Hey all, IM Hamburg coming up for me in June and my Forerunner 735XT barely makes it through a 70.3. What is your go-to timepiece for iron distance races? Thanks!
Well, I have a Forerunner 955 with a 965 in the mail. But what are your priorities in a watch? The 255 is a killer small watch like the 735XT. The Suunto 9 Peak is a good looking daily wear option. The RIVAL is loved for its simplicity.
My main concern is the battery life. I’m hoping for 12h, but who knows what may happen.
Otherwise, I’m basic- just want the 3 basic disciples with indoor/outdoor options and reliable GPS.
If you have a bike computer, you may already be ok!
Don’t swim with a watch, because you shouldn’t be stopping to check it in the water, and whatever it says shouldn’t effect your strategy or effort.
Don’t bike with a watch since you have a bike computer telling you the same information.
Leave the watch you already have in transition and use it for the run.
Those are good points but I suppose I use the watch to look at my overall time as well as my swim time. I could add these up in my head during the race, but it’s nice to see during the run, how close I am to going sub-whatever.
Use the watch on the swim
Then you can look at the results after the race at to see how straight you swam, your pace etc
Bike use the bike Comintern
Run use your watch again
.
Then literally any of the multisport watches would cover it. I don’t think there is a multisport watch on the market under 20 hours in GPS mode.
My forerunner 735 lasts about 7 hours I’d say in Triathlon Mode. So ideally, I’m looking for a watch that would last at least 12 hours.
I got through 1 IM (used for swim, bike & run) with my 735 (13 hours), but then it died at 11 hours on the next one. Just depends on the age of the watch I guess - battery life diminishes over time. I have a Fenix 6 now, but ironically no longer doing IM.
I have a 935, but I’ve heard great things about the Coros Pace 2 - very good battery and lots of other features at a pretty low price.
Hey all, IM Hamburg coming up for me in June and my Forerunner 735XT barely makes it through a 70.3. What is your go-to timepiece for iron distance races? Thanks!
If you are already in the Garmin ecosystem it may be a good idea to stick with Garmin. The Forerunner 965 is my bucket list watch. It will definitely take you through an IM and the screen quality is incredible. It’s also a great looking watch. If you want to go a bit cheaper you can also go for a Fenix 7. I love the Fenix line of Garmin watches but for me the perfect mix of looks and Tri-functionality is the 965. I just wish it was cheaper!
I love my Polar Vantage M. You should check it out.
i am in the same boat. I even wore my apple watch and the 735 last IM to get me through. i have also found it Buggy which i have never experienced in a Garmin Watch. Often workouts wouldn’t load, or it would freeze etc. I don’t want a garmin with music and don’t want to have to pay for this feature, so hopefully i can find one with decent battery life soon
It’s been almost 13 years, but I did my last IM in 2010 (Louisville) with an off-the-shelf Timex IM watch that I bought for ~ $35. 50-split model.
It’s not meant to be snarky. I just have an aversion to technology, or, rather, an aversion to spending too much on my gear. I managed to train and race with a pretty good feel for my intensity. The only real tech I had on me was the bike computer, which was a few miles off on the ride distance (“Dammit, this f-ing thing says I’ve gone 112 miles and I’m nowhere near T2!”). In training, I always set time goals (3 hour run, 6-7 hours on the bike, etc). On race day, I knew I’d see the mile markers every mile.
That is, until now. Just this last week, I had two stents placed in my LAD artery. I bought Garmin 735x from Amazon, and I look forward to it arriving. I bought it mostly to track my HR, since I am going to be nervous AF about my exercise intensity as I return to my previously-active life. I thought it would be a good time to have some technology to track HR and distance and stuff.
I use a 745xt and it lasts an entire IM. You can adjust settings to extend the battery life (look at DC rainmaker review).
If you’re really concerned use it for the swim and run and a dedicated bike computer as others have mentioned but at 12 hours the watch should last (per spec) and I’ve seen it done myself.
I’m wearing my trusty Timex IM watch right now. It’s been the most valuable piece of equipment I’ve ever owned. I use a Garmin in races but it’s not a requirement. I still wear my Timex even when I use my Garmin. I do short races so pacing is less of an issue. But even when I was doing long course races, I used my Timex and nothing else.