five of the best running watches.
Garmin Forerunner 620, from £330
What is it? – This stylish GPS watch has a touch screen and a high-resolution colour display that keeps you up-to-date with your real time progress
Pros: As it’s extremely light, you can wear it away from running without breaking your wrist. The amount of data at your fingertips is something to be admired: the customisable workout display screens are a Garmin Hallmark, and up to four different screens can be set up with one to four slots of data. When combined with a heart rate monitor, it brings together key data points to estimate your VO2 max and even estimates recovery time.
Cons: The price could possibly put people off and the menu is quite fiddly at the start.
Value for money: Pricey but worth the money.
Nice touch: It records all of your PBs at distances from one mile to a marathon and even your longest run. Make sure you don’t use it on the bike!
Star rating: * * * * *
www.garmin.com
Suunto Ambit2 R, £249 (with heart-rate belt)
What it is? – A lightweight, feature-packed GPS watch aimed specifically at runners.
Pros: There are five buttons around the sides of the screen that control the Ambit2 R which are incredibly easy to use. You have a choice of trail, track, indoor, route and POI runs as well as a standard ‘Running’ mode and ‘Other Sport’ mode. It can be customised further through Suunto’s web-based software and can hold eight hours worth of battery in GPS mode.
Cons: No Bluetooth or Smartphone app is a nuisance. It takes while for the data to upload to the watch, so impatient runners may choose to looks elsewhere.
Value for money: Given that it includes a heart monitor, very good.
Nice touch: Further customisations include weather warnings for potential storms on route and estimated sunset times.
Star rating: * * * *
www.suunto.com
TomTom Runner Cardio, £220
What it is? – A wrist-based based HRM and GPS watch that uses sensors to track the blood flow in the wrist that calculates your heart rate.
Pros: without doubt its simplicity is the best feature. Underneath the face of the watch there is four-way cursor on the strap where most of the input is done. The runner cardio is geared towards zone training with five levels of intensity, from sprinting to marathons to basic warm ups. It’s also waterproof up to 50m so its perfect for swimmers and those crazy triathletes out there.
Cons: The GPS takes an age to load, the watch itself is a bit chunky and the TomTom website is too archaic.
Value for money: the functionality justifies the steep price.
Nice touch: Bluetooth syncing between the iOS app and the watch is very impressive.
Star rating: * * * *
www.tomtom.com
Nike + Sportwatch GPS, £149
What is it? – Another GPS watch powered by TomTom, it is simple to use with three buttons and a tap screen for navigation.
Pros: to record a run you don’t have to go into the training menu, you just have to scroll to ‘Run’ and the watch quickly finds a GPS signal, a ShoePod or both. Once these are locked on you can start running. You can view your distance, pace, time lapsed, current time or calories burnt on an easy-to-read screen featuring a customisable layout. It also looks fantastic on.
Cons: The features are a bit basic and the GPS tracking may take longer than you would like.
Value for money: Pretty good.
Nice touch: The SportWatch GPS plugs right into your computer. Nike includes a USB cord but it’s unnecessary – the watch slides right into a USB port.
Star rating: * * * *
www.nikestore.com
Adidas Micoach Smart Run, £350
What is it? – A pulse-taking sportswatch that’s also a Bluetooth music player.
Pros: The MP3 player with Bluetooth technology means no dangling cables, while optical technology is used to track your heart-rate from your wrist thanks to SMARTRUN. A built-in accelerometer counts every step you take enabling you to know your stride rate. The most impressive thing about the SMART RUN is its own miCoach interactive training service that delivers hundreds of workouts and plans.
Cons: It’s on the bulky side, so probably too big to wear all of the time. The average battery life means that it won’t last a full day.
Nice touch: As a training partner, it’s very comprehensive – it can even help serve up helpful videos of exercises in the gym.
Star rating: * * *
www.adidas.co.uk
