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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."
Also: I found the best early Labor Day Walmart deals: Save on Apple, Samsung, and more
The Forerunner 165 is our pick for the best Garmin watch for casual runners and pickleball players. Our reviewer Matt Miller notes that even at this more affordable price, Garmin's Forerunner 165 includes a brilliant AMOLED touchscreen display for that elegant Android smartwatch visual experience found in Samsung and Apple smartwatches.
The Garmin Instinct 3 is one of the less expensive Garmin smartwatch on this list. It's currently discounted by $150, taking the price to $299. Despite its low price, its battery life is sky-high at 18 days. It also features a vibrant AMOLED display and a built-in LED flashlight with different intensities and strobe modes, making it great for running at night.
ZDNET smartwatch reviewer Matt Miller spent weeks running, swimming, biking, walking, sleeping, and living with the Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2), and called it "a near-perfect sports watch." Along with tons of fitness tracking features, the watch includes a bright AMOLED display, detailed maps, and a handy LED flashlight, making it great for evening workouts.
Review: Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2)
The Garmin Venu 4, unlike the two Garmin watches above, serves a more casual smartwatch clientele. This would be a great first smart watch, or a capable device for tracking activity, sleep, and daily stress. It's not as rugged as some of Garmin's offerings, but it's also significantly cheaper. The watch offers 10 days of battery life, and it has a more attractive, neutral build that could blend in with dressy clothing.
The Garmin Venu 3S is similar to the Garmin Venu 4, but has a bit of a smaller size if you'd like your smartwatch to take up less real estate around your wrist. It's also less expensive, since it's a slightly older model.
Labor Day is on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026.
Also: The best early Labor Day 2026 TV deals: Samsung, LG, and more
If you want one, yeah. There are plenty of deals on these devices even days and weeks ahead of Labor Day. As we get closer to race season, we'll see a greater interest in people snagging a Garmin watch, and prices may rise. Now is a good time to grab one at a discount during Labor Day weekend.
Source: ZDNET
