Garmin has unveiled the Forerunner 570 and 970 GPS running and triathlon smartwatches for performance-driven athletes.

The smartwatches add training tools, recovery insights and connected features on what the Swiss company says is its brightest smartwatch display yet

The GPS running and triathlon smartwatches include training tools, recovery insights, personalised workouts and more to help athletes. They have a built-in speaker and microphone, and include Triathlon Coach training plans and an evening report. Forerunner 970 also introduces a built-in LED flashlight and performance features – such as running tolerance, running economy and step speed loss – that are backed by Garmin data scientists and sports physiologists.

Forerunner 570 gets up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, while Forerunner 970 offers up to 15 days.

“Created for every athlete who is out there chasing goals and passionate about their data, the Forerunner 570 and 970 include innovative training tools, recovery metrics and connected features to help them perform at their best,” said Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president. “Whether you’re an elite athlete striving for your fastest time yet or a runner upping mileage to prepare for that next big race, these premium smartwatches are here for every step of your running journey.”

A vivid touchscreen display and purpose-built five-button design allow for fast, all-weather access to training tools, everyday health stats and smart notifications.

Triathlon Coach produces training plans that adapt daily and provide personalised workouts based on performance, recovery and health metrics. Users can customise and view a week’s worth of workouts in the Garmin Connect app. And they can create custom step-by-step multisport workouts in Garmin Connect and send them to the watch to switch between different sport types.

When running a course loaded for a race, the watch can suggest trimming data to the finish line if an athlete forgets to hit stop. Users can view an estimated race time and pace if training continues all the way to race day.

The built-in speaker and mic mean users can make and take calls from the watch when paired with a compatible smartphone. Plus, they can control watch functions with voice commands, or use the phone’s voice assistant to respond to text messages and more.

Before heading to bed, users get a report with a reminder of sleep needed plus tomorrow’s workout, weather and events. Using Pulse Ox, athletes can better understand shifts in their breathing patterns as they sleep.

They track skin temperature changes, which can be related to recent activity, sleep environment, potential illness and more. This also helps provide female athletes with improved period predictions and past ovulation estimates in Garmin Connect.

Forerunner 970 has a rugged, scratch-resistant sapphire lens and titanium bezel to withstand harsh environments. Users can better understand the impact each run has on the body and receive a recommended weekly maximum mileage to help keep training on track. It measures overall energy efficiency after several runs using the HRM 600 heart rate monitor (www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1473393) sold separately.

Using sensors on the watch, the app will record the electrical signals that control how the heart beats. The app analyses that recording to detect signs of an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.

With a Forerunner 570 or 970, athletes receive access to the features in Garmin Connect, including Triathlon Coach training plans, custom multisport workouts and past ovulation estimates. Additionally, when athletes add a course to their event in Garmin Connect, they can now enable auto lap by timing gates, suggested finish line and projected race time predictor.

Forerunner 570 includes running metrics such as training status, wrist-based running power and running dynamics, acute load, training effect, performance condition and VO₂ max. Every morning, athletes can see their training readiness score based on sleep quality, recovery and training load so they know whether it’s a good day to go hard or take it easy. Runners can also view the daily suggested workout that is made specifically for them and that adapts after every run to take into account their performance and recovery, or use Garmin Coach training plans for running, cycling and strength to train for their next event.

When running outdoors, athletes can execute their race day strategy using PacePro – grade-adjusted pacing guidance – and train knowing that SatIQ technology and multi-band GPS will provide positioning accuracy while optimising battery life.

Outside of a run, Forerunner 570 can track key health and wellness stats, including sleep score, Body Battery energy monitoring, stress, menstrual cycle, pregnancy and more to help athletes keep an eye on their health. It can also track heart rate variability (HRV) status so athletes can better understand their overall health and how their body is navigating the challenges of life and environment.

Forerunner 570 lets athletes receive smart notifications when paired with an iPhone or Androidsmartphone; download songs from Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music for phone-free listening; run with greater peace of mind with incident detection, assistance and LiveTrack; and breeze through checkout lines with Garmin Pay contactless payments.

Forerunner 570 is available in two sizes – 42 and 47mm – and has an aluminium bezel. Whether running on city streets or riding through densely covered trails, Forerunner 970 includes full-colour built-in mapping to help athletes stay on track. Featuring a 47mm case size, it is available in popular colour options.

Available to order on www.garmin.com, Forerunner 570 (www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1463821) has a suggested retail price of $550 and Forerunner 970 (www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1462801) is $750.