If you have a marathon in your schedule, then the best investment that you can make is buying a smartwatch or a training watch. Before going towards our main topic we will look into the details and history of the marathon.
Marathon is normally a long race in which the runner has to cover 42.195 kilometers, these races are usually run on a road. If we look into the history of this race, this race is conducted in commemoration of a Greek soldier Pheidippides who ran from Marathon to Athens just to report that they had won the war. Read more
Now coming back to our main topic, a smartwatch will provide you all the information related to your health and will also track your daily progress. The problem that all the users face while investing in a training watch is that there are a lot of watches available in the market. They are available in different sizes, shapes, and prices. here we will tell you about a variety of different watches which will help you to decide the best watch for your specific style and needs.
8 Best Marathon Training Watches in the Market
Best marathon training watches for extreme runners with music, GPS, and health tracking. Multi support Apple, Garmin other watch brands for practicing for Marathon race.
Some of the things that you should consider while buying a training watch.
- Accuracy: a training watch should be accurate in all the readings that are recorded by it.
- Battery life: a good training watch should have at least 9 to 10 hours of battery life while using the GPS you can easily find information about a watch’s battery life in the product description area.
- Software: The software of a training watch should be easy to use.
- Training modes: Adjustable workout plans are another necessary feature that a good training watch should be capable of.
- Sensors: An accelerometer, heart rate monitor, GPS, proximity sensor, and a pedometer. These sensors are some of the most important sensors that a training watch should have.
- Durability: A good training watch must be comfortable to wear and should be durable enough to sustain hours of use and sweating.
Moving towards the list of some of the best available Marathon training watches in the market.
1. Garmin Forerunner 945 for Marathon Training
Garmin forerunner 945 is a GPS training watch. The body of this watch is made from high-quality plastic, this also helps the watch to be lighter, in fact this watch is only 50 grams. This watch is 13.7mm thick which makes it look very stylish and modern. The display of 945 is 1.2 inches with a resolution of 240×240, though it is not a touchscreen but some navigation buttons are provided which helps in controlling it. On the backside of this watch, there is an optical heart rate sensor and a new pulse Ox sensor. 945 also comes with a powerful battery that can easily last more than 10 hours with all features turned on.
Let us now look into some of its features that are helpful in training. 945 uses GPS and Galileo satellites to track all the routes that you have been using and give an accurate reading of all the details that are needed. This watch also uses a barometric altimeter which helps it track activities more accurately, especially in mountains. So, it is a good option for hiking.
This watch also utilizes a Pulse Ox sensor to calculate the oxygen level in a given situation. 945 can also be linked to Bluetooth devices and ANT+. Another feature this watch has is heat and altitude acclimation measurement. These sensors are activated when altitude is more than 800m and temperature spikes more than 22 degrees Celsius.
Though this watch is more of a marathon training base but this does not mean that it lacks everyday activity tracking. This watch has a special feature known as Garmin’s body battery feature, this feature rates your daily energy level by considering your daily activity and sleep. 945 uses a pulse ox sensor to monitor your blood oxygen levels. You can also play music from your watch and can connect your earbuds or headphones to it wirelessly. NFC feature is also available with the help of which you can pay your money at different places.
2. Apple watch series 5: All-in-One Activity Tracker
Apple series 5 watch is a pretty popular option in the audience and it is usually liked by those people who are brand conscious. The physical dimensions of this are 40mm x 44mm and it also comes with an edge to edge display. It has a digital crown on the side that works as a scroll wheel and also contains a small home button. As far as the body of series 5 is concerned it comes in both steel and aluminum models. Another highlight of this watch is always-on-display.
If we talk about the performance of this watch, it comes with a processor called the S5, it is a more power-efficient processor as compared to the last-gen processor but on the performance side, one should not expect a lot of speed from this processor. Apple claims an 18 to 20 hours of battery life, with medium use of GPS and mostly using it for Siri and notifications.
Series 5 also comes with a compass and altimeter; these two sensors are used by Apple for the first time in their watches. With the help of the altimeter series 5 watch can easily tell you how above or below the sea level you are.
Apple Watch has its own health and activity apps which can help you in your exercise. These apps will read your daily activities and will show you an average. The health app in this watch can help you to keep a track of your weight, the calories that you burn on daily basis, and will also calculate the food intake. This health app can also keep track of your heart rate and also all the workouts that you have been performing, it can easily be programmed for cycling, HIIT, and even a marathon training watch. The GPS system in this watch will keep a record of all the routes and tracks.
