I'm a sub 3-hr marathoner and these are the only 3 Black Friday smartwatch deals I'd spend my money on

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Only the best deals on running watches

Garmin Forerunner 970 track BF
(Image credit: Future)

Black Friday is the perfect time to pick up a new running watch, and as a keen marathoner whose job is testing the latest and greatest smartwatches, I can help you find the best deals available.

Below I’ve picked out what I think are the three best smartwatch deals for runners in the Black Friday sale. All three deals are on watches that I’ve tested extensively myself both for training and racing, and they are watches that I’d happily use as my main watch in the future as I chase down PRs.

I spent some time agonizing over these picks, because there are so many good deals in the sale right now, but I’ve simply gone with the three watches I’d look at buying myself, depending on the budget I had available.

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My three favorite deals

Garmin Forerunner 265
Garmin Forerunner 265: was $449 now $299 at Amazon

There are a couple of great watches going for less than this in the sale, notably the Suunto Run and Garmin Forerunner 165 are $199, but I think the Forerunner 265 is a worthwhile upgrade and this is the cheapest it's ever been. There are two sizes of the watch to suit different wrists, and it's packed with training features for runners and triathletes. It's also a good-looking watch I loved wearing 24/7 when I tested it.

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Garmin Epix Pro
Garmin Epix Pro: was $999 now $545 at Amazon

While this is an older watch, I can attest to its quality, having worn the Epix Pro myself for year and run four marathons with it. This would be the pick for anyone who wants a more metallic, premium-looking running watch, and doesn't mind that it's a bit bigger and heavier than my other picks. The Epix Pro doesn't have all the latest Garmin features, but still has all the essentials including offline maps on top of accurate tracking and insightful training analysis, and its battery life is excellent too.

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Garmin Forerunner 970
Garmin Forerunner 970: was $749 now $649 at Amazon

If you want one of Garmin's latest releases, then the Forerunner 970 is the clear pick in the sales in my opinion. It's my favorite sports watch and the one I'm wearing as I type this, and it's served me very well in training for several different events this year. It has all the latest Garmin features packed into a sleek but durable design, and it's been reduced for the first time this Black Friday.

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Shop today's best Black Friday deals

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Nick Harris-Fry
Nick Harris-Fry
Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.


Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 and became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 25min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.


Nick is an established expert in the fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

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