20 Best Watch For Ultra Running (2023 Updated)

I love this watch it was perfect for long runs and speed runs

I loved the FR935. It was lower profile, fit well under a dress shirt cuff, did all the activities that I wanted, and was durable (although the bands would typically fail every five months or so). The Garmin ecosystem is something that I enjoy.

The FR955 Solar is almost everything that the 935 was but with solar, which I really wanted. I had considered the Enduro because I wanted the solar capability but that watch is too large to wear in a work environment (dress shirt) for me and would have been an activity-specific tool, and who wants to shell out that kind of money for a watch you only wear when you go out to train? So when the 955 came out, I ordered one.

I was skeptical that I would like the touchscreen on a workout watch and that there would be too many features I did not want. The touchscreen feature can be turned off altogether or just during an activity.

All the functions, like music and Garmin pay, can be controlled via the watch and turned off if preferred. There are several very in-depth videos out there on the tube that can walk you through these and answer most every question you might have.

Now I only deal with the features I want and have the others turned off and out of the way. It would be nice if you could delete those from the watch to free up memory space for maps. If I had a complaint, it is that it is a bit thicker than the 935 on the wrist.

It does not fit under the cuff as well as the 935. I get it; those solar parts must go somewhere, but it is my review, and I get to be picky if I like. I wanted a watch that I would wear all the time, working, training, sports, and outdoors.

The 935 did that spectacularly. The 955 is the natural progression of that watch to add solar. If this is what you are looking for, then this is the watch for you. It is almost the Fenix lite.

If you’ve been deciding a forerunner over an Apple Watch or Garmin in general I hope my review helps. 1- The battery life alone is insane. I got my watch 09SEP and didn’t have to charge it until 21SEP.

That’s with multiple workouts in a day, downloading music onto my watch, updating my settings, and overall just playing around with it. 2. The user interface is simple, and you don’t have to rely on the touchscreen while working out! All you have to use is the side buttons.

It takes some getting use to if you went from an Apple Watch, but I never realized how much more convenient it is while running/exercising! 3- The morning report is super cool, and gives you pretty accurate data.

Sleep reports, body battery, recovery time, recommended workouts, etc. It’s honestly one of my favorite features. 4-It’s nice to see the watch focuses on YOUR health, in regards to just notifications from social media and apps.

I have Narcolepsy and I was interested in seeing how accurate it tracks my sleep and it sure enough is accurate. 5- This watch doesn’t have a super great display or brightness, but that something that doesn’t even bother me.

When exercising outside in the sun, the screen is VERY clear. I don’t know how to explain it, but even with sunglasses this thing is crisp. 6- I transitioned into barefoot running/zero drop shoes and wanted to keep better track of my running stats.

I’m not a marathon runner or anything like that, but that stats it provides has actually improved my times. This relates back to number 5 above actually. When running I run on trails usually and the fact that I can just bring my wrist up and easily see the screen is amazing.

Overall- it’s expensive, but comparing this to an Apple Watch? Hands down choose this. Garmin focuses on you and your health. Never would’ve thought I would’ve loved a watch as much as I do now.

Bought the blue version of the Instinct Solar. I come from as a long time Fitbit watch owner and a more recent Apple Watch owner. My original Fitbit is the Fitbit Versa (1st generation), which is square shaped and fairly simple tech.

It provided what I needed, which were steps, date and time, water proof for common usage. It allowed me around 3 days’ worth of battery life. It is square shaped. It was free from work, otherwise, it would not have been my first choice for a watch.

I bought my wife an Apple Watch Series 6 to wear, but after several months she stopped wearing it and went back to her own Fitbit watch. She explained she was tired of having to recharge the Apple Watch every day.

She preferred her Fitbit watch that lasted 6 days before a recharge. I took the Apple Watch thinking I would make better use out of it as a techie, but I also ran into the issue of it required a recharge every day or every 1.

