Best Garmin watch for running in 2024

A customer favourite in the wearable tech market, Garmin is a brand we often turn to for fitness tracking. Aside from its sat-navs, dog collars and devices for aviation and nautical activities, it has a huge catalogue of sports watches.

Designs cover everything from swimming watches to golf watches, and there’s even a collection of fashion and ‘hybrid’ options for everyday use.

Though, the bread and butter of the brand’s sport watches focus on running, triathlon and other outdoor activities.

If you’re ready to buy your first Garmin watch for running, or fancy upgrading your current device, take a look at our favourites below.

Some focus on running, while others offer a range of functionality and activity tracking across a variety of sports (see our list of the best triathlon watches for more).

Best Garmin watch for running in 2024

Garmin Forerunner 45/45S

• £129.99 / $199

The Garmin Forerunner range is a go-to for many athletes, so it’s definitely worth a look if you’re browsing running or triathlon watches.

The 45S is designed to fit people with narrow wrists, which makes it perfect for women and teenagers.

Activity tracking, sports apps and GPS come as standard; you can monitor your progress in everything from runs and treadmill sessions to cycling, cardio and yoga, though there’s no swim tracking despite the watch being waterproof.

The colour screen is always on and there are just five buttons, though it only takes a single press to mark your laps.

Like the many other Garmin watches for running, the 45 and 45S connects up to the brand’s coaching software, available via the Garmin Connect, to provide tailored run workouts.

It’ll also send your location to emergency contacts if you’re involved in an accident. Plus, you can control the music playing on your phone and get notifications about your calls and texts.

Garmin Forerunner 245

• £249.99 / $299.99

For personalised feedback and support, try the Garmin Forerunner 245. It assesses your exercise history and workout metrics to provide real-world advice and help you extract the most from your training. It’ll let you know if you’re overdoing it, which could save you time and potential injuries. 

The 245 can also monitor your VO2 max, which is another useful metric for tracking your fitness journey, while there’s also a range of different sport profiles that you can track, including swimming.

And you can use Garmin’s GPS, GLONASS and Galileo networks to evaluate your runs, whether you’re in the city or going cross-country. Garmin Coach workout plans and messaging notifications are also available with the 245.

Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar

• £519.99 / $599.99

The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar uses solar charging to deliver a massive battery life of up to 20 days in smartwatch mode.

The watch has a well-lit touchscreen that promises to be highly responsive, as well as traditional on-the-side buttons for those who prefer them.

The multisport watch includes advanced health monitoring (including VO2 max, heart rate variability, sleep, recovery), smart features and activity tracking.

Additional features that are perfect for runners include running power (when using a compatible device), Training Readiness, suggested workouts, PacePro (which helps you stay at your desired pace) and full-colour built-in mapping.

Up to 2,000 songs can also be downloaded onto the watch, which can be connected to your headphones for phone-free listening.

Read our full Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar review for more.

Garmin Forerunner 265

• £429.99 / $449.99

This is a svelte watch that’ll suit those who like that barely-there feel, which has up to 15 days’ use in smartwatch mode and 14 hours with full multi-band GPS.

The training and health monitoring functions are all you would expect from Garmin, with heart rate monitoring (including variability, resting and weekly average), stress and sleep monitoring and training load combining to give useful feedback on training readiness.

Suggested workouts and training plans are a nice feature. Plus you have race-adaptive training plans to prepare for your next run race, be it a 5km or marathon.

The Women’s Health Tracking feature will help you track and log your menstrual cycle – useful when pencilling in harder or easier workouts.

See our full Garmin Forerunner 265 review for more.

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar

• £299.99 / $399.99

The addition of Solar cranks up battery life to 48hrs in GPS mode, which is plenty for all but the longest of ultra runs.

Solar aside, the big talking point here is the inclusion of Garmin’s fitness features, many of which weren’t present on the original Instinct. These include: VO2 max, Fitness Age, Training Status/Load Effect, Recovery Time and daily suggested workouts.

