It's all about the watch. Or is it? Exploring the relationship between distance runners and their running watch
· Yahoo Sports
As soon as she was the first runner to cross the finish line in her 1600 meters victory at the Triway Invitational at Triway High School in late-April, she immediately looked.
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Not at the crowd. Not to see if any runners were coming from behind her. Not to see where the nearest hydration station was so she could get something to drink.
None of that. Smithville senior Kaitlyn Carr bent over and instantly looked at her running watch to see what her time was.
"I always wear a watch. I like to know my paces I got timed set out for each quarter in each 200," said Carr, a few weeks after that track meet.
And there lies the relationship between distance runners and their running watch. They almost go hand-and-hand. In many ways, if you think of one, the other comes to mind. If you see a long distance runner competing in a high school track meet or participating in a practice session, there's a strong likelihood they're sporting a running watch.
Or are they?
Just how vital are running watches?
For many of the top track and field distance runners in the Wooster-area, running with a running watch is like a daily ritual in their day-to-day life of distance running.
Orrville senior Owen Lacy says he began wearing a running watch during his first year of high school.
"I started running in seventh grade for cross country and then I got my watch my freshman year," he said. "It's a lot more convenient for me compared to carrying my phone to record distance."
For Waynedale twin brothers in seniors Jaydon and Jackson Varner, they've been steady wearing a running watch ever since their grade school days.
"When we were in elementary school, our parents got us a stopwatch," said Jackson. "It wasn't able to track distance or anything but we had one of those watches for a couple of years. Once we got into middle school, we got the ones that had the GPS that can track your distance."
For many, actually selecting the right running watch to wear is as pivotal as running with one all together.
That's where the different brand choices come in, with Garmin, Apple, Coros and Polar being the most prominent running watches distance runners across the world use. For the area's premier runners, Garmin is the popular brand they typically go with.
"I have a Garmin Forerunner 55 and I've had it for two years," said Norwayne senior Lillith Dreibelbis, who says her Garmin is pretty user-friendly. "Coach [Tiah] Wingate told me to get a watch, so I had a cheap watch. Then in my sophomore year, I got a Garmin and it's made a huge difference with how I run. I'm able to see my splits and everything. It's pretty basic but it does everything I need it to do."
Lacy, a Division II All-Ohioan in the 1600 meters last year, also wears a Garmin Forerunner 55 and said one of his track coaches purchased his Garmin watch on a good deal− along with his teammates − from a team fundraiser.
"I've had it since freshman year. Same watch," Lacy said. "It's the most basic one you can get from Garmin. It's pretty easy to use. You just get the app and it's pretty straight forward. Sometimes it gives you a recommended workout."
"I have a Garmin 235," said Carr, a three-time individual state track and field champion (twice in 1600; once in 3200) and the 2025 Division IV state cross country champion. "It's slowly dying so I'm going to have to buy a new one before I go to college."
For every distance runner that makes it a priority to wear a running watch during their races, you'll have a few that don't.
Smithville sophomore Nigel Wenger has a Garmin Forerunner that he wears...but only during practices.
"I wear a running watch everyday unless it's in a race because I don't think you're supposed to have a GPS watch during races. At practice I wear one. During a race, no," Wenger said. "I just go by feel."
As with most runners, they want to know their exact time right after the race. For Wenger, it's not imperative.
"I guess others wear it to see how fast they're going and what their time might be based on their splits. They can tell if they should go faster or slow down. It's not as important to me," he added. "Usually my coach times my splits. I trust the Fully Automatic Timing System."
Same goes with Smithville's Maryn Erdman.
The junior and 2024 Division III 800 meters state champion as a freshman specializes in shorter distance races, so it feels inconsequential for her to wear a running watch.
"I run the 800 and 400, so a watch isn't really super beneficial in those races. The 400 and 800 are just sprints. No need to wear one. I have parents shouting out my splits every 200 and even my 100 splits," said Erdman. "I ran the mile (1600) twice this season. I never run the 3200. Maybe if I was running the 3200 I would consider it."
A nice security blanket
With all types of running watches, each has its own set of features that stick out to every runner. The ones that are a must and all but necessary.
We're talking the whole deal. It could be specific training apps, heart rate, pace, stride length, etc.
"It has cadence, heart rate, distance and pace," said Jackson, who along with Jaydon, are amongst the many who also wear Garmin watches.
But it's the GPS (Global Positioning System) that is the main feature the runners like the most.
"There is one nice feature I like to use," Jackson continued. "When I'm doing workouts for track, it has a track run GPS so everytime you split it, it tells you how far your lap is and how long you've been running it."
"For me, it's the GPS," said Lacy. "I don't concern myself with my heart too much, like if my heart rate is too high, I need to slow down. Sometimes my heart rate will be high but I feel relaxed. For me, the thing I watch the most is my pace. It'll tell you like your seven-minute per mile pace or something like that."
What might be minor to other runners like the battery life and finding something comfortable, was essential to Dreibelbis.
"Obviously, it has GPS. It has the option for me to see each lap," she said. "I think I was looking to find a watch where the battery life wouldn't die. My other watch would die every two days but this has last me two weeks on charge. I was looking for comfort too. A lot of the watches I looked at, they rubbed my skin and I didn't like that. The Garmin sits perfectly on my wrist, which I like."
Many of the new watches now have GPS built-in, but due to Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) rules high school runners generally cannot wear GPS watches during meets, as electronic devices are viewed as pacing aids that is considered an unfair advantage because of it being able to offer real-time data.
In place of that for meets, a start-stop watch comes in good use.
"I wear the same start-stop watch in cross country as well, so I can know my time during the race," Carr said.
"They don't allow you to use GPS, so sometimes I'll use a stopwatch to see splits," said Jaydon.
"I wear mine in track just as a stopwatch," Jackson said. "Just to make sure I'm on pace."
If you want a sudden pivot from Garmin watches, look no further then to the Coros Pace 3 watch that Erdman wears during practices.
"I just got a new watch maybe a year ago. It was a balance of heart rate and pace. The Coros takes the most accurate data," she said. "Especially during the offseason, I look at my data to determine how I'm doing. It takes my cadence. I like how it takes splits during my workouts. It will keep my resting time. So, I really love my Coros right now. I'm probably not going to switch."
However, as much they all express how valuable running watches are for them during official races, there's not as much dependence on wearing them as one might assume.
"I could definitely go without one," said Jackson. "For me, I don't think it's all that essential because you'll have your coaches at the start/finish line that will read your splits. But I'll wear it all day. Just to keep it on feels normal."
"I think a race on the track, I'm comfortable without it," Lacy added. "It's kind of a thing if you have your phone in your pocket. If you check your pocket and it's not there, it feels out of place."
Dreibelbis and Carr both said that they need to rely less on their running watch, especially sometimes if they take a quick glance at it in the middle of a race.
"Sometimes in the race, I'll end of focusing on my time," said Dreibelbis. "When I don't wear it, I feel like I run better."
"Typically, if it's a mile, I check it about 200-400 meters meet spot and definitely when I cross the finish line. I want to know what my time is right away," Carr said. "Sometimes I feel like I need to not wear it and not rely on it. Also, I need to get out of the habit of stopping it right as I cross the line. I need to run through the line."
So, let's go ahead and call it your security blanket then?
"Yep," said Carr. "I never miss a practice without the watch."
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpson II
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Just how essential is it for area's top distance runners to wear a running watch?