5 days at most. It was not recommended by Apple to be worn while showering even though if you go swimming Apple states that is acceptable. I literally was afraid of looking at the Apple Watch Series 6 due to the battery drain.

The inconvenience of having to remember to charge the watch before I sleep to monitor my sleep, remembering to take the watch off before jumping into the shower, and multiple other issues just wore me down too.

The sleep data for Apple Watch Series 6 is nothing close to Fitbit sleep data and anything more advanced, you have to buy from third party app developers. I could not find anything free that was similar to Fitbit and especially not something where you could just pay a one time fee.

I preferred a circle shaped watch anyways. I did some research on what was available out there that would not cost an arm and leg to purchase but had all the bells and whistle. My criteria were: – Long battery life.

– Steps count, heart rate, sleep monitoring. – Some kind of GPS feature. – Not super expensive, but not a cheap throw-away watch either. – Can take a little bit beating but doesn’t have to be military grade ruggedness.

– Circle watch and looks good (obviously). I know that “smartwatches” will not last as long as a non-smartwatch, unless the battery replacement is simple, LCD screen will last for a long time, etc. This Garmin Instinct Solar seems to fit all my wishes at this price range.

The battery life is crazy good, I mean enable everything including the pulse ox and you should get at least a week+ worth of battery life easily. This is with the watch not absorbing any sunlight at all.

It has a simple GPS, nothing fancy, but I bike ride and will be using an external dedicated GPS device for routes. I just want something for casual hiking and biking, nothing serious. I can wear this to sleep, the sleep data mimics close to Fitbit’s details.

Really nice and it’s built-in to the watch, you do not have to make a separate purchase. I do not know how accurate ANY of the watches’ heart rate are, but wearing the Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Garmin working out, the rates show to be within 15 beats of each other.

Take that for what its worth, I don’t need the accuracy for any critical medical monitoring conditions. I read that external heart rate monitor strap would make the readings accurate, so I am considering to get that should I need it later (5K/10K running, etc).

There’s a lot of other features from this watch that I have not yet used, so that is just a bonus goodie for me. I have used Garmin to connect to Strava, the data recorded is great and as expected (same with Apple Watch and Fitbit), no complaints there.

I wear this watch showering, sleeping and everything in between. The recharge of the watch is fast too, if I am standing around working, I plug in the watch and I think within 30 minutes I can get a full charge from 50% (I never really paid attention how long it takes to fully charge).

There’s got to be something not that great about this watch, you ask? Otherwise, why the 4 stars instead of 5 stars? Yes, the PULSE OX feature is a bit flaky. At night, it seems to measure the oxygen level all over the range.

As log as 80, and as high as 100. I wore the Apple Watch Series 6 and my wife’s Fitbit Luxe, they all had above 90 range. Now, one thing I am starting to realize is how you need to wear the Garmin Instinct Solar and online research also confirms.

You have to wear the watch higher on the wrist, it cannot be loose. When you sleep, just slide it up the wrist and make sure it’s tightly pressed against your skin. I need a few more sample nights to test, but I had one night where it was 85 or higher, the next night it was 90 or higher.

I’ll sleep on it a few more nights and then see, but looks hopeful now that I have the watch tightened a bit more against the skin. If you measure the Pulse Ox manually, it is always 95 or higher, this is as expected.

Overall, highly recommended watch. I would buy again!.

I bought this watch to replace an old 735XT which was no longer doing a good job of measuring my open water swims. The GPS would just crap out and freeze and stop measuring my distance. That watch was almost 10 years old so I figured it was just worn out.

So I spend time researching on the Garmin site which watches can measure open water swimming. I ended up spending at least $100 more than I would have specifically to get this functionality. Unfortunately, I discovered that the problem I had with my old watch wasn’t just about it being worn out — the same problem exists in my brand new Garmin Instinct Solar.

I bought it before the current markdown, so I paid over $400 for a watch that cannot measure one of the activities I bought it to measure. Meanwhile, my friends are swimming in more attractive Apple watches — sure their battery life sucks, but I CAN’T EVEN MEASURE MY SWIMS.

