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I’ve got a pretty good idea on what works well, and what still needs some love. Plus the beautiful windy flats of the Netherlands.
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I’ve been testing the Fenix 6 series in a variety of conditions from the city streets of NYC to the high alpine trails of the French Alps. And the new PacePro feature will automatically create a course-elevation optimized race plan for your specific goal time. Oh, and did I mention there’s now solar charging of the unit? No, it’s not the panacea that your own solar farm might be – but it’s a start and hint at where Garmin is going. Obviously, there are some caveats to those numbers – but we’ll get to those. Or in full expedition mode GPS-on time at 56 days. And GPS-on time for ultra-type scenarios at nearly 150 hours. The Fenix 6 series is a slate of more than a dozen different watch variants, with battery life extending upwards of 120 days. And there’s no doubt that the specs Garmin has thrown down with the Fenix 6 series will cause many heads there to turn.
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I spent last week up in Chamonix as athletes from around the world were out doing their final training runs, and these days it’s more of a blend of watches on wrists than the Suunto domination of a few years ago. Sponsorships of elite trail runners also helped too.īut that tide is slowly shifting. In recent years, trail running has largely been the domain of Suunto devices, primarily due to both longer battery life and frankly, stability. Garmin specifically chose today, and in particular – their location of Chamonix to launch the Fenix 6 series. The journey will take competitors on a 171KM loop with literal mountains of elevation climb. It’s no coincidence that in just a few hours one of the toughest trail running races on earth – UTMB – will begin in Chamonix, France.
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