Apple Watch Ultra 2 for runners: six months of training

I trained for a spring marathon with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on my wrist: four runs a week, intervals on the track, long runs on the weekend and a lot of sleep tracking in between.

GPS accuracy

The dual-frequency GPS is excellent. On our test loop through a downtown area with tall buildings, the track stayed on the correct side of the street, and lap distances on the track matched within a few meters.

Battery

With always-on display, sleep tracking and an hour of GPS running a day, I charged every two to three days. A 3:30 marathon used around 20% of the battery.

Workout features

• Custom workouts with intervals and pace alerts are easy to build on the iPhone.
• The Action button starts a workout or marks a segment without looking.
• Running power and form metrics are useful once you learn what they mean.

Downsides

It is big. On smaller wrists the 49mm case is noticeable, especially in bed. And it is expensive compared with dedicated sports watches that last a week or more.