Garmin Forerunner 310XT - The Undisputed Triathlon Watch For Data Just Got Even Better
CUSTOMER REVIEWS: "This is hands down the best watch I have ever used for triathlon. The vibrating alarms for heart rate zones, speed, cadence and the ability to measure many metrics puts it in a class by itself." - John R.
Garmin Forerunner 310XT is the undisputed winner if you are looking for a great triathlon watch and recent firmware improvements to show distance while swimming make it even better. As customer Mat Fischer of the Richmond Triathlon Club in Virginia wrote, "The Forerunner 310XT is the bomb". We couldn't have said it any better ourselves Mat.
For triathlon you need a watch that has 1 second recording intervals and you want accurate power output data on the bike. The Garmin 310XT has this and the competition does not.
For the swim most triathlon watches have been rendered useless for measuring heart rate and distance. The Garmin 310XT has solved the distance problem with recent firmware updates and you can now measure distance via GPS, which is way cool. Prior to this time GPS lost its signal when it penetrated the water, but no longer is this true. Heart rate is a different solution requiring a higher transmission signal from the chest strap, generally around 5KHZ, and hopefully that will be forthcoming as well.
A lot of people comment on the large size of the Garmin Forerunner 310XT but you know what - it weighs almost no more than a standard watch once you put it on your wrist and you'll appreciate that size of the display screen during the bike and the run so you can display three or four metrics.
Our bottom line assessment of these triathlon watches still has not changed from over one year ago - the Garmin 310XT is still the best triathlon watch out there, period.
GPS has become a phenomenon in the world of outdoor sports. What is so cool about a GPS watch is that it does not care what sport you are doing, all that matters is that you are outdoors and in a state of motion. If so, it serves up speed, distance, pacing, heart rate, calories,power output and much more. This watch is a ripping watch for kayaking and rollerblading just to mention a few other sports, but it rules outdoors.
The Forerunner 310XT is awesome for mountain biking too. Just get a handlebar mount and it will record your ride which you can download later to Google Earth or Map My Ride, plus it serves up accurate speed, distance, pedal cadence and more throughout the duration of your ride. It is a killer way to catalog your favorites in all their mapping glory and share it with friends.
At the Heart Rate Watch Company we have a favorite saying - "once you go GPS you will never go back". It ends the cycle of antiquated sensors and extra gear - just put on the watch and go.
If there is any downside to the Garmin 310XT it is the inability to record heart rate during the swim. We have only found two solutions to this issue - the Suunto Memory belt and Polar watches with the regular Wearlink chest strap that send signal a 5KHZ. Downside to the Suunto is that it gathers data but there is no real-time reporting. The Polar watches transmit to the watch but you need to avoid button depression while in the wateror you could jeopardize the water-resistant integrity of the watch.
When it comes to measuring data for triathlon the Forerunner 310XT is a watch without peers at this time, it is the triathlon watch at the cutting edge of data measurement. You can set up to four screens per sport with four measurements per screen, so lacking data will never be a concern.
If you would like some help discussing a triathlon watch, like the Garmin Forerunner 310XT or others, then just give us a call here at the Heart Rate Watch Company at 866-586-7129 and we will carefully listen to your needs and find the product that is just right for you.
Watch specifications:
- Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 2.1" x 2.2" x 0.8" (5.4 x 5.6 x 1.9 cm)
- Display size, WxH: 1.3" x 0.8" (3.3 x 2.0 cm)
- Display resolution, WxH:60 x 100 pixels
- Touchscreen: no
- Weight: 2.5 oz (72 g)
- Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion
- Battery life: 20 hours, typical
- Water resistant: yes (50m)
- GPS-enabled: yes
- High-sensitivity receiver: yes
Maps & Memory:
- Basemap: no
- Ability to add maps: no
- Accepts data cards: no
- Lap history: 1000 laps
- Waypoints and locations: 100
- Routes: 0
Features:
- Heart rate monitor: yes
- Bike speed/cadence sensor: yes
- Foot pod: yes (optional)
- Automatic sync to computer: yes
- Garmin training software: yes
- Virtual Partner: yes
- Courses (compete against previous activities): yes
- Auto Pause(pauses and resumes timer based on speed): yes
- Auto Lap(automatically starts a new lap): yes
- Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout): yes
- Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button): yes
- Advanced workouts (create custom, goal-oriented workouts): yes
- Simple workouts (input time, distance and calorie goals): no
- Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace): yes (for advanced workouts only)
- Time/distance alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal): yes
- Vibration alert or Audible alert: yes
- Interval training (set up exercise and rest intervals): yes
- Heart rate-based calorie computation: yes
- Customize display screen(s): yes
- Barometric altimeter: no
- Unit-to-unit wireless data transfer: no
- Power meter compatible: yes (records data approx. 1 per second)
- Temperature (displays and records temperature): no
- Sport watch: no
Additional Info:
Garmin Connect and Garmin Training Center are compatible with Windows XP or newer and PowerPC and Intel-based Mac running OS 10.4 or later with Safari.
310XT A Hit For Tri 
