The Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 are still too expensive for most marathon runners this year, which is why the Garmin Epix Pro represents outrageous value right now

The best running watches are brilliant, but expensive. The five-star Garmin Fenix 8, for example, starts at $999 / £949 / AU$1,699, although you can occasionally find it on sale with $100 / £100 / AU$250 or so knocked off. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is a little cheaper, but still far too expensive for most.

It’s a shame, because right around now, people are starting to seriously think about their running watches again. As winter recedes, running races start to crop up in the calendar and parks, dappled in spring sunlight, begin to fill up with Lycra-clad joggers. The season is upon us: neither too cold, nor too warm to run.

If you’re looking for a watch on a budget, you could settle for a model with fewer features or less battery life (even the Apple Watch Series 11 only packs 24 hours these days) or you could opt for the watch’s previous generations, in this case the Garmin Fenix 7 or the now-defunct Garmin Epix series.

The Garmin Fenix 7 and Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) are largely similar watches, the difference being that the Epix has an AMOLED screen instead of the 7’s MIP display, bringing it much closer to the look and feel of a Garmin Fenix 8. It doesn’t always get the latest software updates, on account of being an older watch, but it’s got a whole bunch of great features right out of the box, including satellite maps, a neat ‘Up Ahead’ feature to alert you to nearby facilities on the trail, Hill and Endurance scores, and loads more.

Its battery life tops out at around 16 days without the always-on display enabled, and it’s packing the same accurate heart rate sensor as the Fenix 8, so you’re not losing any of its health capabilities. It doesn’t have the Fenix 8’s scuba dive mode, voice commands for easy use, or a few other decent quality-of-life features, but for sheer value it can’t be beat.

It’s also outstanding value for the price. Right now, you can find the extra-tough Sapphire Edition of the Garmin Epix Pro discounted from $999.99 to just $549.99 at Amazon, an impressive 45% off in this year’s Presidents’ Day sales. I personally train with this watch, and can attest to its durability, longevity and usefulness. Check out the deal below:

The Garmin Fenix 7 series, without the LED torch and the duller but battery-saving memory-in-pixel displays, are also on sale for Presidents’ Day. The larger 51mm Garmin Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar is discounted from $899.99 down to just $536.94 on Amazon, although it’s worth noting this discount doesn’t apply to some of the smaller models. If you’re after a giant powerhouse watch, however, it’s a real winner – its Power Glass technology even acts as a battery-lengthening solar panel.

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The best Garmin watches for all budgets

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