Unfortunately, I am past the return date (bought it two months ago). I received a reply from Garmin Support with questions like: “Are you utilizing the built-in “Open Swim” activity? Is the watch above the water when you begin the activity?” They also sent a link to a list of recommendations including: “Wear the watch in a swim cap.

” Finally, this is the third Garmin I have owned — I had a 735XT and a Vivosmart — and by far the least attractive.

I had been waiting for a smartwatch like this and, at last, it has arrived. This is an excellent (and rugged) smartwatch with a great battery life, for real. Its built-in GPS and impressive list of features are just what I was looking for.

I don’t want to be worrying about needing to frequently re-charge the watch – Even without the Solar Charging feature contributing to its battery life (I may need to wait until the stronger sun of a UK summer before that kicks in), with the features I have set as active on this watch I get around 3 weeks before a re-charge is needed.

Oximetry readings, Heart rate monitoring, Step counts are just some of the options available. The screen may be black & white rather than colour, but that ensures that it is very clear to read in all lighting conditions.

The navigation between available screens and options becomes intuitive after a learning period. I am not a serious sports enthusiast – it does all I need and more – I am sure it would also be suitable for those wanting to accurately track their more varied sporting activities.

Thoroughly recommended, particularly if reduced in price in a promotion such as a Black Friday deal.

What a great product for a great price. I contemplated a new watch from a competitive brand, but this watch is great for all aspects of my daily life. I feel like it is benefitting me mentally and physically, and it has increased my discipline to get steps, hydration, sleep, and daily exercise.

#sweepstakes.

This is my third Garmin watch. Compared to the older Garmins here are the advantages of this garmin: 1. Lighter 2. Smaller face 3. Picks up GPS signal quicker 4. syncs to your phone 5. provides pulse (without a chest strap) and VO2 Max estimate 6.

with Garmin Connect provides GPS map of route Why not 5 stars? Cons of watch 1. limited battery life. Running each day about 6 miles. I find after three days the Garmin needs to be recharged. I did purchase this item used so perhaps a new watch would have longer battery life Overall – a great buy refurbished at $100.

Great option and price. I wanted something straight forward to use without a ton of buzzers and whistles. This to me was it. It helps a lot with my runs. I would recommend this product to any novice or more advanced runner that is not interested in all the frills but just wants something straight forward to use.

After a long search and a tiring comparison of sports watches, I end up at 645, deciding it was the best for me. Excellent for monitoring sports metrics as well as daily monitoring of one’s condition.

The version without music is just great (I never needed music on a device like this). Despite being an exclusive watch dedicated to runners it allows a vast monitoring of other sports. Already with barometric altimeter and other important specifications, for me is one of the best watches I could buy.

Nothing is behind Garmin’s top of the line.

I bought this watch after carelessly losing my copy of a previous model (the Forerunner 235). The improvements in this model are pleasant enough to nearly wash away my shame at losing my last watch. The 235 was a good running watch, but the 245 is better in several ways.

It is less laggy in use and much quicker to pair with my iPhone. It is smaller and a bit classier-looking (less plastic). The buttons are harder to press, which took some adjustment at first, but I prefer it now.

The 235 buttons were so easy to press that they got pressed accidentally, and I had to put it into “locked” mode. On the 245 I don’t need to bother with locking. My one complaint so far is that the pulse oximeter is a bit unreliable, tending to underestimate (I see reviews online agree) — don’t rely on this if you have COVID etc.

But oximetry is not what I bought it for. I wanted a reliable running watch and this is doing a fine job.

Went for the top model due to the looks. + Great features for running, cycling and swimming. + For me the looks + nice with Leather and a great sport wristband. Easy to switch – Polar tests are maybe more accurate, but a lot more work to do then for example garmin.

