Runners often find wrist-worn fitness activity trackers to be a useful gadget because of how light and easy to use they are on a run. Fitness trackers for running typically track the number of steps taken, distance traveled, and chart this information on an iPhone or Android app, or sync with a website dashboard to track your running goals. Here are some of the most popular fitness trackers for runners.
Fitness Trackers for Runners Review
Garmin Vivosmart 5 Fitness Band
If you love to run and also enjoy some variety in your workouts, the Vivosmart is a great option for tracking all of your activity. The built in Move IQ automatically tracks your activity, so you don’t have to worry about starting any workout before you being your run. This model is great for office workers because it has built in move reminders and will track your steps all day. That really helps for you to keep active all day long, not just during your runs.
Since this is a 24 hour activity tracker, you can also wear it to track your sleep and its water resistant so you never have to take it off, not even to shower. If style is important to you, there are tons of accessory bands available so you can always match your Vivosmart to your outfit. The only big features it’s missing that runner may want are GPS and heart rate monitoring.
Available colors: black, white
Good for: People who do a variety of activities, if you hate charging your band
Tracks: steps, calories, distance, intensity minutes, sleep, inactivity
Notable features: 1 year battery life, silicone band, waterproof 5 ATM, auto activity detection, move bar and move reminders, displays time of day & steps, personalized daily goals, Garmin Connect app
Garmin Forerunner 935 GPS Watch
If you like the Garmin products but want to make sure you can get GPS tracking and wrist based heart rate for your outdoor runs, you can get all that and more with their premium Garmin Forerunner 935. Designed for triathlon training, this is the ultimate GPS watch for runners, with tracking for tons of exercises like cycling and swimming. It even has a treadmill mode so you can get your run data indoors. For runners, it monitors your running form as well as distance, speed, and other running data.
In addition to all of the cool workout features, it also can sync with your smartphone and Garmin Connect IQ to receive alerts from your favorite apps like Uber and Accuweather, making it function like a smartwatch as well. You can also customize the watch faces and swap out the bands to make the Forerunner match your style. With all these features, the Forerunner 935 is pricey, but if you can afford it you will be pleased with how well it supports your running and training.
Available colors: black
Tracks: steps, sleep, floors climbed, distance, running dynamics, heart rate, VO2 max, training, recovery, biomechanical measurements
Notable features: Time/date display, GPS, alarm clock, customizable watch faces, compass, wrist-based heart rate, battery is 2 weeks (watch mode) or 24 hours (GPS mode), swappable bands, smart notifications, VIRB remote
New Balance GPS Runner
If you want GPS tracking for your runs with a lower price, then New Balance offers a great fitness tracker for runners. This GPS watch is best for runners who don’t want a fancy smartwatch or something they have to sync to their smartphone. It does all the tracking you could want right in the watch, including GPS, lap splits, and total run time. It monitors your speed and distance and keeps 100 runs logged right in the watch.
The watch also features basics like a backlight and five programmable alarms. This is a simple runner’s watch that is a great budget option.
Available colors: Black
Tracks: speed, distance, pace
Notable features: GPS, 5 daily alarms, backlight, logs 100 runs
Stay hydrated while running with these convenient handheld water bottles for running. Or go handsfree with these hydration belts for running. Keep your hands warm with these touchscreen running gloves or running mitts. Want to get yourself something nice? Check out these fabulous gift ideas for runners.