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[[File:Garmin610.jpg|thumb|right|200px|{{Garmin 610}}]]The {{Garmin 610}} is smaller than most represents good value for money, providing all the key features you're likely to need in a small package. It misses out on [[Best Running Watch| some of the available watches and overcomes many cool new abilities of the issues seen in more recent devices]] like its successor, the 4xx range (see below)[[Garmin 620]]. With the release of the [[Garmin 620 ]] the price of the 610 has started falling, so it has become better great value. While the 620 has many more features than the 610, the 610 is actually a better watch as it has good slightly better [[GPS Accuracy]] and can display [[Pace From A Footpod]]. For a simple evaluation of a GPS watch, I look at how well it can answer some basic questions:* '''How far did I run?''' This is the most basic question, and the Garmin 610 has good GPS accuracy. It will give you a better idea than most watches how far you've gone. * '''How fast am I running?''' Knowing how fast you're running can be a nice to know, or it can be vital for your training or race performance. Because of the nature of GPS, watches that rely on GPS signal alone tend to have serious problems with current pace . Thankfully, the 610 is one of the few devices that will display current [[Pace From A Footpod]] while getting all other data from GPS. * '''Where am I? '''The Garmin 610 has only a simple "back to start" or "back to waypoint" arrow, which is better than nothing, but far from state of the art these days. * '''What's my cadence? '''[[Cadence]]''' '''is one of the most critical and often overlooked aspects of running. If you get your Cadence right, many other things naturally fall into place. The Garmin 610 supports [[Cadence]] via a [[Footpod]], but has neither alerts nor does it have an internal accelerometer to estimate Cadence. For ultramarathon running the Garmin 620 does not have the battery life. See [[File:Garmin610Best Running Watch#Watches for Ultrarunning| Watches for Ultrarunning]] for more details.jpg|thumb|none|200px|{{BuyAmazon|AZN=Garmin 610}}]]===Garmin 610 Pros===* The 610 is smaller than the 910XT/310XT [[Garmin 920XT]] and closer to the size of a traditional watch. * Like the [[Garmin 310XT]] and [[Garmin 310XT]] , it the 610 can use the optional [[Footpod]] to display your current pace while using GPS for overall pace, distance and route. Only the 310XT, 910XT and 610 can do this (so far). Given that current pace can be out by more than a minute a mile, this is a great feature. * The 610 will alert you when a metric is out of range, including an alert for [[Cadence]] that is really useful and one of my favorite features.

===Garmin 610 Cons===* The battery life is rather shortat 8 hours. It is claimed will be fine for most runners, but ultrarunners will need to provide 8 hourslook elsewhere. =What's Missing=While I don't consider these missing features as 'cons', but based on experience it's worth understanding the features that are missing compared with other Garmin deviceswatches. * '''GPS Pre-cache'''. Most of the time, even GPS watches without satellite pre-cache will locate the actual live may be GPS signal quite quickly provided you've not traveled far from the position of the watch was last used. However, those times when you have traveled, a bit lessGPS watch without satellite pre-cache can take several minutes to locate the GPS signal. This can be remarkably annoying when you're freezing cold and wanting to start your run to warm up.* '''Altimeter. '''GPS is likely to cause an issue far less accurate vertically than horizontally, so a barometric altimeter can provide a much better idea of your ascent and descent. It can also be useful for slower marathon runners navigation if you're ascending or ultrarunnersdescending a mountain. In some races I've been far more interested in how much ascent is left rather than the distance to the top. * Not '''Downloadable Apps'''. Smart watches have got is used to the range idea of accessories a device that can be extended with new functionality, and this concept is being introduced to running watches.* '''Extended battery life'''. Some porches can extend the battery life by turning the 910XT/310XT hasGPS reception off for short periods. This can dramatically reduce GPS accuracy, such as power meter but it's a useful trade-off for cyclingsome ultramarathons. * No display '''Navigation.''' The navigation capabilities are useful if there is a risk of course maps or mapping getting lost. I've made good use of your current routethis feature when running in an unfamiliar city, but it has or when running remote trails. There is a simplistic 'back to start' arrow, but that's a poor substitute for a map display.* '''Graphs'''. Instead of simply displaying a numeric value for things like heart rate, some watches will display a graph of the value over time, giving you a sense of how things are progressing.* '''Running Dynamics'''. Some of the newer Garmin watches can show and record Vertical Oscillation (VO) and Ground Contact Time (GCT). * '''Alerts'''. Some watches will alert you when a metric is out of range. The alert for [[Cadence]] is really useful and one of my favorite features. * '''WiFi/Bluetooth Uploads'''. While the automatic upload of workouts via WiFi or Bluetooth to a Smartphone is nice, the upload will typically only go to the manufacturers web site. * '''Web Configuration'''. Some watches allow you to setup the configuration via a web site, and then download your changes. This is vastly easier than fiddling with the watch. =Comparison Table={{:Best Running Watch-table}}