Are you looking for the best triathlon watch for training in the market? Well, you’re at the right resource. Triathlon training watches are different from racing watches and cannot be alternated with other fitness trackers or gears. These multisport watches often come with a dedicated mode for triathlons so that they can measure and track your performance and medical vitals even under water.
A good triathlon training watch should be able to track your swims, runs and cycles without having to press too many buttons or spend extensive time and effort on configuring the watch. Triathlon watches also happen to be different from fitness trackers and the best running watches in many ways.
If you have been practicing and training for the next local triathlon, you will know the importance of tracking time and progressing. Triathlon challenges your endurance and dedication, and you need to keep progressing continuously to get the best results possible here.
In this article, we mention the best watch for triathlon training. We mention a list of watches and review their key characteristics for you. By the end of this article, you will be able to find the best watch for your needs.
In a Hurry? Here are Our Top Choices
| Image | Title | Buy |
|---|---|---|
Top | Garmin Forerunner 945, Premium GPS Running/Triathlon Smartwatch with Music, Black | Check Today's Price |
 | Polar Vantage M2 - Advanced Multisport Smart Watch - Integrated GPS, Wrist-Based Heart Monitor Daily Workouts - Sleep and Recovery Tracking - Music Controls, Weather, Phone Notifications | Check Today's Price |
 | Garmin Forerunner 745, GPS Running Watch, Detailed Training Stats and On-Device Workouts, Essential Smartwatch Functions, Black | Check Today's Price |
Table of Contents
What to Consider When Buying a Watch for Triathlon Training
A good watch for triathlon training should have a number of additional features on top of what is already offered by a general smart watch. We start by looking at some of the most important factors you should consider in the best watch for triathlon training. Once these factors are guaranteed, you can get the results you expect.
Battery Life
The very first thing you should look to get from your triathlon watch is decent battery life. A triathlon race can last from a couple of hours to a couple of days. Most athletes are looking at 3 to 4 hours of race time on average and want to have gear that performs for that period without running out of battery.
A good triathlon watch should be able to give you over 8 hours of charge time on GPS mode. This ensures that the watch won’t die just at the finishing line of the race, taking away whatever bragging rights you think you deserve. If your triathlon training watch keeps dying, you won’t be able to track your progress and measure time.
Waterproof
Swimming is an important part of triathlons, and the best watch for triathlon training would be all but useless if it does not feature water-tight or waterproof construction. The watch should be water rated to 50 meters or more in order to avoid frequent repair or damages. A good triathlon watch should be able to measure your vitals and heartbeat even under water.
Fit and Comfort
As mentioned above, most triathlon races last upwards of 4 hours, which is why you don’t want the watch to have a poor fit or be too uncomfortable to wear. The last thing you want is an uncomfortable fit that distracts you from the goal in mind. Always consider the feel and fit of the watch.
1. Garmin Forerunner 945
- Premium GPS running/triathlon smartwatch with music
- Download songs to your watch, including playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music or Deezer (may require premium subscription with a third party music provider)
- Performance monitoring features include Vo2 Max and training status with adjustments for heat, altitude Acclimation status, training load focus, recovery time, and aerobic and anaerobic training effects
- Garmin Pay contactless payment solution (available for supported cards from participating banks) lets you make convenient payments with your watch so you can leave your cash and cards at home
- Full color, onboard maps guide you on your run so you never get lost during your workout
- Safety and tracking features include incident detection (during select activities) which sends your real-time location to emergency contacts through your paired compatible smartphone
- Battery life: Up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode, 10 hours in GPS mode with music or up to 60 hours in ultratrac mode. Display resolution - 240 x 240 pixels
The Garmin Forerunner 945 offers the perfect balance between price and features for triathlon athletes. The device does look a lot like the Garmin 935, but it offers decent upgrades and is more accurate than the predecessor.
The Garmin Elevate heart sensor is accurate, even under water. The Forerunner 945 has a better battery and we can safely assume that this smart watch will come in handy even during non-training days. The fit is excellent and the watch is comfortable to wear.
2. Polar Vantage M2
- Train smarter, not harder - improve your performance with insights about your current condition and support for 130+ sports including swimming and cycling. Automatically sync training data to Strava, TrainingPeaks, and more.
- Vantage M2 automatically tracks your sleep and recovery so you know when you can safely push your body further. Up to 30 hours of training time with GPS active.
- Running program helps you achieve your running goals with efficiency and precision. FitSpark - personalized workout suggestions which include cardio and strength training and supportive exercises (core and mobility).
- Training Load Pro tracks your load and ensures youre recovered. FuelWise smart fueling assistant reminds you to refuel and maintain adequate energy levels during your longer sessions with this ultimate fitness and biking activity tracker.
- Smartwatch features like music controls, weather, call/text notifications and more make sure you’ll never miss a be
The more you use the Polar Vantage M2 for training, the more you will come to like it. This triathlon training watch comes with excellent style and substance and can be used in a number of sports. The watch looks good on the wrist and feels comfortable.
