The COROS Pace 2 is a unique piece of running tech. The lightweight GPS watch, packed with a multitude of data parameters and features, really epitomises good things coming in small packages.
Based in China, COROS are producing GPS sports wearables, with an ethos of helping athletes train to be their best. Offering a range of watches, COROS are consistently guiding athletes to their peak performance, such as Killian Jornet wearing the Apex Pro during his course record of UTMB and the man himself, Eliud Kipchoge wearing the technology whilst smashing his own marathon record in Berlin, running 2:01:09.
Despite being the lightest watch on the market at its launch (29g); the COROS Pace 2 certainly packs a punch, offering up to 30 hours of full GPS battery life and 20 days of normal use. We were fortunate enough to put this watch to the test and offer a structured review.
Appearance and weight (Slick and lightest on the market)
The watch has a large interface, with most of the screen covering the watch face. It comes with a nylon or silicone strap, with the nylon strap being the lightest. In our opinion, the silicone strap looks slightly neater, matching the watches minimalist nature. The white colour of the watches body and strap, completes the all-round clean aesthetic. Also available in ‘Dark Navy’ and ‘Blue Steel’, the colours are sure to complete your overall look, alongside your favourite running garments.
Overall Accessibility (Keeping it simple)
The only initial scepticism with the COROS PACE 2 was the scroller, which is in place of the conventional multi-button layout. The scroller is for the user to navigate through all features and settings in the watch. With access to only the scroller and the ‘back’ button, we perhaps thought this move was trying to oversimplify the GPS watch. However, we quickly got the hang of this feature and admired its ability to enhance navigation through data screens whilst out on the run and flicking through post-run performance metrics.
Metrics and Activities
COROS has paved the way for collecting accurate data from the track. The Track Running feature uses a proprietary algorithm to accurately measure a 400m track; designed to match the accuracy of a traditional stop watch and be void of any glitches typically seen with GPS whilst running on a track. So far, during hard track sessions, the watch has certainly lived up to its promise, accurately reflecting the stopwatch split times.
A further aspect we admire with the watch, is the broad spectrum of activity monitoring, from jump rope and open water swimming to a full triathlon. In run mode, the UltraMax setting can extend the live GPS activity recording up to 30 hours of battery life, so if its 5 minutes of skipping or a 24-hour ultramarathon, the watch really does have your back.
EVOLab
On June 29th, 2021, COROS released the EVOLab platform, packed into their GPS wearables. The platform is a unique sports science system, designed to monitor and evaluate performance overtime, to give specialised recommendations on how to optimise your training. Aimed towards the data junkies, each run will provide a running performance rating, from low to excellent, which can indicate when we may need to be listening to our bodies and take some extra rest.
Another intriguing feature on this platform is the race predictor, which gathers your running data, to predict your times from 5km to marathon; whilst always taken with a pinch of salt, we have found the COROS predictions to be very accurate. All of these features are there for guidance and can be used to help you train a little harder and a lot smarter.
Coros GPS watches and accessories are available online & instore.