Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I like this watch, but would not buy it again. By way of background, I am a 12 time Ironman finisher and reasonably tech-savvy endurance athlete Here is what it does well (and should at this price) - 1. It provides accurate pace (mile/minute) for running. 2. It provides heart-rate via a wrist-based optical sensor, which (however) is subject to wild swings in accuracy Here are the problems I have encountered - 1. Insufficient battery life. Garmin advertises this as a leading multisport (meaning triathlon) watch. This weekend I used it in the Ironman World Championships. I charged the device to 100% prior to the start. After a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 23 miles of running - the battery failed. It simply did not have enough juice to make it to the finish. Its frustrating to have your watch fail at mile 23 in the Hawaiian Ironman, to say the least. For that reason alone, you should not buy it if you wish to race Ironman with it. 2. Inaccurate heart rate. In training I experienced wild variation in HR using the optical HR sensor. For e.g., during a light jog the HR sensor would show 180 BPM, when my actual HR was 120 BPM. This inaccuracy seemed more prevalent in cool morning conditions. Much on the web has been written about this. 3. Poor sync tech. Garmin advertises easy data syncing with the Connect app. I have found syncing requires multiple manual attempts, and is inconsistent and unreliable For training, its OK. But you'd be better off with a far less expensive Garmin for basic pace data (and a chest based HRM), or another brand.