Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed) Review: The Ultimate Data-Driven Companion for Triathletes on a Budget

Are you a runner, cyclist, or triathlete obsessed with data? Do you believe that to shave seconds off your personal best, you need to understand every metric, from your VO2 max to your ground contact time? If you answered yes, then you know the name Garmin. For years, they have been the gold standard in GPS multi-sport watches. The Garmin Forerunner 745 stands as a testament to this legacy, a feature-packed device designed specifically for athletes who demand detailed training stats, on-device workouts, and essential smartwatch functions. However, premium features often come with a premium price tag. That’s where this specific model, the Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed), enters the race. It promises the full, unadulterated power of a high-end training tool at a significantly more accessible price point.

This review will take a comprehensive deep dive into the Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed). We will dissect its core functionalities, explore its advanced training metrics, and evaluate its everyday smartwatch capabilities. We will analyze how it performs across the three key triathlon disciplines—swimming, biking, and running—and determine if the "Renewed" label offers an unbeatable value proposition or comes with hidden compromises. Whether you are aiming for your first triathlon or chasing a new marathon PR, this review will provide the detailed analysis you need to decide if this is the right training partner for your wrist. Get ready to explore a device built to help you understand your body, optimize your training, and ultimately, reach your race potential. You can check the latest price for the renewed model here: Check Price on Amazon.

Product Scorecard

• Build Quality: 8/10 - The watch is specifically designed to withstand sweaty runs, bumpy bike rides, and long swims, making it a durable companion for any environment.
• Value for Money: 9/10 - As a renewed product, it offers access to elite, full-featured running and triathlon smartwatch capabilities for a fraction of the original cost.
• Ease of Use: 8/10 - With preloaded activity profiles and the ability to sync structured workouts from Garmin Connect and other apps, it streamlines training guidance.
• Performance: 10/10 - It delivers a staggering amount of advanced data, from VO2 max and training load to multi-GNSS tracking and running dynamics, to help you reach your race potential.

Who Is The Garmin Forerunner 745 Built For?

Before we delve into the exhaustive feature list, it's crucial to understand the target audience for this remarkable device. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is not a casual fitness tracker for counting steps and monitoring sleep, although it does those things exceptionally well. This is a precision instrument engineered for the serious, data-driven athlete. It is for the runner who wants to analyze their cadence and stride length, the cyclist who pores over power meter data, and the triathlete who needs seamless transitions between swimming, biking, and running with the press of a single button.

If you are an athlete who follows a structured training plan, the Forerunner 745 is designed for you. Its ability to sync workouts from platforms like TrainingPeaks and TrainerRoad, combined with its own daily workout suggestions based on your current physiological state, makes it an active participant in your training journey, not just a passive recorder of it. It's for the competitor who understands that recovery is just as important as the workout itself, providing detailed recovery time suggestions after every session. It's our smallest and lightest full-featured running and triathlon smartwatch, making it comfortable for training, racing, and everyday life without compromising on the powerful analytics that define the Garmin experience. If you are ready to move beyond simple pace and distance and want to understand the intricate details of your performance to unlock new levels of speed and endurance, then the Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed) is a compelling choice that you can investigate further here: Check Price on Amazon.

A Deep Dive into Core Training Features

The true power of the Forerunner 745 lies in its comprehensive suite of training tools. It’s a coach, a physiologist, and a data analyst all wrapped into one lightweight device. Let’s break down the key features that make this watch an indispensable tool for chasing down new personal records.

Unmatched Multi-Sport Versatility

The very essence of the Forerunner 745 is its identity as a triathlon watch. It allows you to swim, bike, and run, and do it all with dedicated, detailed tracking for each discipline. The device comes with a host of preloaded activity profiles, so you can switch up your workout routine whenever you like. This isn't just limited to the big three; you'll find profiles for pool swimming, open water swimming, track running, and much more. This versatility means the watch adapts to your training schedule, not the other way around.

For triathletes, the most critical feature is the multisport mode. During a race or a brick workout (a session that combines two disciplines, like a bike ride followed by a run), you can switch between sports with just a single button press. This seamless transition is vital on race day, where every second in transition counts. You don't have to fumble with menus or stop one activity to start another; the watch handles the entire workout as a single event, giving you a complete picture of your performance from start to finish. This dedicated functionality is what separates a true triathlon watch from a standard running watch and is a cornerstone of the Forerunner 745's design.

Your Personalized Daily Coach

One of the most groundbreaking features of modern Garmin watches is the evolution from simple data tracking to proactive training guidance. The Forerunner 745 excels in this area by providing on-device daily workout suggestions for running and cycling. This isn't a generic, one-size-fits-all training plan. Instead, the watch acts as a dynamic coach, analyzing your recent training and current fitness level to provide recommendations tailored specifically to you.

