I run about 500 km a month and my marathon best is under 2:30, so I picked these myself. This is my call as of October 26, 2026. If you can't decide on a Garmin, get the Forerunner 570: JPY 74,800, 50g, and about 14 hours on multiband, where the watch picks up two kinds of satellite signal. That covers a 6-hour marathon twice. For long mountain races, look at the Instinct 3 Dual Power. For 100 miles, the Enduro 4.
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
If your racing is mostly on the road, pick the Forerunner 570. The gap to the 970 is JPY 47,000 (121,800 − 74,800). That money buys 8 more hours of GPS battery (26 − 18), 7 more on multiband (21 − 14), 24GB more storage (32 − 8), a detailed Japan map and a light. For a marathon or half, the 570's battery covers a 6-hour race twice. If you don't run mountains with a map on your wrist, the extra cost of the 970 has no use.
Key points
- The 570 lasts about 14 hours on multiband. The 970 lasts about 21. That is 7 more hours, for JPY 47,000 more.
- Price per 1 hour of battery is lowest on the Enduro 4, at JPY 1,725. The 570 comes to JPY 4,156.
- The 170 has no multiband. If you want to receive two kinds of satellite signal, start at the 570.
Pick a Garmin running watch by how you use the battery, not by price
Garmin sells a lot of models, and the choice gets confusing. Here are the five that runners pick most, lined up by weight, price and battery life.
Battery figures change with how the watch receives satellite signals. GPS-only and multiband, which receives several signals, give different hours. Check that first.
Five Garmin running watches compared
Scroll the table sideways →
| Model | Official price | Weight | GPS battery | Multiband battery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forerunner 170 | From JPY 47,800 | 41g | About 20 hours | Not supported |
| Forerunner 570 (47mm) | JPY 74,800 | 50g | About 18 hours | About 14 hours |
| Forerunner 970 | JPY 121,800 | 56g | About 26 hours | about 21 hours |
| Instinct 3 Dual Power (45mm) | JPY 71,800 | 52g | About 40 hours | About 24 hours |
| Enduro 4 | JPY 138,000 | 66g | About 80 h | Not listed officially |
A pricier watch does not always cost more per battery hour
Divide the price by GPS battery hours: the Enduro 4 is JPY 1,725 (138,000 ÷ 80) and the Instinct 3 Dual Power is JPY 1,795 (71,800 ÷ 40). The 170 is JPY 2,390 (47,800 ÷ 20), the 570 is JPY 4,156 (74,800 ÷ 18) and the 970 is JPY 4,685 (121,800 ÷ 26).
Redo it with multiband hours: the Instinct 3 is JPY 2,992 (71,800 ÷ 24), the 570 is JPY 5,343 (74,800 ÷ 14) and the 970 is JPY 5,800 (121,800 ÷ 21). The more you care about battery, the better the Instinct 3 and Enduro 4 look next to the Forerunners.
Forerunner 570 vs 970
Both have a 47mm case, a 1.4-inch OLED screen and 5 ATM water resistance. With so much in common, the differences show up clearly in the numbers.
| Item | 570 | 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | JPY 74,800 | JPY 121,800 |
| Weight | 50g | 56g |
| GPS battery / multiband | about 18 hours / about 14 hours | about 26 hours / about 21 hours |
| Storage | 8GB | 32GB |
| Map on the watch | Not supported | Detailed Japan topographic map built in |
| Light | Not listed officially | Built-in LED flashlight |
The JPY 47,000 difference buys battery, storage, maps and a light. On a road marathon or half you would use none of them. If you want a map on your wrist on unfamiliar mountain trails, only the 970 has one.
The Forerunner 170 is an entry model without multiband
At 41g, the 170 is the lightest watch of the five. It runs about 20 hours in GPS mode and about 14 hours when it receives several satellite systems. It supports Garmin Pay and Suica.
The gap to the 570 is JPY 27,000 (74,800 − 47,800). For that you get multiband high-accuracy GPS and double the storage, from 4GB to 8GB. If you often run between tall buildings or under trees, the 570 is worth it. I wrote more in the Forerunner 170 review.
