The Garmin Forerunner 970 has arrived as perhaps the most comprehensive triathlon and ultra-endurance watch that Garmin has ever produced. It boasts impressive accuracy, exceptional battery life, and a deep well of metrics that set a new standard for its category – though this comes at a considerable cost. While features like everyday usability and map integrations are brilliant in theory, some users may find them a little glitchy in practice. Despite this, the watch’s extensive feature set, which includes advanced metrics, ECG functionality, offline maps, and even a built-in torch, allows for unparalleled training optimisation.
Put simply, had the Garmin Forerunner 970 been available when beginning training for a first major biathlon, the focus may have shifted beyond mere survival and proper fuelling. It represents the most ambitious multi-sport GPS watch Garmin has ever conceived. It truly does everything, incorporating mapping, physiological metrics, recovery tracking, safety features, coaching, emergency alerts, and even that familiar nudge (or shaming) experienced by anyone using a Garmin device. However, after several weeks of using it, the question remains: does packing in so many features truly make for a better training companion, or simply a more expensive and complicated one?
The 970 emerges at a pivotal moment for performance wearables. Competitors are closing in, offering cheaper and sometimes more agile technology. However, for runners, triathletes, and other multi-sport enthusiasts who demand the most comprehensive feature set and the most accurate data, Garmin remains the frontrunner. The crucial questions are: is the significant price tag justified? And is the learning curve worth the effort? To help answer these questions, the Forerunner 970 has been rigorously tested during training, racing, and everyday use.
Testing Methodology
To truly understand the Garmin 970’s capabilities, beyond controlled lab conditions, it was used as the primary training companion for over six weeks across various disciplines and locations. This included logging over 80 kilometres on roads, mapping marathon training routes, tempo intervals, and recovery runs. In addition, more than 24 kilometres were covered on challenging trails, putting the mapping and elevation features to the test on steep, rocky terrain and through dense forests where satellite reception can often be unreliable.
Beyond running, the Forerunner 970 was worn for open water swims along the coast, as well as numerous sessions in swimming pools, evaluating aspects such as waterproofing, wrist-based heart rate monitoring, and automatic lap detection. The watch also reliably tracked indoor gym sessions, including treadmill workouts, elliptical training, and stair climbing, relying on multi-band GPS and motion sensors for accuracy in signal-challenged environments.
To assess versatility and durability, the watch was subjected to weighted vest workouts in urban and mountain environments, functional fitness sessions, and weight-lifting routines several times a week. During obstacle racing, it faced mud, water, and grip-strength challenges, measuring everything from rapid heart rate changes to the impact of obstacles on pace and recovery metrics.
Recovery was monitored through sleep tracking and by spending considerable time in a chair, allowing the watch to measure various metrics. Furthermore, menstrual cycles were logged in the Garmin app, which is now set up to measure skin temperature and heart rate to predict the next cycle.
For lifestyle use, the watch was loaded with music and connected to Garmin Pay to evaluate the ease of listening to music via streaming services and the speed of making payments.
The aim was to test battery demands, daily comfort, touchscreen responsiveness, and both essential and advanced analytics in a range of real-life challenges.
Mapping and Navigation
The Forerunner 970 comes equipped with full-colour TopoActive maps, enabling users to route, re-route, and even share routes directly from the trail – offering a level of flexibility unmatched by competitors. The detail and on-watch editing options are best-in-class, particularly with features like ClimbPro, which breaks down elevation for climbs and descents.
However, the actual experience of using these tools can sometimes be less than ideal. Panning or zooming on large maps can result in noticeable lags, and adding overlays like heat maps can slow things down further. Occasionally, the screen may even time out or experience glitches before a tile finishes rendering – a problem that has occurred in other smart watches.
Despite these issues, the recalculation feature, which automatically adjusts routes when straying off course, works reliably. The audio and haptic cues are particularly helpful, especially when listening to audiobooks or podcasts during runs.
Training Metrics and Advanced Features
The Forerunner 970 offers a comprehensive suite of analytics, including running economy, step speed loss, detailed training load and readiness, and new metrics for running tolerance and stride analysis. This extensive toolkit allows for precision training, though the user experience of the app could be improved, particularly regarding layout and built-in workouts.
Some features are less remarkable in daily use. Running economy and step speed loss require an external HRM chest strap, and the real-world utility of physiological estimates like VO2 max and REM sleep is still debated. While these figures are interesting to have, their actionable value is limited without understanding how to interpret the data.
While Garmin provides insights when users click through their data, it’s questionable how many casual runners will be interested in these metrics.
The ECG feature is primarily a manual tool, and enabling it can be cumbersome. However, for individuals with diagnosed arrhythmias, the ability to take readings is valuable. The watch also excels at tracking stress levels and accurately predicting menstrual cycles by noting changes in temperature and heart rate.
Regarding training advice, the Garmin provides guidance on sleep, mileage, and cross-training.
The race predictor function also provides valuable insight into training and performance.
A new feature on the 970 is the ability to preload a race into the watch and set it to auto lap by timing gates, using mile or kilometre markers in the race instead of just distance.
Everyday Usability and Battery Life
With a claimed GPS use of up to 26 hours and a sharp AMOLED screen, the Forerunner 970 can handle day-long ultra events. Real-world battery life is a bit shorter with Always-On Display and SatIQ enabled, but still surpasses a race day.
The sheer number of clicks and menu dives required for non-standard tasks can be frustrating. Saving a workout can take time, as can clocking reps in free workout mode. Some interface quirks, such as touchscreen sensitivity and the overwhelming menu layout, make it feel more like a computer than a watch.
While the aesthetics are appealing, it is still a large face on a rubber strap. However, it is lighter and has a lower profile than competitors, making it more comfortable to wear.
Verdict
The Garmin Forerunner 970 is ideal for data-driven racers and endurance athletes who want to track, analyse, and optimise every aspect of their performance – and are willing to pay for it. For those seeking reliable GPS, heart rate monitoring, and simple metrics, it may be overly complex, expensive, and occasionally irritating. Simpler monitors may be a better fit. However, for triathletes, ultra runners, and metrics enthusiasts, there is no more complete partner currently available. It is best suited for big race days, adventure courses, long-distance training blocks, and everyday logging for ‘pro’ users.