Doing the orthostatic test takes 4 minutes each morning and needs to be performed on similar time and before breakfast and nicotine… – NFC would have been nice Overall really pleased I bought this and super good delivery by klockmagasinet.

They changed delivery a bit, but informed about it in a really good way. Would definitely buy from klockmagasinet if I need watches or accessories.

First the good: looks pretty classy for a running watch, longish battery life (7 days), really good HR monitor, sapphire screen, and really good sleep tracking. The bad: no notifications during activities (I understand, but why not let us choose?), dim backlight even on brightest setting, touch screen isn’t that good (super sluggish) and you must use it to see notifications.

The 1 Excellent Feature is Fitspark. No other fitness watch has this level of training guide built in. It provides you with multiple recommendations daily, based on your fitness level, activity level and recovery.

Truly an exceptional differentiator from other watches!.

As someone who has used and appreciated Polar products before, I’m really glad that Polar released the Grit X series. I appreciate the design and functions of this watch. Really like the fitness data that I can see on Polar Flow (or the watch).

Helps keep me motivated. Sleep tracking is excellent. The only “con” for me is that it’s kind of a big watch (since I’m a female) but my husband really loves the size. I purchased a small size (half) wrist strap from Polar (I think it was $17 CDN) and the strap now fits perfectly.

By far my favorite fitness tracker I have ever owned. Bought the instinct after seeing my wife with her Venu, and was very impressed with how superior it was to anything fitbit is making right now. I find myself constantly verifying that the heartrate data is accurate by manually checking, and it is almost always dead accurate.

Also I have been impressed with other features like Body Battery, which charges you up to 100% after getting 7+ hours of a good night of sleep, and really does seem to deplete accurately after days when I have more intense workouts.

Also, I initially thought that things like the stress meter were going to be a gimmick, but after a CRAZY stressful day, I checked it out, and sure enough it registered that very accurately as a more stressful day than any other day that week, all the way down to nailing the hour when I got some bad news that ruined my day.

Pretty neat. The watch then depleted my body battery faster, which was exactly how I was feeling that day. My biggest beef with the watch is some of the quirks that are still being worked out. I find myself having to restart the watch every single day so that the weather will update.

Also the auto update function does not work, and having to plug my watch into my computer to use the Garmin Express app to update is a hassle. Also the heartrate sensor that is otherwise so accurate sometimes struggles to keep up with my heartrate during short/intense workouts.

The watch is SO close to being a 5 star product. Just need a few more software updates, and I think it will be there. Less restarts for features like weather, and some accuracy issues during intense workouts really are my only complaints.

A good Garmin Sports Watch that works well. I bought it used and it looked in really good condition in the photos, but it was less so when it arrived. It had a big deep scratch across the face of the watch and the strap was minging.

This took nothing away from the use of the watch and the reason I bought it. As I said the watch works really well and I bought it for recording my sports usage.

It’s not the watch per se – it was the one I bought. Sadly the battery is kaput. It holds it’s charge for less than four hours – certainly not long enough to wear all day and to have as a reliable run buddy.

I’ve had an identical one from new which I loved and worked well. Unfortunately when it was 2. 5 years old the screen abruptly stopped working after a swim. It’s battery had never been a problem. I am not quite sure how to get round this problem as from the outside the two watches look identical and there is no mention in the description about battery life.

Garmin 935 can l justify paying this much for a watch. I have to admit l took my time to buy it. Asking questions to myself, can l justify paying so much for a watch that l would use to count my lengths when swimming.

Should l have a Apple Watch, should have a Fitbit and the list goes on. Well in the end l went for it and l have to admit l am very pleased that l have bought it. Its a cracking piece of kit, coping with my swimming, l can now enjoy my swim rather than having to concentrate on how many lengths l have done.

You can also use the drill log to include your kicking lengths or other lengths when you are not doing a proper stroke in your total distance. I must admit the step counter is very good and motivating, as is the ability to use it for walking, running and many other sports.

