Garmin · Running
The Garmin Forerunner® 970 in the Carbon Gray DLC Titanium with Black Case and Black/Translucent Whitestone Band configuration is a GPS smartwatch / wearable designed for athletes who want advanced running tools, everyday wellness insights, and on-watch navigation.
A bright 1.4-inch AMOLED display, sapphire crystal lens, and titanium bezel support hard training and all-day wear. It delivers premium training and recovery features, including training readiness, training status, and recovery time. For route confidence, it adds full-color, built-in mapping plus SatIQ™ technology and multi-band GPS. It also includes a built-in LED flashlight and a built-in speaker and microphone for calling and voice features when paired with a compatible smartphone.
Navigation
Forerunner® 970 supports extended use across daily wear and GPS sessions. Battery life is rated up to 15 days in smartwatch mode and up to 26 hours in GPS-Only GNSS mode, with additional runtime specifications available for SatIQ (AutoSelect) GNSS mode, All-Systems GNSS mode + Multi-Band, and music playback modes.
Training
The watch tracks key running metrics on the wrist, including cadence, stride length, and ground contact time. It also adds performance-focused tools such as wrist-based running power, hill score, endurance score, and performance condition. For deeper form and efficiency detail, running economy and step speed loss are available with a compatible accessory.
Connectivity
With a built-in speaker and microphone, Forerunner® 970 can make and take phone calls when paired to a compatible smartphone. Voice command can be used to control supported watch functions, and the watch can also leverage a smartphone’s voice assistant to help respond to text messages and more when connected.
Navigation
Forerunner® 970 includes full-color, built-in mapping designed to be easier to follow while moving through city streets or densely covered trails. Courses can be created or found in the Garmin Connect™ smartphone app, synced from third-party platforms, and followed with turn-by-turn directions. Dynamic round-trip routing can suggest routes based on target distance and re-route to match the same mileage if the plan changes mid-run.
Training
Training readiness provides a score upon waking based on sleep quality, recovery, training load and more, helping guide the day’s effort. The watch also supports training status using indicators such as HRV status, recent exercise history, and VO2 max to summarize training effectiveness. Daily suggested workouts adapt after every run to match performance and recovery, and recovery time estimates how long to wait before the next high-effort workout.
Display
This configuration pairs a lightweight titanium bezel with a durable Sapphire Crystal lens and a silicone band. The 47 x 47 x 12.9 (mm) case size fits wrists with a circumference of 135-205 mm, and listed weight is 56 g. For visibility in changing conditions, it features a bright 1.4" AMOLED display with 454 x 454 pixels resolution, plus a built-in LED flashlight for added utility.
| Part Number | 010-02969-00 |
|---|---|
| Model | Forerunner® 970 |
| Configuration | Carbon Gray DLC Titanium with Black Case and Black/Translucent Whitestone Band |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 15 days |
| Pulse Ox blood oxygen | Yes (spot-check, and optional all-day acclimation and in sleep) |
| Make calls and send texts via voice | Yes (with paired compatible smartphone) |
| Training status | Yes (improved) |
| Display type | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) |
| Water rating | 5 ATM |
| Strap material | Silicone |
| Lens material | Sapphire Crystal |
| Bezel material | Titanium |
| QuickFit® watch band compatible | Yes (22 mm) |
| Physical size | 47 x 47 x 12.9 (mm); Fits wrists with a circumference of 135-205 mm |
| Weight | 56 g |
| Display Size | 1.4" (35.3 mm) diameter |
| Display resolution | 454 x 454 pixels |
| Battery type | Lithium ion |
| Battery life (GPS-Only GNSS mode) | Up to 26 hours |
| Battery life (SatIQ (AutoSelect) GNSS mode) | Up to 23 hours |
| Battery life (All-Systems GNSS mode + Multi-Band) | Up to 21 hours |
| Battery life (GPS-Only GNSS mode with music) | Up to 14 hours |
| Battery life (SatIQ (AutoSelect) GNSS mode with music) | Up to 13 hours |
| Battery life (All-Systems GNSS mode + Multi-Band with music) | Up to 12 hours |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary plug charger |
| Memory/History | 32 GB |
| Forerunner 970 GPS running watch |
| Charging cable |
| Documentation |
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing, Jump Roping |
|---|---|
| Multisport | Triathlon, Duathlon, Brick, Pool Triathlon, Swimming/Running |
| Wellness | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Indoor Walking, Mobility |
| Indoor running | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Virtual Running |
| Outdoor running | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running, Ultra Running, Obstacle Racing |
| Outdoor recreation | Hiking, Rucking, Mountaineering, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Hunting, Horseback Riding, Golfing, Disc Golf, Archery |
| Cycling | Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross, BMX |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
| On the water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Fishing, Boating, Sailing, Sail Racing, Snorkeling, Sailing Expedition |
| Motor sports | Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motocrossing, ATVing, Snowmobiling |
| Racket sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball |
| Snow and winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, XC Skate Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Ice Skating, Snowshoeing |
| Team sports | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Football/Soccer, American Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball |
| In the ring | Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts |
| Other activity profiles | Inline skating |
| What You'll Love | Sleep score and insights, Built-in mapping, Garmin ECG app, LED flashlight, Garmin Pay™, Multi-band GPS, Music storage, Training readiness, Touchscreen |
|---|---|
| General | Built-in speaker/microphone, Color display, Large font option |
