10 best running gadgets: the top tech for training

9. Garmin Forerunner 610 - £280/US$400/AU$500

Best running gadgets

GPS-capable watches are myriad, but this one from Garmin does more than just talk to satellites. Its key features for runners include Virtual Racer and Virtual Partner, which enables you to race your previous bests, another user's pace, or a static, pre-determined pace.

Once it's collected the data from your run, it can upload straight to a computer to use Garmin Connect, a social media-cum-analytical platform that puts you on a map and presents lap splits. It also measures the impact of a run on your aerobic fitness.

Completely waterproof, the Garmin Forerunner 610 uses a one-inch touchscreen, and pairs with a Mac or PC using the fitness gadget-centric ANT+ wireless tech.

Read our full Garmin Forerunner 610 review

10. Tom Tom Runner GPS Watch - price TBC

Best running gadgets

TomTom's mapping system makes its first GPS watch a no-brainer. This running-centric version (there's a separate multi-sport model that's better for cyclists and swimmers) is aimed at causal joggers, and has a huge, clean display that uses just one central control below.

The watch asks you to fill out a personal profile, including your age, weight, height and gender. All these factors then get taken into account when it comes to mapping your performance stats and targets. At its core are three different modes.

Zone mode enables you to set a particular pace or heart rate, and measure your performance against it, so that if you go too fast the bars on the screen chart will increase and the watch will vibrate to let you know. Go too slow and you'll also be given a gentle buzz to tell you that it's time to pick up the pace.

Race mode compares your runs with previous efforts, but cleverly keeps a close eye on every step of your run in real time, rather than using averages, so that finding the exact points where you slowed down or sped up are easy to identify. Finally, Goal mode is all about you setting your distance and calorie targets.

TomTom will be launching its own backend platform called MySports, but the watch will also be compatible with other popular services such as RunKeeper. The interface is simple, with everything the fitness aficionado needs.

Read our full Tom Tom Multi-Sport GPS review

Jamie Carter

Jamie is a freelance tech, travel and space journalist based in the UK. He’s been writing regularly for Techradar since it was launched in 2008 and also writes regularly for Forbes, The Telegraph, the South China Morning Post, Sky & Telescope and the Sky At Night magazine as well as other Future titles T3, Digital Camera World, All About Space and Space.com. He also edits two of his own websites, TravGear.com and WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com that reflect his obsession with travel gear and solar eclipse travel. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners (Springer, 2015),