Running
5 of the best trail running watches
Off-road running expert Keri Wallace picks out her top watches for keeping track of more than just the time.
Welcome to a future where your watch knows your body better than you do. The current crop of trail running watches available on the market is so intelligent that they can do just about everything apart from tie your shoelaces and drag you out the front door. In fact, some can even monitor your body’s response to training and predict your race time to within five percent accuracy.
The features also differ a lot, with some packing a great battery life suited to long, multi-stage events, while others include high-tech navigational tools that are crucial for getting you to the finish line. But which is best for your trail running pursuits?
Fortunately, mountain runner and director of guided trail running company Girls on Hills Keri Wallace, and trail running expert and Suunto Ambassador Sean Hayes, who works for Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports, have cut through the tech-talk and provided some top tips to consider before you buy, as well as their personal favourites for different off-road runs...
Top tips before you buy
Now you're armed with all the information you need to know before you buy, check out Keri and Sean’s top picks...
1. Garmin, Fēnix 6
Providing 80 days of battery, the Fēnix 6 is ideal for multi-day racing
© Garmin
Released: August 2019
Best for: Ultra-distance trail running, fastest known time runs (FKTs) and multi-stage journeys
Stand-out feature: If you’re going to be running for days, then being able to adjust and extend the battery life of your watch in a personalised and flexible way is fantastic. You can see at a glance how any changes to your settings have affected the battery you have left.
Technology: The Fēnix 6 is actually a series of more than 20 watches, all with subtly different characteristics. But all of them are top-end GPS-enabled multi-sport watches with a barrage of features for monitoring your body’s performance. Each model comes in two versions (Pro or Base), and three possible sizes. In a nutshell, the pro watch has WiFi, maps and music, which are all missing in the base version.
If you like data then this is the one for you. The list of advanced metrics is endless. The mapping software can overlay nearby popular running trails (so-called ‘heatmaps’), and if you’re racing, you can select your route, customise your race strategy, and then see the splits you need to run to nail that PB. It will even calculate your VO2 max while taking account of the prevailing weather!
Many of the new pro features seek to improve battery life. At the top end of the price-range, the Fēnix 6 Pro Solar has a solar panel built into the face of the watch to boost your battery while you’re running in the sunshine. You can also control your power usage to extend battery life through a number of modes: ‘ultra-long mode’ for multi-week GPS activities and ‘ultra-low battery mode’, which delivers a whopping 80 days of battery (by stripping-out everything but the most basic functions).
Price: £799.99 (fēnix 6 – Pro)
2. Suunto 9 Baro
The 9 Baro uses barometric readings and GPS to give precise altitude data
© Suunto
Released: June 2018
Best for: Durability for all adventures
Stand-out feature: A nice touch is the ability to view your route by remaining ascent – great in the alps where routes are often judged by ‘vert’ rather than by distance.
Technology: A core ethos for Suunto is durability, and so it comes as no surprise that the 9 Baro is a rugged and practical piece of kit. It also offers high-performance tracking that is surprisingly easy to use. This multi-sport watch combines GPS and motion sensor data so that GPS power-usage can be lowered without significantly compromising accuracy. It also combines barometric readings with GPS to get the most accurate altitude reading on the market. You can select between predefined or custom battery modes or set your own power-usage program (up to a maximum of 120 hours of battery life). There are even smart reminders to make sure you have enough battery for your next adventure. If the watch notices you’re running low on battery, it will automatically suggest changing to a different mode so that you can always reach your goal.
The Suunto app allows you to create, share and download routes, and then follow them on the screen courtesy of GPS and a built-in 3D compass (but note there is no topographic mapping).
Price: £539
3. Garmin, Forerunner 645/Music
With the 645, you can track everything from your recovery to your V02 max
© Garmin
Release date: January 2018
Best for: Competitive runners and data geeks
Stand-out feature: This watch is on the smaller side, which is quite a rarity in a bulky market. It’s fast to use while out running and the practical buttons make it easy to operate with gloves on. It gives you much of the same physio data as the more advanced watches, but for less money.
Technology: The F645 music is jammed full of high-end technology for calculating advanced physio metrics. Building on the F630, this new version has Garmin’s latest optical HR sensor, features for tracking fitness load and recovery, VO2 max, lactate threshold testing and heart-rate ‘stress’. In addition to running, it has lots of other sport modes, such as ski, elliptical, stair-stepper and indoor swimming – ideal for cross-training. There is a barometric altimeter for improved elevation accuracy and enough navigation technology to follow courses, as well as compete against Strava Live segments in real-time.
In addition to this, the Forerunner 645 Music can store up to 500 songs on the device itself, so you can escape your phone for a few hours but still listen to your tunes while you run. The watch connects to wireless headphones via Bluetooth, as well as to a range of smart sensors, such as an HR chest-strap or footpad for calculation of advanced running dynamics. But, just as importantly, it’s a nice small size on your wrist and it’s easy to change the strap to your favourite colour!
Price: £349.99
4. Coros, Apex Pro
The Apex Pro provides info on blood-oxygen levels and acclimatisation
© Coros
Release date: September 2019
Best for: Fast and light mountain running/skyrunning
Stand-out feature: In the Altitude Mode, this watch is said to be like having a ‘mountain guide on your wrist’. But not even a mountain guide can give you hourly acclimatisation evaluations.
Technology: Building on the huge success of the APEX, the Pro is perfect for the runner who is spending their budget on heading to the big mountains instead of buying bling. The watch has a rugged titanium frame and sapphire-glass screen, and packs 14% more battery life than the Apex – bringing its total power to 40 hours in full GPS mode. The touch screen technology is ideal for operating navigation features and the watch has a barometric altimeter built-in for more precise altitude readings. The piece has all the training metrics you’d expect from a running watch but also has 24/7 blood-oxygen monitoring, an acclimatisation assessment feature and a built-in alarm to notify you when it’s safe to start climbing again. At just 59g, this watch is not going to slow you down too, and the comparatively low price-point will keep you smiling all the way to the top.
Price: £400
5. Apple Watch series 5
Apple's heart-rate technology can detect your ECG waveform in 30 secs
© Apple
Release: September 2019
Best for: Everyday adventurers/urban trail running
Stand-out feature: Industry-leading optical heart-rate sensor technology that will call 999 if you are unresponsive
Technology: The Series 5 is the newest in the Apple Watch lineage (replacing the Series 4). A step-up from being an activity tracker, this is a smartwatch that integrates health and fitness tracking with iOS and other Apple products and services. But this is no gimmick. The optical heart-rate sensor technology used by Apple is industry-leading. In fact, the watch can generate your ECG waveform in 30 seconds or detect that you’ve fallen (and if you’re unresponsive will even call 999!). Apple Watches also have very good GPS tracking, which is improved further in the Series 5 by the addition of a built-in ‘compass’ for heading, incline, latitude, longitude and current elevation. All this innovation underpins a number of useful training metrics for sports tracking such as HR trending, pace alerts, cadence and split measurements.
The big change in the Series 5 is the introduction of an ‘Always On’ display so that runners don’t need to raise their hand or tap the display to see the time or their activity read-out. Unsurprisingly, built-in cellular connectivity allows you to sync your Apple Music library to your watch so that you can leave your phone at home and keep the music playing. But beware, all this technology is power-hungry (18 hours max battery life).
Price: £399