Due to the Apple watch’s huge specifications, it is considered as a trusted medical assistant in monitoring diabetes through dexcom technology and detecting AFib.
3. Fitbit Versa 3: Running Tracker
Fitbit versa 3 is a prominent and popular training watch used by marathon runners. It comes in a squarish design, though it looks exactly like its predecessors but it is packed with new and improved features and hardware.
Versa 3 AMOLED screen comes with a resolution of 336 x 336 pixels. The display has vibrant colors, good viewing angles, and dark blacks. As this watch has an AMOLED screen it also helps in better battery life if you disable the always-on feature. The screen of this watch is also protected by corning gorilla glass 3. The body of this watch is made from brushed aluminum which gives it a shiny and stylish look. This watch is sweat/ splash-proof and is water-resistant up to 50 meters in water.
Now let us tell you about some of the sensors that are installed in this watch, this watch comes with a 3-axis accelerometer, multi-patch optical heart rate sensor, altimeter, gyro, GPS, proximity sensor, and a vibration motor. As far as the battery life of this watch is concerned it can easily last for more than 6 days of use according to the company.
The health metrics dashboard in this watch can make you able to program any kind of workout or running plan. At the time of workout, it will measure breathing level, blood oxygen level, and will also count your steps. Towards the end of the day, this watch will show you the in-depth analysis of your body with the help of which you can improve yourself. This watch also comes with SpO2 measurements which will collect data about your body while you are sleeping.
4. Fitbit Ionic Smart Watch
Fitbit Ionic is a fitness tracker. It comes with a rectangular display of 3.56 cm with a screen resolution of 348×250 pixels. The display of this watch is protected by corning gorilla glass 3. This watch is quite light, sitting only at 47g. some of the sensors that are available in this watch are an accelerometer, multi-patch optical heart rate sensor, altimeter, gyro, NFC, GPS, proximity sensor, and a vibration motor.
There are three buttons on the left and right sides of the watch which can help a user to navigate. Fitbit Ionic is also water-resistant up to 50 meters and it is available in gray, blue, silver, and chocolate color. On the other hand, it is packed with a powerful battery which can last for more than 4 days.
Fitbit ionic is a fitness tracker and like all other fitness trackers, it is also capable of tracking all kinds of workout details. This watch will help you in your fitness plan and will provide you with detailed analysis at the end of the day, this detailed analysis can help you to know about your calories and where you need more work.
Fitbit also provides you dynamic personal coaching and with the help of built-in GPS, you can track your distance and pace. You can also use smart-track and multi-sport mood, which can be used for biking, tracking, and running for Marathon. Fitbit also provides you your personal coach who can guide you and make you a better person by making you more fit. Fitbit is also very helpful in recording your body activities while you are sleeping.
5. POLAR Vantage M Smart Watch
Vantage M is a fitness tracker that is available in 3 colors black, red, and white. It is very comfortable and lightweight; it weighs only 45 grams. It comes with a vibrant and bright display. The total run time of this watch with 100% charge is approximately 30 hours, if you are constantly using all the training features and on normal use, it will last you about 5 days.
Vintage M is waterproof up to 30 meters underwater. Vintage M also includes a heart rate sensor, GPS, GLONASS, proximity sensor, always-on display, and a motion sensor. Though this watch is not a touch screen, you can easily operate this watch by using the 5 stainless steel buttons available on the sides of this watch. The OS of this watch is a bit difficult but with time one can get familiar with it.
As this watch is purely designed for training enthusiasts that’s why it contains all the basic and necessary features. This watch will help you out in your training by showing you details about your training sessions and will also guide you through exercises so that you can be more fit.
The polar’s heart rate monitor in this watch will help in your high intensive training. This watch also comes with some tremendous features for swimmers, if put in a swimming mood it will detect all kinds of information about your body while you are swimming. Vintage M also comes with inbuilt exercise plans and some precious advice from some of the best trainers around the world.
Vintage M watch can also provide custom plans for marathon training, they collect details about the calorie intake of a runner and also make him conscious about his growth and performance. Although this watch is more fitness-centric but to be honest you can also use it for monitoring your normal daily life stuff.
6. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2: Stylish Pick
Samsung galaxy watch active 2, as the name implies it is a smartwatch that can also be used as a fitness tracker. Active 2 is a 44mm watch with 1.4 inches AMOLED screen and a resolution of 360×360. The AMOLED panel of Active 2 is vibrant and bright. The chipset installed in this watch is a powerhouse, known as Exynos 9110. Active 2 also includes 768MB of ram and 4 GB of storage.
