You do the running. Forerunner 245 does the thinking. This GPS smartwatch doesn't just tell you where you ran. It tracks your stats, crunches the numbers and gets to know all about your performance, your running form, your training history and even your goals. All you need to focus on is putting one foot in front of the other.

Advanced performance analytics

What amount of training is right for you? Forerunner 245 offers personalised training and recovery insight for smarter training decisions, helping you prepare for your next race. It keeps tabs on your VO2 max and understands how heat and altitude impact your performance. The higher your VO2 max, the higher you can expect to perform, which is exactly what is shown by the performance condition metric. Training status evaluates your recent exercise history and performance indicators to let you know if you're training productively, peaking or overreaching. See how your workouts influence the development of endurance, speed and power with aerobic and anaerobic training effect feedback. Recovery time helps you maximise the benefit of your efforts by predicting when you will be ready for your next tough challenge. You can even view your overall training load, which measures your exercise volume from the last 7 days and compares it to the optimal range for your fitness and recent training history.

More ways to work out

Running is what you do, so train smarter with the tools available from our Garmin Connect online fitness community. Create your own custom workouts, or download free ones that sync right to your watch. Or, if you've got a specific goal in mind for your next 5K, check out Garmin Coach. Featuring guidance from expert coaches and free training plans that adapt to you and your goals, it's a foolproof way to get to the finish line. As part of your training plan, it can even help you predict your race time. What about when you want to switch it up? Forerunner 245 also has activity profiles for cycling, pool swimming, indoor rowing and even for using the elliptical or stair-stepper.

Analyse your running form

The Forerunner 245 GPS smartwatch also has the tools you need to improve your running form. The watch measures crucial running metrics such as cadence, stride length, ground contact time and balance, vertical oscillation and vertical ratio. These measurements are the key to understanding your form, so you can bring your best on every run and at every race. Your Forerunner 245 can start tracking these metrics with the addition of a compatible heart rate strap or the compact Running Dynamics Pod, which clips right onto your waistband.

More ways to customise

Check out our Connect IQ Store, where you can add personality to Forerunner 245 by downloading apps, widgets, watch faces and more. It's easy and — even better — it's free. New apps are added every day, so you can keep tabs on when your Uber will arrive, challenge yourself with the Strava Relative Effort app, and even use the AccuWeather MinuteCast app to find out when the rain will start.

Stay connected on the run

Forerunner 245 makes it easy to run without leaving important smart features behind. Once paired with your compatible smartphone, you'll be able to receive text messages and see social media updates, emails and more right on your wrist. New safety and tracking features make it easy to share your location with chosen contacts in case you need assistance — manually, or automatically with built-in incident detection, if needed. So, lace up your shoes and head out with a little extra peace of mind.

Share and compete

Syncing your activities to Garmin Connect is for more than just storing your data. Garmin Connect is a thriving online community where people on the go can connect and compete by joining challenges, encourage each other's successes and even share their triumphs via social media. Garmin Connect is free and available on the web or on your smartphone.

Wellness and advanced sleep monitoring

The Forerunner 245 smartwatch has tools to help keep tabs on your overall well-being and the sleep3 you're getting at night. These tools provide crucial insight you can use to maximise your training. For example, it's our first running watch to include a Pulse Ox sensor4. This wrist-based sensor estimates your body's blood oxygen saturation, which can help gauge how your body is absorbing oxygen — especially while you sleep. And to help you optimise your body's energy, Body Battery™ energy monitoring uses collected data to gauge your energy reserves at any moment, so you can plan your day to optimise times for activity and rest.