These suggestions are based on two key metrics: your current training load and your VO2 max. Training load measures your exercise volume from the last seven days, telling the watch how hard you've been working. VO2 max is a scientific indicator of your cardiovascular fitness and how you can expect to perform. By combining these data points, the Forerunner 745 can intelligently suggest a workout that is perfectly suited for you on any given day. For example, after a few hard training days, it might suggest a lighter, recovery-focused run. Conversely, if you're well-rested and your data indicates you're ready for a challenge, it might recommend a high-intensity interval session designed to boost your VO2 max. This feature removes the guesswork from your training, ensuring that every session has a purpose and that you are consistently training productively without overreaching.

Mastering Your Physiology: Advanced Performance Metrics

This is where the Forerunner 745 truly shines and sets itself apart from lower-tier fitness trackers. It provides a suite of advanced metrics that give you a deep understanding of your body's response to training, helping you train smarter, recover faster, and race better.

• VO2 Max: As mentioned, this is a critical indicator of your performance potential. The watch doesn't just give you a number; it tracks your VO2 max over time, allowing you to see how your fitness is improving. Crucially, this metric even accounts for changes in performance that could be caused by environmental factors like heat or altitude, giving you a more accurate assessment of your true fitness level.
• Training Load: This stat is your safeguard against overtraining. It measures your total exercise volume from the last 7 days and compares it to the optimal range for your fitness and recent training history. The watch will visually show you if your load is too low (unproductive), optimal, or too high (risking injury or burnout). This single metric can be a game-changer for maintaining consistency and long-term health.
• Training Status: This metric provides the big-picture context for your daily efforts. It evaluates your recent exercise history and performance indicators to tell you if you’re training productively, peaking for a race, or overreaching. It's like a daily report card on your training, letting you know if your hard work is translating into fitness gains.
• Training Effect: This provides feedback on a per-workout basis, showing you exactly how each session influences the development of your endurance, speed, and power. It breaks down the impact into aerobic and anaerobic benefits. After a long, slow run, you'll see a high aerobic score. After a tough set of hill sprints, you'll see a high anaerobic score. This helps you ensure your training is balanced and effectively targeting the physiological systems you need to improve for your specific race goals.
• Recovery Time: After every single workout, the Forerunner 745 provides a recovery time recommendation in hours. This lets you know when your body will be fully ready for another hard workout. This feature is incredibly intelligent, as it doesn't just look at the last workout in isolation. It also accounts for overall training intensity and other factors such as stress, daily activity, and the quality of your sleep, giving you a holistic and accurate recovery advisor right on your wrist.
• Race Predictor: This specialized tool acts as a powerful motivator. It takes into account your fitness level (primarily your VO2 max) and your training history to provide you with a predicted finish time for various race distances like 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon. As your fitness improves, you can watch your predicted finish times drop, seeing a tangible impact of your training on your race potential.
• Performance Condition: This is a real-time assessment of your ability to perform. During the first few minutes of a run, the Forerunner 745 analyzes your pace, heart rate, and heart rate variability. It then gives you a score that indicates how you are likely to perform compared to your average fitness level. This can be a huge confidence booster on days you're feeling great or a useful warning to ease back on days when your body isn't fully recovered.

For any athlete serious about performance, these metrics are not just interesting data points; they are essential tools for optimizing every aspect of training. You can get this powerful data on your wrist by purchasing the watch here: Check Price on Amazon.

Precision Tracking and Navigation

A GPS watch is only as good as its ability to accurately track where you are and how fast you're moving. The Forerunner 745 excels in this department by accessing multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo). The ability to connect to multiple systems, known as Multi-GNSS, means the watch can acquire a signal faster and provide more accurate tracking in challenging environments, such as running in dense cities with tall buildings or on trails with heavy tree cover, compared to using GPS alone.

Beyond simply tracking your runs and rides, the Forerunner 745 is also a capable navigation tool. You can create courses directly in the Garmin Connect app, ensuring you'll never run out of new places to explore. Furthermore, it offers seamless integration with other popular platforms like Strava and Komoot. You can plan a route on those platforms, and it will automatically sync to your Forerunner, providing you with turn-by-turn directions right on your wrist. To make route discovery even easier, the watch utilizes Trendline Popularity Routing. This feature uses the billions of miles of data that have been uploaded by other Garmin users to find the best and most popular routes for running and cycling in your area, a fantastic tool when you're in a new city or just looking to break from your usual routine.

Advanced Dynamics for Elite Performance

For athletes who want to analyze every facet of their form, the Forerunner 745 offers advanced dynamics for all three triathlon sports when paired with compatible accessories.