Heart rate monitoring and GPS accuracy is solid, while point-to-point navigation, a track-back feature and plenty of other data such as altitude, total ascent/descent and coordinates will benefit all.

On top of that, you get much of the standard features you’d expect including smartwatch notifications, activity tracking, sleep analysis and step count.

Read our full Garmin Instinct Solar 2 review for more.

Garmin Forerunner 945

• £499.99 / $599.99

Having become the brand’s flagship ‘plastic’ watch for multisport use, the Forerunner 945 is a practical Garmin watch for running.

It comes with loads of useful features, but it’s also a fantastic choice if you don’t want the hassle of charging it every day. In GPS mode, the battery can last 36 hours straight. 

The watch continuously monitors your progress and adapts its VO2 assessment according to temperature and altitude, while there are a host of different sport profiles for you to track.

Also included are music streaming functions, Garmin Pay and incident detection alerts for your emergency contacts. 

Check out our Garmin 945 Forerunner review

Garmin Forerunner 745

• £399 / $499

Similar to the Forerunner 945, the 745 is crammed with clever features to help you maximise your performance and progress during training sessions.

Although the battery only lasts 16 hours in GPS mode, compared to the 945’s 36 hours, this model is lightweight and tracks everything from your energy and VO2 level to your sleep quality.

Other handy functions include the race finish prediction feature based on your fitness level, and the body battery monitor, which provides post-workout recovery and rest suggestions.

And, of course, you’ll get Garmin Coach for workout support, as well as Garmin Pay, music storage and mobile notifications.

Take a look at our full Garmin Forerunner 745 watch review

Garmin Fenix 7

• £519 / $649.99

Watches in Garmin’s Fenix multisport range are designed to stand up to the toughest workouts while helping you push your own limits. 

The Fenix 7 comes with its own fibre-reinforced case and a touch screen, but its best aspect is probably the lofty battery life, which is supplemented by the solar charging technology if you opt for the Solar versions. 

You’ll enjoy up to 73 hours of use in the GPS function and you can top up the battery in the sunshine. There’s also the option to switch settings and save power, which can give you up to 18 days of battery life in the standard smartwatch mode.

What’s more, you can see real-time stamina updates as you exercise, and monitor your heart rate, oxygen levels, stress and sleep patterns. That’s all on top of the standard activity tracking you get across a huge range of different sports.

Though, all of that does make for a weightier package on your wrist than some of the others in this list.

Find out more in our Garmin Fenix 7 Solar review

Garmin Forerunner 55

• £179.99 / $199.99

If you’re looking for an intuitive running watch on the lower end of the price spectrum, you may want to consider the Forerunner 55. 

Unlike some of the other Garmin watches for running on this list, it doesn’t have a touchscreen or offer music storage or contactless payments.

But what the Forerunner 55 lacks in high-tech features, it makes up for in its 14-day battery life, waterproof shell and useful health tracking functions. 

There are still multiple sports available to track, including running, and you’ll get information on calories burnt, respiration and hydration, as well as sleep and menstrual cycle monitoring, recovery suggestions and even pregnancy tracking.

And if you’re in need of a workout playlist, you can listen to music through your phone and skip songs on the watch.

How we tested

We undertook a range of short and long runs, at different intensities, against different backdrops (urban and rural), to gauge accuracy of crucial metrics like GPS and heart rate.

The latter we compared against the real-world gold standard of a chest-based heart rate monitor.

Comfort’s important no matter how many features are loaded onto your watch, while battery life’s key, too, as it’s all very well reeling in loads of useful data but it’s redundant if it cuts out halfway through your run workout.

Usability and connectivity also play a part the effectiveness, or not, of a running watch.

Don’t forget, you can always change up your Garmin watch with one of the brand’s fun accessories, which include wristbands, heart rate monitors and cases. Browse Garmin accessories here.