For mountain running: Instinct 3 Dual Power and Enduro 4
The Instinct 3 Dual Power charges by solar and runs about 40 hours on GPS. Among these models it has the second-lowest price per battery hour after the Enduro 4, and it is rated to 10 ATM. The screen is a black-and-white transflective display that stays readable in sunlight. It has no maps.
The Enduro 4 went on sale on October 22 and is Garmin's watch for 100-mile races. It runs about 80 hours in the standard setting and holds the detailed Japan topographic map in 64GB of storage. At 66g it is the heaviest here, though the watch alone is 57g. The Enduro 4 review covers what changed from the previous model.
What the Numbers Say About Running Style and Pace
For a 6-hour marathon, all five have enough battery. Even the 570, at 14 hours on multiband, covers it 2.3 times (14 ÷ 6). The gap opens in mountain races such as the 24-hour Hasetsune CUP (see the trail running mandatory gear guide).
To track 24 hours on multiband, only the Instinct 3 qualifies, at exactly about 24 hours. The 970 gets there if you drop to GPS mode, at about 26 hours. None of these watches comes with a fitness-level guideline from Garmin, so this is my reading of the numbers.
Which Garmin for which goal
| Goal | Model |
|---|---|
| My first running watch, for marathons and halves | Forerunner 170 |
| Road races, with high-accuracy GPS | Forerunner 570 |
| A map on the watch while I run | Forerunner 970 |
| Around 24 hours in the mountains, without battery worry | Instinct 3 Dual Power |
| 100 miles on a single charge | Enduro 4 |
For battery life and prices of non-Garmin models, see the comparison of 12 running watches.
Price and where to buy
The 570 is my first candidate. It receives two kinds of satellite signal on multiband and weighs 50g.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Garmin Forerunner 570
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 67,320 (as of 10/20), ranging up to JPY 109,620 depending on the shop. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaBuying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
If you want a map and a light in one watch, get the 970.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Garmin Forerunner 970
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 104,500 (as of 10/26), ranging up to JPY 121,800 depending on the shop. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaBuying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
For an entry model, the 170. For the mountains, the Instinct 3 Dual Power and Enduro 4.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Garmin Forerunner 170
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 43,019 (as of 10/20), ranging up to JPY 55,800 depending on the shop. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaOfficial store (US)Buying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Garmin Instinct 3 Dual Power
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 65,211 (as of 10/20), ranging up to JPY 87,011 depending on the shop. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaBuying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
About the writer and sources
I run about 500 km a month, my marathon best is under 2:30, and I also race trail and triathlon. I'm the shoe nerd behind this site. I re-read the figures on the Garmin Japan product pages and press releases on October 26, 2026. Last updated October 26.
FAQ
What is the difference between the Forerunner 570 and 970?
The price differs by JPY 47,000, GPS battery by 8 hours (26 − 18), and storage by 24GB (32 − 8). Only the 970 has the built-in Japan topographic map and the flashlight. The weight gap is 6g.
Which Garmin running watch has the longest battery life?
Of these five, the Enduro 4. It lasts about 80 hours in the standard setting and about 144 hours with solar charging.
Can the Forerunner 170 track a full marathon?
Yes. It lasts about 20 hours in GPS mode and about 14 hours in the multi-satellite setting, which covers a 6-hour race twice (14 ÷ 6).
When were the Garmin running watches released?
The Forerunner 170 came out on May 28, 2026, and the Enduro 4 on October 22, 2026. The Instinct 3 Alpine Rush collection went on sale on April 1, 2026. The product pages give no release date for the 570 or 970.
Gear in this article
Ads and images: Rakuten IchibaSources
- Garmin Japan official: Forerunner 170
- Garmin Japan official: Forerunner 570 47mm
- Garmin Japan official: Forerunner 970
- Garmin Japan official: Instinct 3 Dual Power 45mm
- Garmin Japan official: Enduro 4
- Garmin Japan press release (Enduro 4 goes on sale October 22)
- Garmin Japan press release (Instinct 3 Alpine Rush collection and prices)
- Garmin Japan press release (May 13, 2026: Forerunner 70/170 on sale May 28)
