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Ever since I retired my G-Shock in 2015, I’ve been using fitness smartwatches, and some way or another, they’ve all been Garmins—some were passed down from family members, and others were gifts. If you’ve never owned a Garmin watch and want to try one out, the best budget Garmin for runners is down to its lowest price ever, according to price-tracking tools. You can get the Garmin Forerunner 55 for $149 (originally $199.99).
As Senior Health Editor Beth Skwarecki said in her intensive search for the best fitness watches for runners, the Garmin Forerunner 55 is the best budget choice you can make, especially at this record-low price. You get some features that have historically only been found in the premium versions, like the Respiration Rate Tracker feature, which tracks your breathing rate. The battery life is up to two weeks when it’s in standby mode and 20 hours when using GPS tracking.
You can use the Daily Suggested Workouts to suggest how to train to reach your running goals. If you like to run on tracks, you can choose which lane you’re in with Track Mode, which gives you exact pacing for much better accuracy, snapping your times at 100-meter intervals. Based on those numbers, you can also see the Race Predictor, which tells you how you’d fare in a marathon and other race lengths using your VO2 max and other metrics. There’s also Recovery Hours, which suggests how long you should wait until you do another intense workout.
While the Forerunner 55 was released back in 2021, it’s still a great budget option in 2026 since Garmin is known for supporting devices with updates for several years. At this price, you can get a great runner companion to keep track of your miles and still make the rent next month.
