Customer Ratings & Reviews

A solid running watch like this will help you gather the data you need to improve your running ability. I’ve had several Garmin watches over the years and I’ve really benefited from them. They do pretty much everything I need for tracking my workout metrics. Many watch faces, widgets, and applications allow customization opportunities. I do recommend getting a tempered glass screen protector, which typically cost less than $10 for 2-3. It might just save your watch. Battery life is good but not great, while comfort of this light watch is excellent. The Garmin Forerunner 245 includes features like a VO2 Max estimator, a race predictor (which gives projected 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon times). Related features that might interest you are the recovery tracker (which estimates the number of hours until your body recovers after a given workout) and personal records for both cycling and running (1 mile, 5k, 10k, and longest run).

So I've had this watch about 2.5, almost 3 years. It is awesome, it's great, it does everything I want AND more. HR monitor links up with my NordicTrack and rower. Gives all kinds of data on the fly, and can adapt to you with so many different apps, and after all this time, the battery life is still almost as good as new! I'm military and this watch has been worn through flight ops, aircraft mechanic work, physical training, swimming/snorkling to about 20ft, among other activities and there's only been ONE problem:f The ONLY problem I have after all this time, use, and abuse is that the 245/245 Music seems to have a frequent habit of burning a spot on the screen. Google it up. There is no cure once it starts, the screen location is random, and timeliness seems to have no rhyme or reason. As you can see on mine, there's no sign of cracked/scratched glass (abuse). Some get the burn after a few months, mine was about the 2.5yr mark. Keep this in mind! Mfr Warranty is only 1 year. I bought the 245 Music, but am writing a review on the 245 because it is essentially the same watch minus a memory bank, and I wanted to share my experience with this series. Overall, awesome watch. I still use mine despite the burn because it's in the top left of the screen and I can still view everything, OR download the info to my phone via the Garmin connect app and function is all there. Just annoying to have the burn mark, and I don't know if they ever fixed it with updates.

Great Watch! Very accurate! Easy to configure and spot on with GPS

Purchased to use for tracking runs, and it works great. Syncs with my Strava account. Battery last for days and charges quickly. There was a little bit of a learning curve coming from a Galaxy Watch that had a touchscreen, but very happy with this product.

I love it! Battery life is great & very accurate! The only recommendation I have is to get a screen protector. They’re cheap & have helped prevent scratches.

Very easy to setup and use. Last more than a week in just 1 charge. used it for my half marathon training program and is very satisfied.

great watch for running! i switched from fitbit because my old watch would constantly lose GPS. this Garmin has so many cool features- very happy with my purchase! (-:

I love the watch, it is very accurate to distance, heart rate, and everything I am very happy for my purchase! Know I can train with exact numbers and taking care of my health

I got this for my son for his graduation… we love all features of fitness and also the gps and fall accidents. Watch is very light and very nice quality.

There is no better running watch than a Garmin, picks up gps faster than other two brands I owned, super accurate. Large easy to read numbers on the run, at dark they auto light up on the turn of your watch for a glance. Bright sunlight also very easy to read. The sync to the Garmin app is great. One down side is the sleep recognition isn’t as good as the Fitbit watch. All other functions are phenomenal.

For runners this a great watch to have to have. I really wnjoy how Gramin helps trake you SPM to really give you and idea on how well your running at a set pace and also graph it out for you in the app. Its a watch thag meets the needs of being a sport watch and not adding fluff to overall features. I also how water proof and durable the watch is. Taken the watch into sea water, fresh water, sand, mud, dirt, has been hit on corners andnother hard surfaces. I'd suggest the protection plan in case something does happen

I did a lot of researching and reading before I bought this. I was basically "tied" between this and the current Samsung smart watch, but ultimately went with this for multiple reasons, including (but not limited to) very readable in sunshine, "fall" notification to selected recipient, full-time GPA, good battery life, solid features, good support from Garmin, and more!

Works great. Easy to use, quickly connects to satellite. Indoor mode not as accurate but still ok

Works well for tracking running and viewing iPhone notifications. Screen is very configurable. Menus can be a little confusing. Battery lasts longer than specified.

Garmin is a great company and they make great watches. This was my second 245 (since I lost the first one). Overall I’d recommend this line of garmin to all runners looking for a more advanced budget friendly option. I no longer use this watch since I found a Fenix 6 solar for a really good price, but I would definitely still be using it if that never happened.

light weight, easy to use, if you want you can change the bands and make it more dynamic.

Garmin watch is very useful in my work out. Easy to sync with my airpods

Really like this watch. I was turned off at first given my 2 year run with a Fitbit Versa 2. I had grown accustomed to the very brilliant and user friendly touch screen. After spending some time with the 245, I really do like the watch for a few reasons. First the GPS is accurate. Syncing with Strava is seamless. And the always on screen during the workouts is so easy to see in the sunlight. Additionally you can show 4 stats on the screen at one time. And you can easily customize multiple workout screens. Second, the battery life is amazing. If you don't use the GPS, I think this thing will go over a week without needing charged. Using the GPS an hour a day is looking like a 5-6 day battery life. Third, I like the always on display. It is somewhat faint but it is readable in daylight and is a very attractive watch and display. One complaint is the display is not as brilliant as many of the smart watches on the market. And the 245 does not have a brightness adjustment. The Garmin software is quite configurable and a little tricky at first. It is not as plug and play as the Fitbit, but I am appreciating the configurability the more I explore. I have had to spend time with it to really figure it out. Bottom line is it is a great running, walking, biking watch with an accurate GPS and long battery life.

Excellent buy! My husband works out and he uses this daily for running and gym workouts.

Perfect run companion. Keeps good stats and syncs well with an iPhone or android. Make sure to activate the back up. Bought this as a second watch after losing my first one. Kept almost all the stats on the phone but only recent 3 months of data on the watch itself.