1When used with Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Run™ or HRM-Tri™ monitors (sold separately)

2When paired with a compatible smartphone

3Activity tracking accuracy

4This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox not available in all countries

Specs

General

Lens material: Corning® Gorilla® glass 3

Bezel material: Fiber-reinforced polymer

Quick Release Bands: Yes (20 mm, Industry standard)

Strap material: Silicone

Physical size: 42.3 x 42.3 x 12.2 (mm); Fits wrists with a circumference of 127-204 mm

Display size: 1.2" (30.4 mm) diameter

Display resolution: 240 x 240 pixels

Display type: Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)

Weight: 38.5 g

Battery life: Smartwatch Mode: Up to 7 days; GPS mode: Up to 24 hours

Water rating: Swim, 5 ATM

Colour display

Memory/history: 200 hours of activity data

Clock features

Time/date

GPS time sync

Automatic daylight saving time

Alarm clock

Timer

Stopwatch

Sunrise/sunset times

Sensors

GPS

GLONASS

Galileo

Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor

Compass

Accelerometer

Pulse Ox

Daily smart features

Connectivity: Bluetooth®, ANT+®

Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps)

Smart notifications

Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only)

Calendar

Weather

Controls smartphone music

Find my phone

Find my watch

VIRB® camera remote

Smartphone compatibility: iPhone® and Android™

Compatible with Garmin Connect™ Mobile

Safety and tracking features

Incident Detection during select activities: Yes (Smartphone required)

Assistance: Yes (Smartphone required)

LiveTrack

Live Event Sharing: Android™ Only

Activity tracking features

Step counter

Move bar (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it)

Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal)

Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep)

Calories burned

Distance travelled

Intensity minutes

TrueUp™

Move IQ™

Fitness age: Yes (in app)

Body Battery™ Energy Monitor

All-day stress tracking

Fitness equipment/gym

Available gym activity profiles: Strength training, Cardio training, Elliptical training, Stair stepping, Indoor rowing and Yoga

Cardio workouts

Strength workouts

Automatic rep counting

Training, planning and analysis features

GPS speed and distance

Customisable screen(s)

Customisable activity profiles

Auto Pause®

Interval training

Advanced workouts

Downloadable training plans

Auto Lap®

Manual lap

Configurable lap alerts

VO2 max

Training status (lets you see if you’re training effectively by tracking your training history and fitness level trend)

Training load (your total training load for the last 7 days calculated from estimated EPOC)

Training effect (aerobic)

Training effect (anaerobic)

Customisable alerts

Audio prompts

Finish time

Virtual partner

Race an activity

Course guidance

Touch and/or button lock

Auto scroll

Activity history on watch

Physio TrueUp

Heart rate features

HR zones

HR alerts

HR calories

% HR max

% HRR

Recovery time

Auto max HR

HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+™ to paired devices)

Running features

Available run profiles: Running, Treadmill running, Indoor track running, Trail running

GPS-based distance, time and pace

Running dynamics: Yes (with compatible accessory)

Vertical oscillation and ratio (the degree of 'bounce' in your running motion and the cost-benefit ratio with stride length): Yes (with compatible accessory)

Ground contact time and balance (shows how much time, in the running motion, your foot is on the ground rather than in flight and lets you check your running symmetry): Yes (with compatible accessory)

Stride length (real time): Yes (with compatible accessory)

Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute)

Performance condition (after running 6–20 minutes, compares your real-time condition to your average fitness level)

PacePro™ pacing strategies

Run workouts

Race predictor

Foot pod capable

Outdoor recreation features

Point-to-point navigation

Breadcrumb trail in real time

Back to start

TracBack®

UltraTrac mode

Distance to destination

GPS coordinates

Cycling features

Available cycling profiles: Biking, Indoor biking

Courses

Race an activity

Time/distance alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goal)

Compatible with Varia Vision™ (head-mounted display)

Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar)

Compatible with Varia™ lights

Speed and cadence sensor support (with sensor)

Swimming features

Available swim profiles: Pool swimming

Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count/rate, calories)

Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly)

Swim efficiency (SWOLF)

Drill logging

Pool swim workouts

Connectivity

Smartphone compatibility: iPhone® and Android™

In the box

Forerunner 245

Charging/data cable

Documentation