Elite running watches allow for advanced tracking of your running regime and efforts. The Forerunner watches are designed to serve the runners. Be it a basic runner, an advanced runner, or the elite runners who run as professionals. We look at the Forerunner watches that are suitable for elite running below.
Garmin Forerunner watches with elite running
All the elite running Forerunner watches come with an Ultratrac mode. Garmin Forerunner series has the following watches for elite runners:
- Garmin Forerunner 745
- Garmin Forerunner 945
- Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE
- Garmin Forerunner 955
- Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar
This, practically, means that the Forerunners before Forerunner 745 do not have elite running capabilities. Some of these Forerunner watches would work well for advanced running. And the basic ones like the Forerunner 55 would do well for basic running profiles.
The latest Forerunner series watches, Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 955 Solar come with multi-band GPS. Overall run data accuracy gets a boost with multi-point GNSS tracking through multiple satellite systems.
Which elite running Forerunner should I buy?
The elite running Forerunner watches are priced between $499.99 to $649.99. So, which Ultra running or elite running Forerunner should you buy?
- Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 955 Solar come with a multi-frequency sensor. A sensor helps in taking GPS data from multipoint sources to improve GPS accuracy in different terrains.
- Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 955 Solar also have a touchscreen feature that can be turned on or off anytime.
- The Forerunner 955 and 955 Solar also have a higher capacity of backup on the battery. Compared to Forerunner 945 series’s 7 days, the Forerunner 955 offers 15 days of backup on smartwatch mode. This backup further improves to 20 days on the Forerunner 955 Solar watch.
- The Forerunner 955 and 955 Solar also have higher device storage than the Forerunner 945 series, 945 LTE series, and the Forerunner 745 series.
The Forerunner 955 and 955 Solar are a natural upgrade from the Forerunner 945 and Forerunner 745 series. If you are aiming for a professional race or running activity, the Forerunner 955 and 955 Solar would be the preferred running watches as we write this.
Garmin Forerunners with advanced running profile
The Forerunner watches released after Forerunner 55 are designed for the advanced running profile. The Forerunner 745 and later models fit the cause of elite runners. The following Forerunner watches are suitable for advanced runners:
- Forerunner 245
- Forerunner 245 Music edition
- Forerunner 245S edition
- Forerunner 255
- Forerunner 255S edition
- Forerunner 255 Music edition
These 6 Forerunner watches have advanced running programs.
Which advanced running Forerunner watch should I buy?
Unlike the elite running Forerunner watches, the advanced running Forerunner watches share most core features. The essential difference lies in the size and on-device storage for personal audio content on the smartwatch.
- Forerunner 255 has three variants. Forerunner 255 is the standard edition watch. Forerunner 255 has a physical size of 45 mm and a display size of 33 mm. It does not have any music and you cannot control music on the phone through the Forerunner 255.
- Forerunner 255S is a 41 mm watch with a 27.5 mm display size. It does not have music on the device and you cannot control phone music through Forerunner 255S.
- Forerunner 255 Music and Forerunner 255S Music gets the ability to store music on the watch. Besides on-device music, you can control music on the paired smartphone throughForerunner 255 Music or Forerunner 255S Music.
- The Forerunner 245 also has similar variants. The standard edition watch does not have a music feature. The Forerunner 245S has a smaller size. And, the Forerunner 245 Music has on-device music and the ability to control smartphone music.
The price difference between Forerunner 255 and Forerunner 255 Music Editions is only $50. For an incremental expense of $50, on-device music storage for 500 songs and the ability to control smartphone music is a pretty decent set of features.
Garmin Forerunner for entry-level running
If you are just starting on your journey towards becoming a runner, an entry-level Forerunner should fulfill your goals. Forerunner 55 is a good entry-level running watch. It ticks all the boxes for a new runner. As you move ahead in your journey of being a successful runner, you may decide about an advanced or elite Garmin Forerunner running watch.
Summary
Forerunner is the best running watch around the globe. Garmin has categorized these watches for entry-level runners, advanced runners, and elite runners. The advanced Forerunners would tick most boxes for aspiring and seasoned runners. The Forerunners for elite running come with better battery backups. The Forerunner 955 series also has multi-point GPS sensors for better accuracy of GPS data. The addition of a solar variant and spectator messaging on the Forerunner 955 series watch must be taken into consideration before buying a new Forerunner watch.
On a personal note, for the price difference of $100 between the Forerunner 255 Music and the Forerunner 955, I will always go for a Forerunner 955.
You may like to read additional content for Garmin Forerunner watches below:
- Garmin Forerunner for Golf
- Garmin Forerunner 955 vs Venu 2 Plus
- Garmin Forerunner watches with Garmin Pay
- Garmin Forerunner 955 vs Forerunner 255
- Fenix 7 Solar vs Forerunner 955 Solar
- Apple Watch SE vs Garmin Forerunner 255
Helen Kurt is a geeky nerd who loves to cover the wearables space. She has over 5 years of experience in the smartwatch domain. You can reach her on email at [email protected].