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what is the most accurate GPS for running?

getsveltEagain
getsveltEagain Posts: 1,063 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone! I am a runner and currently training for another half marathon. I am finally getting to the point where I need/want a GPS that is accurate for my long runs so I can run anywhere I want instead of a marked course. I have tried some GPS apps on my smartphone, but I don't know if they are really accurate. I am willing to spend the money on a good quality watch if it is accurate. I have been looking at the Nike + watch or the Garmin 210. I used my boyfriends Garmin Forerunner 310XT over the weekend and it was nice. I have a Bodybugg to count my calories so I don't need a HRM with a GPS watch.

What do you use?
How accurate do you think it is?
Would you recommend it to others?

Thanks so much for your help!!

Replies

  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I don't have a GPS watch, but I use Runkeeper on my phone and it is really quite accurate! I've used it doing official 5k races and it is pretty much spot on. Never the exact race distance/time b/c I never start at the front of the pack!
  • 99clmsntgr
    99clmsntgr Posts: 777 Member
    The Garmin models are pretty well bullet-proof. I have an older model (Forerunner 305) which I think a lot of others around the boards also have. It's big and bulky, but it also does a lot - running, biking and "other" activities, multiple types of training, large memory for storing runs (I think I had about 6 months of thrice-a-week running stored in there at one point and it still had room). My wife has a Garmin 210 (also an obsolete model) which has a little better form factor and does pretty much the same stuff. Both of our models have a heart rate monitor strap, so that eliminates one extra piece of equipment you'd need.

    Polar has heart rate monitor and GPS watches as well, but I have no experience with them, so I don't know how good their GPS functions are. I hear/read good things about Polar's HRM capabilities, though.

    Nike has a GPS watch, powered by TomTom. Their product has no HRM capabilities, however, so I never bothered looking at them when they came out (and I already had my Garmin by that time).
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    The Garmin models are pretty well bullet-proof. I have an older model (Forerunner 305) which I think a lot of others around the boards also have. It's big and bulky, but it also does a lot - running, biking and "other" activities, multiple types of training, large memory for storing runs (I think I had about 6 months of thrice-a-week running stored in there at one point and it still had room). My wife has a Garmin 210 (also an obsolete model) which has a little better form factor and does pretty much the same stuff. Both of our models have a heart rate monitor strap, so that eliminates one extra piece of equipment you'd need.

    Polar has heart rate monitor and GPS watches as well, but I have no experience with them, so I don't know how good their GPS functions are. I hear/read good things about Polar's HRM capabilities, though.

    Nike has a GPS watch, powered by TomTom. Their product has no HRM capabilities, however, so I never bothered looking at them when they came out (and I already had my Garmin by that time).

    Gasp! You are stalking me :)
  • frazzle29
    frazzle29 Posts: 122 Member
    I use JogTracker. Very accurate!
  • josavage
    josavage Posts: 472 Member
    I have a Garmin and love it. I find it to be very accurate.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I have a Garnin 405 and it is great - so much more reliable than using the iPhone and Runkeeper.
  • tallen3687
    tallen3687 Posts: 244 Member
    I use MapMyRun. It is a free ap on my droid. It is awesome! Tells me my pace, how far I ran and how many calories I burned. Plus I get a weekly email to update me on what I have done.
  • achief192
    achief192 Posts: 192
    I use a Garmin 305 as well as Nike+ on my iphone. They never match exactly, but I think the Garmin is more accurate.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    +1 on Garmin.

    The 305 is an older model but has a nice big display (a bonus for old eyes like mine) and you can find some great deals on them. I'm currently using a 610, I like the touchscreen & the fact you can wear it as a sports watch bu I do miss the big display of my old 305 (& I'm too cheap to fork out the $$ for the 910)
  • getsveltEagain
    getsveltEagain Posts: 1,063 Member
    I have a Garmin and love it. I find it to be very accurate.

    josavage: Which Garmin do you have?
  • Paul_Kent_UK
    Paul_Kent_UK Posts: 63 Member
    I have a Garmin Forerunner 610 which is an amazing piece of kit, beyond the GPS itself it has functions such as scheduled workouts (intervals) and virtual parters etc.

    I used to use Runkeeper on my Iphone which I still rate highly for an App, but mostly for their website which has logs of excellent features. For the best of both worlds I upload my garmin data to Runkeeper.
  • getsveltEagain
    getsveltEagain Posts: 1,063 Member
    Nike has a GPS watch, powered by TomTom. Their product has no HRM capabilities, however, so I never bothered looking at them when they came out (and I already had my Garmin by that time).

    So you don't know how accurate the TomTom GPS is compared to Garmin? That is one of my questions for the Nike + watch. My boyfriend made a funny comment about using a GPS watch made by a company that specializes in shoes and that I should get one by a company that specializes in GPS :wink:
  • 99clmsntgr
    99clmsntgr Posts: 777 Member
    Nike has a GPS watch, powered by TomTom. Their product has no HRM capabilities, however, so I never bothered looking at them when they came out (and I already had my Garmin by that time).

    So you don't know how accurate the TomTom GPS is compared to Garmin? That is one of my questions for the Nike + watch. My boyfriend made a funny comment about using a GPS watch made by a company that specializes in shoes and that I should get one by a company that specializes in GPS :wink:

    Unfortunately I don't know how the two compare. I already had my Garmin when Nike added the watch to their line (in stead of just the horribly inaccurate Nike+ cadence counter). TomTom is a major player in the GPS market, so I have to imagine it's not bad, but have no evidence to back that up.
This discussion has been closed.

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