These are the affordable running watches worn by London Marathon winners

This weekend’s London Marathon was an unprecedented event, with not one but a Two The men (Sebastian Savay and Yomif Kjellcha) are breaking the sub-two hour barrier that people said would never be broken. Women’s category winner Tigaste Assefa also broke her own world record. So what kind of running watches do these elite marathon runners wear? Mostly cheap ones, including older Garmins.

I was able to confirm the specific watch models of some of these runners with Garmin and Coros. Since fans are wondering if the runners are sponsored by their respective watch companies, I asked Garmin and Corros about sponsorships as well. Only two of the six appear to be sponsored. Here are the top three men and women:

• sebastien saaveWith a world record time of 1:59:30: garmin forerunner 55 ($167). I confirmed this with Garmin. However, he is not sponsored by Garmin.

• Yomif KejelchaSecond person to run a Sub-2 with a time of 1:59:41: Qoros Pace 3 ($199). He is not sponsored by Qoros.

• Jacob Kiplimo2:00:28: samsung galaxy watch 8 ($349-$239 – not exactly clear which model, but not Classic). He appears to be a sponsored athlete-Here is a Samsung article About how he uses the watch in his training.

• tigust assefaWith a new women’s world record at 2:15:41: garmin forerunner 255 ($243). I have also confirmed this with Garmin and they do not sponsor it either.

• Helen Obiri2:15:5: Qoros Pace 4 ($249). I confirmed this with Koros; He is a sponsored athlete, signed just before the race.

• Joycelyn Jepkosgei2:15:55: Another old Garmin, that’s Ivan Jovin in Gadgets and Wearables Identified possibly as herald 955 ($449). He is not sponsored by Garmin.

Four out of six are wearing older models (released in 2021-2023) with reflective ones mip screen. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Corros Pace 4 are the only watches in this group that were released last year (and they’re the only two watches with more modern-style AMOLED screens). Most of these watches cost less than $250.

This may be surprising if you think of running watches as a cutting-edge device where the latest is always the best. But even though watch manufacturers keep coming out with new features, that doesn’t mean those features are necessary to support training and racing, even for elite runners. Ever since I started reviewing and writing about fitness watches, I’ve been asking every runner I meet what kind of watch they have. Most of the time, it’s the old Garmin. Sometimes they don’t even know which model it is. Basic watches work perfectly well for elite runners, too.

Why don’t elite runners wear top-tier watches?

These mostly budget picks don’t surprise me, because elite people need to pay attention to what their body is doing, not what’s going on inside their watch. The most important job of a running watch on race day is to tell you what pace you’re running – especially if you’re betting everything on being able to break a certain world record. Even the most basic digital watches can tell you how long it has been since the starting gun went off, but a modern GPS-enabled watch can also give you accurate information about how many miles you’ve walked and how far you have to the next mile marker. (said that, It’s the official race time and distance that matters; Your watch just gives an estimate.)

I haven’t talked to these athletes myself, so my opinion is based on what running watches offer the people who wear them. In short: everything except your time and speed is icing on the cake.

Elite people do not need the training scores and conditions provided by some watches; They have coaches who handle that stuff. They don’t base their day’s training on how many steps they’re taking; Again, they and their coaches, not the technique, are in control. It doesn’t matter if the watch has 150+ activity modes if your only job is to run.

So why do new watches have these features in the first place? There are lots of features to help you feel A little more elite. For example, you might not have a trainer, but your watch can train you by suggesting workouts. The watch’s features are also aimed at keeping you interacting with the watch – checking your scores, tracking activities other than running – which helps the watch company’s bottom line by getting more engagement from you and keeping you excited about the brand.

As I’ve mentioned before, companies keep adding features to justify new models and higher prices – just look at Garmin’s Forerunner 570, which has an athletically meaningful upgrade from the 265 (a more accurate heart rate sensor) and otherwise had a lot of bells and whistles to justify what it was at the time. $200 price increase. In the meantime, I’ve loudly proclaimed that the Forerunner 255, which you can still buy new, is probably the best value Garmin.

None of the top tier features really help you run faster, unless it gets you more interested in the hobby of running. So it should come as no surprise that professional runners don’t prioritize extra features. And I may be just a recreational runner, but I’m quite happy running with a basic watch, too. How excited I get about fancy features really depends on how much I rely on the watch to structure my training regimen. If you’re not looking to a watch to make decisions for you, a basic watch is fine.