It’s 6:00 am and the first thing I wake up to is ‘The Morning Report’. Except this one’s not a news summary or a digital assistant giving me a summary of what lies ahead for the day but Garmin’s update on whether I’m ready to run. I spent about a week with the Garmin Forerunner 265, during a recent trip to Sri Lanka. Surfing was higher up on my agenda on this trip than running but I did get out to check out some of the features, especially on some days when I sailed past the 10,000 step mark.  

The Garmin cult 

Soon after the US opened GPS systems for civilian use in 2000, Garmin engineer and running enthusiast – Claudette Stevenson, hit upon an idea while strapping a mountaineering GPS unit on to her wrist. It was the genesis for the Garmin Forerunner brand, a portable GPS device for runners that measured distance and speed effectively. The Forerunner series recently celebrated its 20^th anniversary and has built a cult following with serious runners over a long period of time. If you’re in the market for a premium smartwatch, you’re either in the camp that is looking for a smartwatch experience or a brand like Garmin that delivers a more running and wellness focused experience. The Forerunner 265 is for the latter.  

Rugged appeal

One of the first things I noticed when I slapped on the Forerunner 265 on to my wrist was how light it feels. Its rugged and yet it’s quite weightless on your wrist. You won’t find any titanium or other premium metals in the build unlike an Apple Watch Ultra. This goes back to the same smartwatch vs running watch camps. The other thing that made a big impression is the vibrant 1.3-inch AMOLED display (416 x 416 pixels). There were a few days when I spent most of the time outdoors under the sun, and I was able to view some of the drill down data and graphs. Runners will enjoy using this vivid display. Battery life varies depending on your GPS usage.

Just Garmin things 

Set up was a breeze with the Garmin connect app; I paired this smartwatch with an iPhone. You can use the touchscreen or the five physical buttons to navigate. This is a bit of a learning curve for first-time Garmin users but not if you’re familiar with this ecosystem. We dig the Garmin app and all the information that it offers runners. It’s one of the most comprehensive out there.  

We’ve said this before – we’ve been big fans of Garmin’s Body Battery that we’ve checked out on multiple Garmin watches. This unique energy monitoring system shows the body’s current energy level that allows you to plan your workouts better and also tells you when it’s time to slow down. I always found this feature was an accurate reflection of how I ‘felt’ at any given point of time.  The Morning Report is another useful feature that compiles the previous night’s sleep quality, body battery index, HRV status, recovery time, and provides daily workout suggestions to start your fresh new day 

Wrap up 

The Garmin Forerunner 265 also offers smartwatch features like music storage, alerts and weather updates. The wellness feature set does not include ECG which is now available in some of its own watches and rival smartwatches. While the smartphone features add to its connected appeal, this one is primarily aimed at folks who take their running seriously. You get an entire dashboard of running metrics from HRV Status that tracks heart rate variability to understand recovery balance between life and training and wrist-based running power and dynamics that ensures each stride is precisely recorded and analysed. If you’re looking for a smartwatch to complement your running routine, the Forerunner 265 ought to be on your list.  

The Garmin Forerunner 265 comes in Whitestone, Aqua and Black and costs Rs 50,490