My 14 YO son is a runner. Several years ago I bought him an Android watch (non-runner watch) and it died recently. He just finished his Freshman year of High School Cross Country (Varsity) and he runs Track in the Spring. I'm thinking of getting him a runners watch for Christmas. I don't even have a smart watch, and the only reason I run is if someone is chasing me!

I was thinking of getting him a Garmin Forerunner 170 Music. Seems to be a nice, entry level watch that has music capability.

Any other suggestions from folks that run?

Edit after Initial Posting
We're not in the Apple Eco-System!

Android compatible please!

Following, my Citizen CZ has been acting up recently.

I am not a runner, but my friends are.

Seems like most have Apple Watches.

They do running and almost everything else.

I'm a runner that uses the Garmin forerunner 235. I can vouch for the quality and longevity of Garmin products. I use it to collect data on my runs, but I only use it about once a week. Otherwise, I become a slave to the data, and it lessens the meditative nature of running.

Garmin. Don't forget you can purchase refurbs at gpscity.com. Set him up with a Garmin Connect account, so he can track his data and monitor progress. Strava app will allow him to share with his friends.

I'm not a runner but I regularly play pickleball, row, kayak and hike. I chose Garmins ( Instinct Solar & Venu3) for the long battery life. The Venu3 is a smartwatch and regularly gets 7 days on a charge. The Instinct gets 3-4 weeks. Both have built in apps for a variety of sports. I use the Venu3 daily and the Instinct Solar for longer hikes because of its interface with Garmin Explore and its maps.

I only walk, hike, and do light gym work here and there. My Garmin Instinct 3 Solar can easily handle those few tasks and many more.

If you want one of the best sports watch/equipment reviewers out there, look up DC Rainmaker on YT. I don’t think this guy nor is wife ever sleep. They live on Mallorca in the Mediterranean, and they’re always hiking, running, biking, swimming, etc, testing devices - many times multiple devices at once.

One handy device on my Instinct 3 Solar is the flashlight. I use it almost every day. Also, it is lighter than I had imagined, so I wear it 24/7, especially for its monitoring.

I'm an old, slow runner- plodder would probably more be accurate, but the Garmin 265 has worked well for me. It has tons of metrics for advanced runners and good battery life.

It did crap out about six months after the warranty expired. When I contacted Garmin Customer Support initially they offered to send me a refurbished unit for $130, which was a surprise, as they have always been very accommodating in the past. After I submitted a complaint they sent a refurbished watch with full warranty free of charge.

Garmin for sure. I’ve been using there stuff for close to 20 years, many marathons and triathlons. I’m in a Fenix6 now, which is great for triathlons.

For your son, don’t overbuy and get features (=you’ll pay much more) he won’t use. For XC, he’ll need a garmin that provides splits, pace, heart rate, intensity. Get Garmin Connect, maybe Strava.

And Garmin has pretty good warranties. I’ve received refurbished units after mine died etc.

Absolutely love my Garmin Fenix 7. I think it’s a pro or solar or pro solar, maybe an x solar?

Idk, but it works really well.

Apple Watch Ultra, you can get a model 3, and refurbs from Apple or on Woot, lots of health and exercise options and reporting. You can add it to your cell plan, get him a set of airpod 3
and he can run without having to carry a phone and he can still get music, make a call if he needs such as in an emergency, or to order dinner, lots of great features for someone athletic.

Link Ultra 3 - Woot

Might get him a Hume armband monitor, it has a wider range of data and measurements and is on sale right now for Black Friday, Hume doesn't charge any monthly or annual fees.

Link Hume Band 2.0

So I no longer run, but I do love watches. Anyway, I am also on a bit of a anti smart watch thing and really appreciated this video. Anyway, I found it entertaining. But I would vote for the Casio Mudman.

Garmin all the way. Assuming they will have their phone with them anyway, I advise to skip the music option and save the money. In my experience, it was sketchy/glitchy and really pointless. I've been running with Garmin for over ten years. Solid stuff. I bought two of my kids the Forerunner 165. The screens are great.

Another older and slower runner here. This simple watch works for me.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H6APZM

I am a cyclist, and use a Garmin Epix Pro 2 (model discontinued now). Apple watch will only go 1 or 2 days on a charge. My Garmin, 43mm bezel size will go 16 days on a charge, the 52mm has a bigger battery (it's heavier) will go longer. One note, when I start an activity to track and turn on the GPS, it burns at 3x the normal rate, but you can still go 4 days in a row tracking bike rides on one charge.

Garmin will sync up to Android or Apple phones and upload to Strava or nearly any fitness app that's on the market. As ftttu mentioned, if you want to go crosseyed on anything fitness tracking, watch DCRainmaker or Desfits YouTube channels. They know everything there is to know about fitness watches and apps. And yeah my Garmin has a little flashlight that I have found handy in the middle of the night.

Garmin guy here. I used a forerunner for many years 5k’s to ultras, road and trail. Now that I bike (knees gave out) I wear a venue.

I’m an Apple guy, and I was awaiting the Apple Watch when they were announced. However, right before they were released, I immediately got turned off due to having to charge it frequently.

My wife is on her third Apple Watch, and each one needed to be charged daily. I BIG no go for me.

My Garmin Instinct 3 Solar charges with a plug-in USB-C wire, and I only do it about once a month. If I expose it to the sun more, that could be extended to, even to the point of not having to manually recharge. Yes, using GPS features does run it down faster.

Garmin Fenix 8 or Fenix 7. Garmin now has the Fenix 9 so the two afore mentioned models will be less money.

I have the Fenix 8 51mm Solar Pro so it does get some charge when one is out and about to extend battery life.

I usually get a week and a half on a charge, but I have the pulse-ox function running all the time.

Apple watch Ultra will go up to 42 hours on a single charge, I've had it go 3 days, and the watch comes with the higher power charging pod and takes very little time to charge from 10% to full, maybe 30 minutes at the most....

Another Applewatch Ultra fan here. Strava will interface with the health app and capture heart rate. Also allows me to workout without my phone on me.