The M2 has some 130 sport modes, which can come in handy for triathlon athletes. What’s more – the automatic detection of swimming style, distance, strokes, heart rate, pace and rest periods is significant.
3. Garmin Forerunner 745
- Swim, bike, run — do it all with a smartwatch that uses multiple satellite systems to accurately track your workouts
- Switch up your workout routine whenever you like with preloaded activity profiles for running, triathlon, multisport, cycling, pool swimming, track running and more
- Receive on-device run and cycling daily workout suggestions based on your current training load and vo2 max
- Get training guidance by syncing structured indoor or outdoor workouts to your device from garmin connect or other apps (when paired with a compatible smartphone), including trainingpeaks and trainerroad
- Analyze more data to help you reach your race potential, including advanced running, cycling and swimming dynamics
- Bring music for every mile by syncing with music streaming services (premium subscription required) such as amazon music, deezer, spotify and more to easily store and play up to 500 songs from your wrist
- Leave your cash and cards at home; garmin pay contactless payments (with a supported payment network) let you pay for purchases on the go
- Make it through your longest races with up to 1 week of battery life in smartwatch mode, 6 hours in gps mode with music and up to 30 hours in ultratrac mode
- Included components: Forerunner 745, USB Cable, Documentat
The Garmin Forerunner 745 is a light version of the Garmin Forerunner 945. The good part about this product is that it is a bit cheaper than the 945 version and offers almost the same features as the upgrade.
The watch provides decent precision and results along with an excellent GPS connection. The 745 brings excellent innovation to the table along with a tried and tested hardware and software model.
4. Garmin Fenix 6 Pro
- Fit for performance with rugged, sophisticated design that features an always-on 1.3” (18% larger than previous Fenix models) sunlight-readable display with bezels in stainless steel, titanium or diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating
- Enhanced estimated wrist heart rate and Pulse Ox to support advanced sleep monitoring and altitude acclimation at high elevations (this is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition)
- Advanced training features include PacePro for grade-adjusted pace guidance throughout your activity plus environmentally adjusted VO2 max and training status estimates
- Navigate the outdoors with preloaded topo maps, ski maps for over 2,000 worldwide ski resorts, multiple global navigation satellite system (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) support and built-in sensors for 3-axis compass, gyroscope and barometric altimeter
- Support for Garmin Pay contactless payments (not all countries and payment networks are eligible), music storage with premium streaming service (may require subscription with third-party music provider) support, smart notifications and more
- Battery performance: Up to 14 days in smart Watch mode, up to 10 hours in GPS and music mode, up to 28 days in expedition GPS activity mode, and up to 48 days in battery saver Watch mode
- Included components: Fenix 6, Charging/data cable, Documentat
The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro is the perfect watch for anyone who is fond of triathlons and needs the perfect watch to start training. The watch is fit for all kinds of outdoor activities including running triathlons.
The titanium version for the Fenix 6 Pro is ultra light and ranks at par with some of the other lightweight products on this list, without compromising on quality and features.
5. Suunto 9 Baro
- Three predefined battery modes – Performance, Endurance and Ultra – deliver from 25 hours to up to 120 hours* of recording time with GPS tracking on. When you start a recording, you’ll get an estimate of how much battery you have left with the current mode. If it’s not enough, switch to another mode at any time.
- On long ultra runs, battery life is often the limiting factor for recording distance and track accurately, as GPS is a heavy drain on the battery. Suunto’s unique FusedTrack algorithm combines GPS and motion sensor data to improve track and distance accuracy. This allows you to extend battery life by lowering GPS power without significantly compromising accuracy.
- Suunto 9 is designed and built to meet the demands of professional athletes. Tested to the extreme with thousands of hours of real use in the toughest conditions by Suunto’s internal testing team and athletes all over the world, it is your trusted companion to confidently see you through any adventure!
- Pair Suunto 9 with the new Suunto app to track all your adventures, as well as follow your long term trends, including daily activity and sleep. Easily share your greatest achievements and connect with others in the app communi
The Suunto 9 Baro is another excellent watch for triathlon training, as it comes with over 120 hours of battery life in Ultra mode. The excellent battery life gives you precision in tracking along with a performing heart rate calculator.
The Suunto 9 Baro also comes with better build quality. However, the watch does weigh heavier than some other watches for triathlon training and can be a bit too heavy for people with narrow or small wrists.
Our Final Thoughts
The Garmin Forerunner 945 is our pick for the best watch for triathlon training. This watch offers the perfect balance between price and features for triathlon athletes. You can read reviews online to pick the best one from these reviewed watches.
| Image | Title | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Garmin Forerunner 945, Premium GPS Running/Triathlon Smartwatch with Music, Black | Check Today's Price |
| Polar Vantage M2 - Advanced Multisport Smart Watch - Integrated GPS, Wrist-Based Heart Monitor Daily Workouts - Sleep and Recovery Tracking - Music Controls, Weather, Phone Notifications | Check Today's Price |
| Garmin Forerunner 745, GPS Running Watch, Detailed Training Stats and On-Device Workouts, Essential Smartwatch Functions, Black | Check Today's Price |
