Is the Garmin Forerunner 970 good for triathlons?

Published: March 17th, 2026
2 min read
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If you're training for a triathlon, the Forerunner 970 was literally built for you. It's one of the best multisport watches out there.

Ready-to-go multisport profiles:

Right out of the box, you've got profiles for triathlon, duathlon, brick workouts, swimrun, and even pool triathlons. No setup required. Just select your activity and go.

Transition tracking that actually works:

This is where Garmin shines. The watch tracks your T1 and T2 times separately, so you can see exactly how long you spent fumbling with your wetsuit or clipping into your bike. When you tap to switch sports, it seamlessly moves to the next leg while keeping your cumulative time running.

New Garmin Triathlon Coach:

This is pretty cool. You tell it your race date, pick which days you can train, and it creates a personalized plan across swim, bike, and run. The workouts adapt based on how you're progressing. On race day, it even gives you pace guidance specific to your course.

Swim tracking:

For pool work, you get lap counting, stroke detection, SWOLF scores, and drill logging. Just make sure you set the right pool length or your distances will be off.

Open water GPS tracking works, though fair warning: some reviewers have noted it's not quite as accurate as previous Garmins in open water. Still perfectly usable for training, just maybe not for setting swim records.

Built for the long haul:

At only 56 grams with a titanium bezel, this thing is comfortable enough for those epic training days. The 5 ATM water resistance handles anything short of scuba diving.

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