Top 6 timepieces to help you stay on track at the Hong Kong Marathon
Whether it’s a heart rate sensor and basic running functions, or you need to take part in extreme conditions, these timepieces will suit your varying needs
Whether your goal is to run a personal best time or just to finish the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday, February 17, a reliable watch allows you to keep track of your performance during the race.
It’s easy to find the latest running watches from the major brands in Hong Kong. But choosing the right one can be bewildering.
“You need to understand what your needs are before deciding what functions you want, because the more the functions, the more expensive the watch will be”, says Frankie Tse, sales manager of Cam2 Sport and an experienced cross-country runner.
Tse says first-time buyers should look for a watch with an optical heart rate sensor (for tracking heart rate) and other basic functions such as running time, pace and distance.
He does not recommend buying models without a built-in GPS (global positioning system) tracker. “Things they should consider include the price, battery life, and accuracy of the optical heart rate sensor and the GPS tracker,” he adds. “They should also seek opinion from their running friends for a particular watch model and brand.”
Tse suggests Polar’s Vintage M or Garmin’s Vivoactive 3 Music are suitable for entry-level runners.
“The Polar Vintage M is reasonably priced, and the accuracy of its optical heart rate sensor and GPS tracker is the same as its high-end Vintage V model. A major advantage of the Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music is that it can store up to 500 songs and can be connected to a Bluetooth headset, so you can listen to music while running without the need for your mobile phone.” (Note that listening to music is not encouraged at the Hong Kong Marathon.)