• Running Dynamics: When used with a compatible accessory like a Garmin Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Pro chest strap, the watch measures crucial running metrics that go far beyond pace. This includes your cadence (steps per minute), stride length, and ground contact time and balance. Analyzing this data can help you identify inefficiencies in your running form, work on your turnover, reduce your risk of injury, and ultimately become a more efficient and faster runner.
• Cycling Power: For serious cyclists, power is the ultimate metric. The Forerunner 745 can connect to compatible Garmin power meters (sold separately) to provide a wealth of data. You can see your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and leverage advanced training methods to work toward a more efficient and powerful ride.
• Swimming Dynamics: Whether you are in the pool or open water, the watch provides detailed metrics. It tracks distance, pace, stroke count, and more. This granular data allows you to analyze your swimming efficiency and identify areas for improvement in your technique.

Everyday Smartwatch Functionality

While the Forerunner 745 is a performance powerhouse, it is also a capable smartwatch designed for 24/7 wear. It seamlessly blends its hardcore training features with the conveniences you expect from a modern wearable.

One of the standout features is the on-board music storage. You can sync with premium music streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music, or Deezer to easily store and play up to 500 songs directly from your wrist. This means you can leave your phone at home on your runs and still have your favorite motivational playlists with you, streamed directly to your Bluetooth headphones.

Another key convenience is Garmin Pay. This contactless payment solution lets you add your credit or debit cards from a supported payment network to your watch. This allows you to pay for purchases on the go with a simple tap of your wrist, perfect for grabbing a coffee or a bottle of water mid-run without needing to carry your wallet or phone.

Of course, the watch also covers all the basics, including smart notifications (calls, texts, emails) when paired with a compatible smartphone, calendar alerts, and weather updates. The hassle-free wrist-based heart rate sensor tracks your heart rate 24/7, providing valuable data not just during workouts but also on your resting heart rate and overall stress levels throughout the day.

Battery Life to Outlast Your Longest Race

For an endurance sports watch, battery life is non-negotiable. The Forerunner 745 delivers solid performance that can handle everything from daily training to a full-distance triathlon. In standard smartwatch mode, you can get up to 1 week of battery life on a single charge. For workouts, you get up to 6 hours in GPS mode while also playing music, which is more than enough for the vast majority of races, including a marathon for most runners. For those tackling ultra-distance events, the watch features an UltraTrac mode, which reduces the GPS update rate to significantly extend the battery life, ensuring you’ve got enough juice to outlast even your longest race.

The Unbeatable Value of a "Renewed" Device

Now, let's address the most compelling aspect of this particular product: the "Renewed" tag. A brand-new, top-tier Garmin watch represents a significant financial investment. The renewed option provides a pathway to own this incredible technology at a much more palatable price point. A renewed product is typically a device that has been returned, inspected, repaired if necessary, and certified to be in full working condition. You are getting the same powerful processor, the same accurate sensors, and the same comprehensive feature set as a new device.

This makes it an ideal choice for a budget-conscious athlete who refuses to compromise on features. You can get the advanced training metrics, the multi-sport functionality, and the smartwatch conveniences that can genuinely help you reach your race potential, all while saving a considerable amount of money. It is important to set realistic expectations; as a renewed item, there may be minor cosmetic blemishes, as noted by one user review. However, for an athlete who will inevitably be putting the watch through its paces in sweaty, bumpy, and demanding environments, a small, pre-existing scratch is often a negligible trade-off for the immense value offered. This is your chance to get a premium tool without the premium price. Explore the renewed offer right now: Check Price on Amazon.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The product works exactly as advertised, delivering on its promises of detailed tracking and performance metrics.
• Users find the overall performance and feature set to be fantastic for their training needs.

Cons

• While the product is functionally very good, being a renewed item means it may be delivered with cosmetic imperfections such as scratches.

Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed)?

After a thorough analysis, the Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed) stands out as an exceptional value proposition for a specific type of athlete. If you are a dedicated runner, cyclist, or triathlete who is driven by data and is constantly seeking ways to optimize performance, this watch is built for you. The sheer depth of its training metrics, from VO2 max and training load to advanced running dynamics, provides the kind of insight that was once reserved for elite athletes in performance labs. The addition of daily workout suggestions, recovery time analysis, and seamless multi-sport functionality makes it a truly intelligent and indispensable training partner.

When you factor in the "Renewed" status, the case becomes even more compelling. You are getting access to 99% of the experience of a brand-new, top-tier GPS watch for a fraction of the cost. The potential for a minor cosmetic flaw is, in our expert opinion, a very small price to pay for the immense power and functionality packed into this device. It is our smallest and lightest full-featured running and triathlon smartwatch, making it comfortable enough for everyday wear while being durable enough for your toughest workouts.

For the serious athlete on a budget, the Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed) is an unequivocal recommendation. It’s an investment in your performance, your health, and your potential. Stop guessing with your training and start optimizing it with data. Make the smart choice and get the tool that will help you chase down your next PR. You can secure your Garmin Forerunner 745 (Renewed) today by clicking here: Check Price on Amazon.