Andreas Almgren won last weekend’s New York City Marathon. The 31-year-old Swedish runner broke the tape in 2:06:01 — a frankly silly amount of time for anyone to run 26. 2 miles. But although running fans are now analyzing everything from his nutrition strategy to his pacing, it’s his watch that’s got my attention — the Coros Pace 4 , one of our best running watches . Record-breaker Sebastian Sawe, who finished first at London earlier this year, used Garmin’s cheapest watch, the now-outdated Garmin Forerunner 55 . Almgren also opted for a budget-friendly, light running watch to help cross the finish line, rather than an expensive powerhouse like an Apple Watch Ultra 4 or Garmin Fenix 9 Pro . It just goes to show that you can spend under $250 / £230 and still get a fantastic running watch worthy of the best runners in the world. Coros Pace 4
(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) We reviewed the Coros Pace 4 in February this year and awarded it 4/5 stars. Our reviewer praised its performance compared to its price, calling it ‘a specialized, budget-friendly watch that balances high-end display technology and dedicated functionality for athletes’. It’s less a smartwatch and more a dedicated training tool, made entirely of lightweight plastic rather than any stylish (but heavier) metal elements. It packs up to 19 days of battery life, a huge improvement over smartwatches from Apple, Samsung, or Google, and even most Garmins, making it ideal for athletes who are doing a lot of GPS-powered, battery-sucking long runs and want to track their sleep on top, all without charging…