The Garmin interface is very good to review your activities, it can be temperamental at times. You can receive weekly reports if you so wish and they can be quite interesting. So, yes l would say go for it, it can be a bit of a learning curve , but if you can get a deal on it as l did the better.

I also bought a screen saver as well which is very good and would recommend to give your screen face protection. Finally, l have found that the battery life is very good, l would say l get abouta weeks worth, but the charging is very quick.

I set up some of my details on my computer with the lead that comes with the watch and use my iPad to upload my information via Bluetooth which is very quick and automatic once linked. For people with type two diabetes the watch also links to MyDesmond.

You can change the watch face look etc. In the Garmin app. If you can find someone who already has one the better, have a chat and see if you can get on with it and additional chat to people who have an Apple or Fitbit etc.

To see what they use it for and if that fits with how you would use it. I am very happy with mine, so much so l bought hubby one as well.

I took this watch to record anything from downhill skiing in UT to MTB in Pisgah, to 20 mile trail runs in the falls of MI, backpacking in the Smokies, and my daily runs in the morning. Through all of that, I never once had any question that I would complete my activity with a beautiful data chunk to track my performance! Pros: -Accurate.

I have double checked the Forerunner’s accuracy with trailheads, mapping tools and good old running tracks and to this day, it has been accurate for me. -Stylish. With the simple gray finish, it fits with any athletic outfit I choose to don, and performs while looking good.

Mehs: -Battery life. Even on ulltra-trac mode I was unable to get a 3 day backpacking trip fully tracked without carrying a battery pack to keep it charged. 5 hour runs? No problem. But multi-day adventures are a stretch for this watch’s battery.

Cons: -Small one, but worth mentioning: The loops to hold the wrist strap down love to break. More of an inconvenience than a problem, but still worth mentioning.

I bought this to replace my previous FR935 that I handed down to a relative, so I already had 2years experience using it. The watch is so lightweight that I never notice it and leave it on all the time.

It has tons of features, but most importantly its a reliable GPS watch and even as a four year old model it still kicks so much arse! At the price bracket of sub 300Euros, it has got to be the bargain of the year in the premium GPS watches categories.

If you do not need to pay with Garmin Pay, or the maps that you get with the FR945, I would so recommend to give this watch a try. My only criticism is I had the tri FR935, and I have to say the yellow band I had on that watch was both more comfortable and stylish than the black one that comes as standard for this watch! Runnerinn offered the most competitive price online in EU, I have used them before and they offer great value high quality products! Their delivery service is okay, the delivery times are only indications, but all in all can’t complain :).

I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis AKA Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), which by the way, researchers think is what Long COVID is. The best thing for this disease is to pace your energy expenditures and to try your best to stay within your “energy envelope.

” After extensive research about various heart rate monitors, I decided to try this one. It is rated as very accurate, it allows you to set customized heart rate zones, and most importantly, it has a function called Zone Lock which allows you to lock in one of those customized heart rate zones.

Whenever your heart rate leaves that zone, you get a vibration which continues until you get back into your zone. It has been INVALUABLE for helping me to pace and for helping me see patterns in my day and use of energy.

It is also loud enough that my family members hear it and know that I am overexerting myself. I would definitely recommend this watch for anyone with ME/CFS or Long COVID. Anyone with Long COVID should check out the many resources the ME/CFS patient and physician community have put together on pacing and living with this condition (just do a google search).

Extremely easy to set-up, you connect the watch with the USB cable provided, which triggers the download of the Polar sync utility, which opens up a web browser session to set up a new Polar Flow account -if you already have one, you sign up, then the watch ID is linked to your account for future exercise downloads.

GPS is very accurate, it does not work 100% when you are running in streets with tall buildings on both sides, but it does work any other time. I don’t know which GPS satellites it uses but I have not yet been to an area where it didn’t acquire the GPS signal, and I go to some remote parks to run on trails.

