5 Best Running Watches of 2024, According to Female Testers

Why we love it: “It’s kind of in the name – and the price. The £429.99 Garmin Forerunner is one of the most sophisticated running watches on the market, and for more serious runners who regularly run 5km or more, the very best we tried.

“Replacing the 255 and 245 models, I tried it over the course of a week in January, when I was not only running but attending a couple of 1Rebel circuits classes, too. The grand finale was an 8km Sunday run, when the watch really came into its own.

“Firstly, the features I noticed pre-run. This running watch has up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 20 hours in GPS mode, so I actually didn’t have to charge it at all over the course of my testing period. Also, if you sleep in it, it sends you a morning report with an overview of your sleep, recovery and training outlook alongside other metrics like weather. Ideal for planning your runs, plus, I’m quite obsessive with my sleep, so loved being able to track it so carefully.

“I’m working towards running a half marathon, so I used my Garmin Forerunner to plan my race strategy. It gave me personalised daily suggested workouts to get the most from my training, factoring in rest days and using the data from the earlier section of my testing period to inform the latter. There were more than 30 different workout settings to choose from, and my run was automatically posted to Strava after an easy sync-up.

“I paired my iPhone with the watch, so I received calls and texts while I was running – and loved that it features a contactless payment feature, so that I could treat myself to a coffee and a croissant at the end of my plod. The screen was crisp and bright – and I could still read from it in the bright sunshine – and I found that it didn’t lose its signal while testing.” – Sophie Cockett, GLAMOUR’s Senior European Commerce Editor.

Pros: You can pay for it over 36 months in smaller instalments. Available in three colours and two sizes. Two year guarantee. 30+ built-in activity profiles outside of running. Easy-to-read AMOLED touchscreen display with traditional button controls.
Cons: Expensive. There are so many metrics that it might be a little overwhelming for beginners.
Size: H46.7 x L46.7 x D12.9mm.
Battery life: Up to 13 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 20 hours in GPS mode.
Waterproof: 50m water resistant.
GPS: Yes.
Heart rate monitor: Yes.