VERSUS RUNNING WATCHESIf you fancy turning your lockdown jogging habit into something more
serious, go ahead and jump on one of these run-tracking watches
Runnin’ with
the bezel
[^ W
or
ds
To
m
W
ig
gi
ns
]
What’s the story?
If it’s weight you want to lose – both on
your wrist and around your waist – Coros
reckons the Pace 2 is the lightest running
watch in the world. When it comes to
features, though, it’s far from lightweight.
Even with the GPS and heart-rate sensor
turned on it’ll keep tracking for 30 hours
(double that if you use the less accurate
UltraMax mode), plus it covers everyday
fitness and sleep monitoring.
The Pace 2 can also spot your strength
workouts, with over 200 exercises and a
nifty muscle heatmap on-board. It tracks
cycling and swimming too, so it’ll even be
ready if you decide to tackle a triathlon.Is it any good?
The Pace 2 isn’t as plain-looking as the
Garmin but up close the plastic on the case
looks cheaper. It’s the more comfortable
of the two, however, and the one you’d
probably be happier to wear down the
pub. The crown-like digital dial is used
to scroll through data screens and menus,
which can be a little fussy to operate,
but it’s certainly more intuitive than the
Garmin’s plethora of buttons.
The training plans aren’t as accessible,
though; and while there is more advanced
data on offer, including a barometric
altimeter, it feels a bit niche for anyone
who’s just jogging round the park.Price £180 / stuff.tv/Pace2
O 1.2in 240x240 LCD O GPS, optical HRM,
ANT+ O Up to 20 days’ battery O 29g/35gStuff says ++++,
Better battery life and a more sleek design
make this the winner for all but total n00bsWhat’s the story?
The slimline Forerunner 45 is the go-to
watch for most runners. With an optical
heart-rate sensor and up to seven days
of battery life (13 hours with GPS on), it
covers the basics in a comfortable no-frills
package, while stats like VO2 Max and
Body Battery help you to understand how
healthy you are without requiring a degree
in sports science.
Wear it while you’re not out running and
it also counts steps, calories burned and Zs
caught, with support for notifications from
your phone too. Unless you’re training to
run 150 miles across the Sahara, the 45
should match you step for step.Is it any good?
Simplicity is the 45’s selling point. It has
five buttons for navigation, which – once
you’ve got the hang of where each one
is – make starting activities and scrolling
through the widgets easy. The screen isn’t
the brightest and it only displays minimal
info while you’re tracking an activity, but
the metrics shown are customisable.
For those who’ve completed Couch To
5K but don’t know what to tackle next, the
Forerunner 45 offers personalised 5K, 10K
and half-marathon training plans, which
can provide some much-needed structure
for those who think a Fartlek workout
involves eating baked beans.Price £170 / stuff.tv/Garmin45
O 1.04in 208x208 LCD O GPS, optical HRM,
ANT+ O Up to 7 days’ battery O 36gStuff says ++++,
A brilliant watch for running, but you
might not want to wear it all the timeGarmin Forerunner 45 Coros Pace 2
O The Garmin
Connect app is
rather messy and
can take a few tries
to sync, plus the
way the watch
deals with phone
notifications is a bit
rudimentary – we
turned almost all of
them off unless we
were out running.
Still, it’s handy
to be able to skip
a song without
having to reach
for your phone
or fiddle with your
headphones.O Coros’s app is
much cleaner, if
still rough-edged.
It sometimes fails
to display the latest
numbers in its daily
summary, but the
info is all in there.
As on the Garmin,
you can read
notifications but
not respond to
them, but here you
have more control
over which apps
get access. The
larger display also
means it can fit in
more characters.I’LL WAIT:
BATTLE OF
THE APPS