This is a great product if are a trail runner like me. I've never lost a signal even under thick tree cover. Track miliage, elevation, grade etc. I agree the soffware is lame but you can download Sportstrack for free. It's much better than the stock software. Too bad MotionBased is no longer availiable. It was great.

Not sure why some of the reviewers had a problem with battery life. I've worn mine during 50 mile ultras and the battery lasts for nearly 10 hours.

this watch has a lot of great things about it. it's got all the data i want. the display is nice, well because the watch is huge. that makes this watch one that you would not wear around. you put this on and train then take it off when you are done. one thing i noticed right off the bat was that the total ascent was waaaaaay off. useless in fact. that alone rules this watch out for me. the other thing is it's rechargeable battery just doesn't last long enough. seems like a 50km, or about 5-6 hours is it's max. that just isn't long enough. strike two. the software seems like an afterthought and is kind of a joke - bear in mind that is coming from an ex software test engi-nerd. and you can upload to motionbased.com and geek out on the gps data. i had heard that the gps might not work well in the woods. although i didn't have extensive testing on this it worked well enough in the lightly treed capitol forest south of seattle. i wish they nailed the altimeter and the battery and worked less on the useless on watch gps features.

The size and fit take some getting used to but it has all the features you would need as a recreational runner and then some. The software is too much fun, track your heart rate and speed and elevation throughout your run and compare to previous results. If you have to have 100% accurate distance and elevation I'd choose a foot pod based wrist top computer.

I got hooked on the GPS when I got my Garmin bike computer, but wanted something to run with that I didn't have to carry in my hand... this is the perfect combination! Gives you all of the stats that you want on 3 screens as you run, and you can customize each screen to show you up to 4 different things per page. There's even an auto-scroll function to roll through the pages as plug along. One of my favorite features is the backlight that you can set to stay on for different amounts of time after you press a button, or just leave it on for your entire run. Garmin also has this packaged in a bundle with a bike cadence sensor and handlebar mount... and I'll admit that I bought mine elsewhere at a bit of a discount from BC.com's price (even with the bundle), but I love this product and wanted to share with all of the purists on this site. As for the size and fit, I've got no complaints. My buddy has the Forerunner 301 and this is much more comfortable and less cumbersome to wear. Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all when I'm running. The display is easy to read and the ability to analyze your workout when you're done is a good mental-motivator, especially if you tend to run the same course a lot. Doesn't provide much in the way of mapping information, but if you can run far enough to get yourself lost, then you're in good enough shape to take a few detours on your way back... but it will provide directional data (a bread-crumb trail, if you will) if you're willing to turn around and run the same route in reverse. All in all, a great product. If you plan to use the multi-sport (running/biking) functionality, look around for the multi-sport bundle... otherwise, I think the cadence sensor and handlebar mount will cost you about another $90 or so.

this is a great product. fantastic for measuring distance, heart rate and a load of other stuff. very easy to use the basic functions. requires a bit more knowledge and playing around for the more complected functions. Glad I got the latest one which comes with a high power satellite receiver. This can still tack some time to locate the satellites when under tree canopy.

i have to disagree with matt's one-star review which i found a little harsh. it is important to remember that Garmin is still the only major player in the market of trail running gps devices and that the whole concept is still relatively new.

first of all, only a minority of people will ever hit the battery limit. i'm sure future iterations will address the 6-hour limit but for now, most runners will do fine with the given capacity. secondly, although i also thought the size of the watch would annoy, a couple runs with the thing and i nearly forgot i was wearing it. even if you don't like the rubber strap it comes with, you can replace it with a velcro one. thirdly, i find the accuracy of the unit to be remarkably good. runs with many switchbacks and dense foliage caused it to come up a little short and the altitude is prone to some error but once again, this is still a technology in its infancy. it's certainly more accurate than trying to chart the course out by hand on a map. finally, i agree that the included software isn't very well constructed, but there are alternatives. i've heard great things about sport tracks (http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/sporttracks/), and garmin is still in the process of converting their online database (motionbased) over to a more user-friendly, functional "garmin connect" platform.

ultimately i think the forerunner was worth every penny. there is certainly room for improvement and making it more appropriate for ultrarunners but the ability to plot out my runs in google earth and compare altitude, pace, heart-rate, and distance data from many runs is enough for me to give it a strong recommendation.

This is an absolutely great piece of training equipment! I've used heart rate for a very long time and this is second to none. The heart rate seems very consistent and the distance is very much right on. For what they're made for this is a great tool! I love it!!!

