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The best early Labor Day Garmin watch deals: Gear up for marathon training for less
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In around a month or two, marathon season will be in full swing. Runners will lace up their tennis shoes and brace for 26 miles of excitement, pain, and eventual success. If you are one of the one million runners who take to a marathon trail each year, you're probably already in the midst of training for your first or next race. Maybe you've got a smartwatch that isn't cutting it for all that pavement you're pounding, or maybe you're finally ready to buy your first watch and track your pace with greater accuracy.
Also: The best Garmin watches of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed
Garmin smartwatches are widely recognized as some of the best smartwatches for race training, thanks to their multi-band GPS accuracy, long battery life, and data illustrations built for running analytics and improvement (they're also some of our favorites we've tested). The only downside of this watch brand is its higher asking price. Some of the best Garmin smartwatches are double or triple the price of your run-of-the-mill, mainstream smartwatch.
That's where holiday deals come in. Ahead of Labor Day, retailers are cutting prices on some top-notch Garmin smartwatches, and you can snag these deals right now.
ZDNET readers love this Garmin smartwatch: During Prime Day, it was a top seller on our site. It's also our pick for the best Garmin watch you can buy right now.
The Fenix 8 Pro is the latest flagship model that connects seamlessly to Android and iOS smartphones, in addition to golf club sensors, bike sensors, and more. Just about every sport is covered with an updated smartphone experience, so you can customize the watch settings on your phone and sync them over to the watch.
The smartwatch features a vibrant AMOLED display for ultra-readability, and an LED flashlight, which reviewer Matt Miller says "makes the Fenix 8 Pro an essential tool in my collection."