July 11, 2025

There’s a Garmin running watch for every type of runner — from those jogging around the block to ultra-distance athletes.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of finding the perfect wearable companion for your runs, but how do you get there?

Because we’ve been in the smartwatch game for quite some time, it’s no secret we have tons of options to help you reach your goals — but don’t worry. If you’re not sure which Garmin smartwatch is right for you, we’ve got you covered. From novice runners to elite marathoners, we have the best GPS running watches to guide you through every stride, every mile and every race along the way.

Before you choose a Garmin smartwatch, you’ll want to know which watch has the running and training features that make the most sense for your goals. Let’s walk through your options.

Features for the beginner runner

Let’s start with the basics, and by basics, we don’t mean your watch will be basic. Even smartwatches designed for beginners have advanced tools and metrics that can help you grow as a runner:

• Built-in GPS: Easily track where you run and get accurate stats, including distance, pace and intervals.
• Long battery life: No, really. We mean a really long battery life. Depending on which Garmin smartwatch you have, you should get up to 1 week of battery life in smartwatch mode at a minimum, or even unlimited battery life with solar charging¹ on the Instinct® 3 Solar adventure smartwatch.
• Sleep monitoring: Understand how your body is recovering — and get ready for training — with our improved sleep monitoring feature². With select watches, you’ll receive a sleep score after waking up, along with a breakdown of your sleep stages and so much more.
• Wrist-based heart rate: Your heart rate zone matters. With wrist-based heart rate², you can gauge how hard your heart is working during runs. Plus, tracking your heart rate data and heart rate variability (HRV) outside of workouts lends insight into your recovery, overall fitness and more.
• Recovery time: We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to rest. The recovery time feature uses your latest training, stress levels and sleep to help you figure out how long you should take to recover.
• Garmin Coach: Is there a race in your future? You’ll want to check out these free adaptive training plans, available in the Garmin Connect™ app. Pick a training plan based on your goal and distance — 5K, 10K or a half marathon — and select a coach who suits your needs. Garmin Coach will help you find upcoming races near you and keep you on track leading up to race day with recommended workouts that sync to your watch.
• Garmin Connect™: All Garmin smartwatches are compatible with the Garmin Connect app, the free tool for tracking, analyzing, and sharing health and fitness activities. Think of it as a personal assistant to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

Smartwatches for the beginner runner

Forerunner® 55: With Forerunner 55 on your wrist, you can start calling yourself a runner. This GPS smartwatch offers up to 2 weeks of battery life in smartwatch mode while tracking essential stats so you can chase your goals.

Venu® 3: With advanced fitness features, detailed wellness insights and up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, Venu 3 is the perfect entry-level running companion.

vívoactive® 6: This bright and colorful smartwatch provides up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and fitness features tailored for runners, including PacePro™ pacing strategies, running dynamics, race predictor and interval creation.

Forerunner 165 Music: This watch includes training effect — so you can see how your workouts affect your fitness — as well as daily suggested workouts, Garmin Run Coach (more on that later), race predictor and running dynamics. It offers up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.

Features for the advanced runner

You’ve been running for a while and have started getting the hang of things. You’re not afraid to push your limits; now you need a smartwatch to keep up. In addition to the features for entry-level runners, you may also want to consider a smartwatch with:

• Daily suggested workouts: Get run recommendations each day based on your training history, fitness level and recovery time.
• Training readiness: Wake up and get a readiness score so you can determine whether it’s a good day to go hard — or sit back and take it easy.
• Multi-band GPS support: With multiple frequency bands allowing for more consistent tracklogs and improved positioning, you’ll enjoy superior accuracy for running speed and distance even in challenging environments.
• Garmin Run Coach: Adaptive training plans from Garmin Run Coach can help you train for a race, achieve a personal milestone or improve…