| Clock Features | Time/date, GPS Time Sync, Automatic daylight saving time, Alarm clock, Smart wake alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Sunrise/sunset times |
| Health & Wellness Monitoring | Heart rate (constant, every second), Resting heart rate, Respiration rate, Fitness age, Body Battery™ energy monitor, All-day stress, Relaxation reminders, Relaxation breathing timer, Meditation, Breathwork and 9 more |
| Sensors | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, SatIQ™ technology, Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor, Pulse Ox blood oxygen saturation monitor, Barometric altimeter, Compass and 4 more |
| Daily Smart Features | Find My Phone, Find My Garmin (helps locate lost device), Find My Phone during GPS activity, Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields and apps), On-device Connect IQ™ Store, Smart Notifications, Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only), View images from notifications on watch (Android™ only), Morning report, Evening report and 16 more |
| Workout and Training Plans | Daily suggested workout - Running (pace and heart rate based), Daily suggested workout - Cycling (pace and heart rate based), Garmin running coach, Garmin running coach experts, Garmin cycling coach, Garmin Coach - Prebuilt cycling plans, Garmin Coach - Strength, Garmin triathlon coach, Multisport workouts, Cardio workouts and 6 more |
| Safety and Tracking Features | Incident detection during select activities, Incident detection alert on phone for wearables, Assistance, Live event sharing, Hands-free voice control |
| Activity Tracking Features | Step counter, Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity), Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal), Calories burned, Floors climbed, Distance traveled, Intensity minutes, TrueUp™, Move IQ™, Automatic rep counting |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | Improved interval (includes open repeats, intervals data page, rest screen and auto detection), Customizable data pages, Downloadable training plans, Course guidance, HR zones, HR alerts, HR calories, % HR max, % HRR, Recovery time and 43 more |
| Running Features | GPS-based distance, time and pace, Running dynamics, Vertical oscillation and ratio, Stride length (real time), Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute), Running tolerance, Running power, Grade-adjusted pace, Performance condition, Lactate threshold and 10 more |
| Golfing Features | Preloaded with 43,000 courses worldwide, Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green), Yardage to layups/doglegs, Digital scorecard, Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit), Garmin AutoShot™, Auto CourseView updates, Green View with manual pin position, Hazards and course targets, PinPointer and 6 more |
| Outdoor Recreation | Projected waypoint, UltraTrac mode, Elevation profile, Distance to destination, Barometric trend indicator with storm alert, Vertical speed, Total ascent/descent, Rest timer (ultra run only), Auto rest, Future elevation plot and 4 more |
| Mapping & Navigation | Point-to-point navigation, Bread crumb trail in real time, Back to start, TracBack®, Explore Nearby, Up Ahead, ClimbPro™ Ascent Planner, NextFork™ navigation, Preloaded road and trail maps, Preloaded ski resort maps and 1 more |
| Cycling Features | Courses, Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor), Race an activity, Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories), Power curve and % FTP workouts, Cycle Map (routable cycling-specific street map), MTB Grit & Flow, Advanced cycling dynamics, Compatible with Vector™ and Rally™ (power meters), Compatible with Varia Vision™ (head-mounted display) and 6 more |
| Swimming Features | Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories), Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories), Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only), Drill logging (pool swim only), Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only), "Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only), Auto rest (pool swim only), Time and distance alerts, Pacing alerts (pool swim only), Countdown start (pool swim only) and 3 more |
| Abnormal heart rate alerts | Yes (high and low) |
|---|---|
| Sleep | Yes (advanced) |
| Hydration | Yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Women's health | Yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® |
|---|---|
| Smartphone compatibility | IPhone®, Android™ |
| Step speed loss | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
|---|---|
| Ground contact time and balance | Yes (GCT balance with accessory) |
| Running economy | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
Activity tracking accuracy
This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Breathing Variations not available in all countries.
The ECG app is only available on select Garmin smartwatches with the latest version of the Garmin Connect smartphone app and watch software. The ECG app is not available in all regions; see Garmin.com/ECG for availability. The ECG app is only intended for adults aged 22 years and over. The ECG app is capable of recording an ECG similar to a Lead I ECG and detecting the presence of atrial fibrillation or normal sinus rhythm.
The menstrual cycle tracking feature should not be used in support of conception, contraception or birth control. This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition.
This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox not available in all countries.
When paired with your compatible smartphone. For safety and tracking feature requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety.
Requires a paired smartphone with the WhatsApp mobile app
Compatible Garmin smartwatches are consumer wellness devices and are not medical devices intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or monitor medical conditions. The Natural Cycles app independently determines fertility status based on skin temperature and other data.
SPOTIFY and the Spotify logo are among the registered trademarks of Spotify AB. Amazon Music and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. iPhone and Apple are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Android is a trademark of Google LLC.
