Running

Running Watch Comparison: COROS Pace 2 vs. Garmin Forerunner 245

September 15, 2022

HI! I’m Molly.

Here to encourage you on your own bold pursuit of intentional living as I live out my own. I’m passionate about running, spending time doing what I love and cheering others on to approach running with joy.

I’m comparing my COROS Pace 2 and Garmin Forerunner 245 music and sharing my honest thoughts on the two watches.

I bought myself the Garmin Forerunner 245 in February of 2022 after being an Apple Watch wearer for several years. I was ready for a watch that could provide further analytics for running and the Apple Watch couldn’t really offer what I was looking for. I was familiar with Garmin, but didn’t know of any other watch brands. I did some research and landed on the Garmin Forerunner 245 because I loved that it would sync with music and it was one of the more “affordable” options on their website (still a really big investment for me!).

Fast forward to now, one of my most asked questions is about my watch, if I recommend it, what watch is the best for running, etc etc. I could only give my opinions on the one I had, the Garmin, until COROS reached out to see if they could gift me the COROS Pace 2. I was very honest with them and told them everything I’ve essentially told y’all, but that I’d love to try it out because I wanted to give you all honest feedback on which watch might be best. Of course, best is relative to everyone and their situation, but I hope this review of the COROS Pace 2 and Garmin Forerunner 245 Music can help you! 

To be fully transparent, the only thing I’ve received is a watch and the only thing I promised in return was that I’d share my opinions. They haven’t given me anything for this blog post and I really just want to help anyone who is looking into purchasing one of these watches make an informed decision!

Before I go into what the pros and cons of these two watches are (for me!), I want to be clear about a couple things:

  • Garmin and COROS are both great companies who make awesome watches for athletes. They’re both popular for great reason - they’re amazing watches.
  • If you have a watch that is already working for you, you don’t need to go buy a different one. What you have is enough, I am sure of it! 

Alright, here’s my opinion on the COROS Pace 2 vs. the Garmin Forerunner 245 watch.

OVERVIEW

Like I said above, they’re both great watches. They both have many of the same features that one another has and all the components of a basic smartwatch that measures running. There are several differences between the two, however, and a couple things that stood out to me in both the watches. There’s also a very big price difference between the two, which is something to factor in, as well. Overall, the decision is going to be up to you and if there are specific things you really need in a watch. Please keep in mind that the features below are not all that the watches have. These are features that stood out to me – please visit their websites to read all about the watches! 

COROS PACE 2

I’m blown away by how incredible this watch is and all for the price of $200. If you are not looking for all the extra bells and whistles (which, it still has a lot of), 100% get the COROS Pace 2 and save your money. Here’s what I love and noticed:

  • Basic tracking and measurement capabilities, such as cadence, HR, elevation gain, running performance, average pace, etc.
  • Incredibly lightweight 
  • Has swimming tracking capabilities 
  • Battery life is INSANE! Battery lasts for 30 hours while using  full GPS. I can go a full week without needing to charge it. 
  • Has a barometric altimeter, so it’s very accurate for elevation tracking
  • Has a “screen lock” function so you’ll never accidentally pause, stop or start a workout
  • Shows how long you press pause for, which if you’re running any type of workout where you pause in between, this is sooooo helpful!
  • Includes a training hub, where you get access to all your training stats and you can program in your own workouts to have them show up on your watch

GARMIN FORERUNNER 245 MUSIC

  • Basic tracking and measurement capabilities, such as cadence, HR, elevation gain, running performance, average pace, etc.
  • Has music functionalities and can connect to music without needing your phone with you 
  • Has safety features, like incident detection and live track
  • Offers more indoor cardio tracking 
  • Shows performance training efforts during your runs (I love this feature!) 
  • Daily suggested workouts 
  • Battery life for 6 hours in GPS mode with music 

CONCLUSION

I’ll be honest. I’m fully aware I’m not using the Garmin to the best of its ability because it offers A LOT. But on the other hand, I’ve found all that information to be slightly overwhelming because I don’t know what to do with all of it, so I don’t do anything with it. I think the Garmin has a lot of bells and whistles and leans to being a little more high tech than the COROS watch. I like the COROS watch because it feels more straightforward and intuitive; for someone like me who gets easily overwhelmed with a lot of information, it gives me what I need without giving me too much. 

I hope this was helpful as you decide which running watch is best for you!

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