What has really impressed me is the Polar Flow software, which allows you to set up training programs, daily schedule of exercises, view progress towards goals, graphs, it even connects automatically to my TrainingPeaks account, that means each time I download a workout into Polar Flow it does it to TP as well.

Amazing! The strap is far superior to any other watch I’ve used (Nike, Garmin, Adidas). Very comfortable watch to use. You can wear the watch while you sleep, if you turn on the 24 hour HR tracker feature and you get a sleep analysis (how long you slept, how disturbed your sleep is, periods of deep sleep, and more).

I liked it so much that I went and bought a Polar Scale to better track my weight loss program. Best exercise watch I’ve owned, far better than any other from Polar.

If you are looking for an accurate heart rate monitor where you want to know your heart rate within seconds of starting the watch, this isn’t the watch for you. It took about 10-15 minutes to get an accurate reading, which then made all the other stats I was looking for inaccurate.

I was so frustrated that I tested it against my Polar T4F watch and chest strap. *Side note- I do know the chest strap is the most accurate, but I read where this watch is one of the most accurate wrist heart rate monitors out there today.

I used both watches at the same time. The results were quite different- I burned significantly more calories with the Polar TF4/chest strap than the Polar M430. I ended up returning this watch and purchasing a Polar TF7 (elsewhere because heartratemonitorsusa.

com didn’t have it). I use the watch for when I work out to keep my heart rate in the zone I am wanting and to see the calories burned. I teach group fitness classes, run, and strength train in total 6 days a week.

Also, this is a heavier watch, too. Needless to say, I was really bummed when I decided to return it. I really wanted a wrist heart rate monitor as there have been times I would forget my chest strap.

To make sure that doesn’t happen again, I purchased another chest strap to keep in my gym bag and keep the other one home. I hope this review helps any of you out there looking for one.

The main reason that I purchased the 630 was for the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, I was getting tired of having to try several times to get my 910xt to download after every run. From the connectivity aspect I like how all I have to do is save my run on the watch and it automatically updates through Wi-Fi, this also works flawlessly through my phone via Bluetooth when I am traveling.

I also like the size and fit of the watch, unlike some of the earlier Garmin Forerunners it is small and light, it could pass as a casual watch if needed. The added metrics are nice but not necessary, I do like the accelerometer which worked fine on the two times that I ran on my treadmill.

I have not used the watch as a daily step counter yet, I plan on using it next month when I go to a trade show to see how far I walk that day. This was the second time that I have ordered from Heart Rate Monitors USA.

Like the first time I am very pleased with their service. I received a confirmation of my order received just a few minutes after I placed the order and it shipped out the same day. The order arrived on time two days later.

I really like this watch. I replaced the 620, so there were some similarities with operation. The additional running dynamics with the HRM-RUN are interesting to see. Took a little time to figure out where to find some settings I was looking for, and I still don’t know how to see my recovery heart rate after an activity.

But the display is easy to read in all light conditions, and the data screens were pretty easy to get set up the way I wanted. I would recommend this watch for running!.

Best purchase Ive made in years! Love a quality refurbished piece. Super easy to use and sync data. Cant get enough of this. Especially one that keeps me motivated to not be a fatty and take care of myself.

Comfortable all day wear and easy to clean. My bestie even hoped online and bought the same one. Thank the Lord my neighbors delivered to me when USPS didnt drop the package to the right location.

This watch is so easy to use. It only took a couple of minutes to set up. Enter your name, link it to your phone, and go, go, go! It is a push button type, not a touch type like some of the new models.

But still a great tool to use for tracking your activities. And at a great price. I choose this color to remind me to wear it. I’m not a watch kind of person. The band is comfortable, it’s all waterproof at least for swimming.

I believe the depth is good to about 25 feet. I remember seeing 5 fathoms I think? And that’s about 30 feet. NOT A DIVE WATCH!.

I have ordered a number of these and maintain several units in the field at all times. My clients like this watch. It is a good value for the refurbished units though the batteries sometimes seem to lose potency earlier than expected.