I've had the forerunner for over a year now and I've got to say it's an essential piece of training equipment. Having the ability to track distance, heart rate, average pace and a bunch of other data is both informative and motivational. Additionally, its ability to store data from multiple sports is also handy if you're a runner and a biker or hiker etc...In my experience the battery, true to Garmin's word, lasts about 10 hours when fully charged. Which for me means I've got to charge it up once per week. The standard package comes with two wrist bands, I'm not a big guy, but I use the larger band, especially during cooler months when I wear it over a long sleeved tops. It has plenty of size adjustments. Although it's bigger than a wrist watch I wouldn't call it bulky and I've never been to distracted by it's size or weight while wearing it--regardless of the activity (running, biking, hiking). If you workout in the same general area everday you probably won't have issues with it connecting to the required number of Satellites. However, if you travel or move workout location more than a few miles apart it can take a few minutes to link. That being said, I've used my current 305 in both the USA and Europe and the longest I've waited for a link is about 10 minutes...I'd say the average is more like 2 minutes. keeping a link has never been problem either and I run and bike in pretty thick wooded areas. You don't have to be a professional to enjoy the benefits of the Forerunner but I warn you once you've started using it you won't be able to run, bike, or hike without it ever again.

When I said my buddy had the Edge 301, I meant to say the Forerunner 301. The Edge product line is for biking... guess I had that in mind from when I was talking about carrying my other GPS in my hand. Hope this didn't cause anyone any confusion. Also, if anyone knows of a way to edit a review, please feel free to share! Happy running... or biking... just don't forget your new GPS!

A great watch for all your fitness needs. As the description says, it keeps track of speed, distance, average speed, calories, and heartrate and there are options to allow you to put multiple views up on one screen. It has handy features like a pace alarm, virtual partner, and multi-sport options to keep you motivated and the battery seems to last the advertised 10 hours. The bundled software could use an upgrade but I don't use it that much anyway. Overall it is not terribly bulky and it is very easy to use.

I love this watch!! The heart rate monitor is spot on and the GPS picks up even under tree canopy. The unit takes about 30 seconds to lock a signal and it's all fun and games after that. It has SO many features!! TOTALLY boosted my training.

As an endurance trail runner & cyclist, I love this thing. It has replaced my Polar HRM. After a few months of using it, I am still excited to use it. I am love being able to track my long trail runs, use the virtual partner function, and the pace/distance etc.. reminders that you can customize. I utilize the MotionBased.com software that you can upload your workouts to and run detail analysis of. I have not experienced any issue with the GPS and I run wooded trails and use this while cycling. I am very happy with the product and highly recommend.

I've had mine for two weeks and was in love from day one. It works great not only for running but for Mtn Biking, hiking and any other outdoor sport. Couple it with SportTracks software and it is amazing! See aerial photos of your route, corrected elevation profiles using DEM's, calories burned, heart rate zones and more. All I need now is a solar panel recharger to keep it going on multi day trips.

This is incredible. The HR monitor works great, and seeing the stats on your computer after the workout shows everything about your run. Would highly recommend getting this for your training.

I really expected it to be big and annoying, but I do not notice it while running. Accurate tracking and great interface options with the computer. I have not had any problems in the woods, it holds a signal well once it initially locks on (can take up to two minutes if cloudy). Take the altitude data with a grain of salt; this uses gps for altitude instead of an actual altimeter, so it can be off by like 15 feet vertical even though the path is dead on.

My only complaint is battery life. I get maybe 6-7 hours with the heart rate monitor active, you also need to charge it within a few days of using, the battery discharges fast sitting around unused.

I concur with the previous positive commentary. For those concerned about the size-- I'm a smallish woman with relatively small wrists. I grabbed a $2.50 5-inch long wrist sweatband from one of the Sports aisles in Wal-Mar. The 305 sets nicely atop the band, and is so comfortable that I'm not conscious of it until I want to quick check a stat during walking or biking. Just be sure to get freebies SportTracks and Google Earth. Eye candy with stats up da wazoo. Heck of a motivator, in terms of coercing daily exercise--- don't wanna see gaps in my graphs!

I am in search of the perfect training partner watch/HRM/GPS unit. I am testing and trying and WANTING to find my match. As an autobio, I'm a multisport endurance athlete. This is closer to what I need than the Garmin 405 (see my review of that one, if you're interested) but it's still not "the one." First of all, the positives. The GPS tracks well, though I do lose the signal in very heavily wooded areas or deep in canyons. I have not tested the altitude feature extensively because my training is not centered on this factor. The computer interface and data reporting is exceptional and can even be addicting. I love the auto multisport features and the display screen can be adjusted to report to you the information that you need to know. One frustration is that you can set the screen displays for both running and biking, but those screens are not the default screens when the watch is in multisport mode. You have to hit the buttons to get to the screen that you want to see. (If you're not in auto multisport mode, you don't have to do this.) But the biggest let-down of the 305 is that again, similar to the 405, the battery life is just too short for long endurance athletes. Ten hours tops, but most of the time, I got 8-9 hours worth of tracking. So even though I don't wear it during the Ironman swim (it is not waterproof and is not intended for use in the water), I can't even get all the way through the run without a dead battery. And that's when I most want to know how I'm doing. It's hopeless on long training days and adventures too. So while I would definitely recommend this watch for any single- or multisport athlete who needs tracking only up to 8-9 hours, I cannot give the thumbs up for the rest of us. I'm still looking for my dream tracker. I'll let you know when I find it.