Sensors in Active 2, heart rate monitor, accelerometer, GPS, gyro, LTE, barometer, and a light sensor. The body of this watch is made from brushed aluminum and some of the models come with a stainless steel body. The speaker and microphone quality is the best that one can find in a smartwatch. Straps are quite nice and comfortable, removing them is also easy and one can find a lot of alternatives for it the market. Active 2 comes with a 349mAh battery which can last up to two days if you are a heavy user.
The operating system in Active 2 is Tizen OS 4.0. This galaxy watch comes in three basic colors black, gold, and silver.
Samsung health in Active 2 is one of the best health tracking services in the current era. It contains almost all the basic features: step counter, heart rate monitor, stress monitor, calorie counter, and sleep. The health app in this watch can help you to calculate your calorie intake and then based on your BMR it will tell you about how much calorie difference you have created. With the help of this app, you can make your own custom running plans.
With the help of GPS and heart rate sensor, it will calculate your pace, distance, and calories that you burnt. Active 2 can also perform an ECG. So, it is also included in AFib watches. The running coach in Active 2 will help you to monitor your activities in real-time. Active 2 is not just a fitness watch, it can also be used as a normal smartwatch. You can easily use it for some music or for some notifications.
Apart from all the debate, watch is also a great companion while training for marathon.
7. Fossil Gen 5: Outdoor Activity Tracker
Another widely used fitness tracker. Fossil gen 2 is packed with a vibrant 1.3 inch AMOLED display and a 44mm case. The light and slim design of this watch makes it a stylish and comfortable watch which won’t make you feel uncomfortable even if you are wearing it all day long. Snapdragon wear 3100, a powerful chipset and 1 GB of ram give you a smooth and lag-free experience.
The operating system, Wear OS of this watch is user-friendly and can easily be understood by a rookie who doesn’t know much about technology. Coming towards some of the sensors that are featured in this watch are a heart rate sensor, GPS, gyro, NFC, pedometer, and a proximity sensor.
Fossil gen 5 is also water-resistant therefore you can also use this watch while you are swimming or running in the rain. Good battery life is a must for a daily runner, Gen 5 won’t disappoint there also, 100% of charge can easily give you 30 to 36 hours of run time with medium use of GPS. A variety of color options are available.
Fossil gen 5 is made for fitness freaks and it comes with all those features that a normal fitness freak should have, like custom plans, reminders, calorie counter, daily break down, improvement stats, etc. A great watch for going to marathon training and other running and outdoor activities.
Though this watch is designed and manufactured for people who take fitness to another level but a normal person can also perform his daily tasks on this easily for instance playing music, calling someone, or even asking something from google with the help of google assistance. The only complaint about this watch is that its battery life is not good comparatively.
8. TicWatch Pro
Another professional level fitness tracker. Pro 2020 is packed with some amazing features and elegant design. Case size of only 45mm and an AMOLED 1.39 inch display with 400 x 400 of resolutions makes it one of the best. Pro 2020 is also packed with all the basic sensors for instance an accelerometer, multi-patch optical heart rate sensor, altimeter, gyro, NFC, GPS, proximity sensor, and a vibration motor. Color options available are only black and silver but with the advantage of interchangeable hybrid leather straps, you can customize it easily to match your style and personality.
The combination of a snapdragon wear processor and one GB of ram gives you a smooth and lag free environment. Pro 2020 is water and dust resistant so you can easily use it underwater or in sweaty conditions. Pro 2020 is also appreciated for its durability and toughness. Layered display technology is also used in this watch which helps it in longer battery life. Talking about battery life, pro-2020 can give you 2 days of battery life with moderate to heavy use of features and on the only essential mode you can easily get up to 30 days of battery life.
As this watch is designed for people who love marathon training that’s why it contains all the basic and advanced level fitness features. Pre-installed apps can help you to evaluate your daily training and make you better every day physically. Tic watch pro-2020 is also supported by google assistant which can be used to control your watch and get advantage from all those features that come with the support of google assistant.
With inbuilt NFC you can pay your bills using PayPal or any other supported service. Pro 2020 is available with a 30-days money-back guarantee for any valid reason.
Conclusion
All these watches are greatly concerned with the main subject. Grab a watch for preparing yourself for a marathon, basic features of all these watches are the same. Some minor differences can be found between these watches and most of them are based on esthetics for instance design, style, straps, and size. These things are kind of personal preference whatever suits you and goes with your personality, you should go for that.