Hi everyone,
I decided to compare the accuracy of instant pace recorded by the Epix 2, Forerunner 745, and Stryd foot pod (recording to my old FR-230 with GPS turned off). Here was my setup:
(Don't ask me how I took this photo!)
The Stryd was previously calibrated on a certified running track, resulting in a calibration factor of 100.6. The Epix 2 was set to use all satellite systems + multi-band. The FR-745 was set to use GPS + GLONASS.
The run consisted of:
- 1-mile easy-paced warmup
- An interval workout consisting of 10 reps of 60-seconds intense effort (avg ~6 min/mile), followed by 90 seconds walking recovery
- 1-mile easy-paced cool-down
The course was a river trail lined with trees, but no leaves this time of year. I would say these conditions were not terribly challenging for GPS. Representative photo of the trail:
All three .FIT files were downloaded from Garmin Connect, and converted to .CSV files using Garmin's FitSDK version 21.67. Without further ado, here's the data:
Several things stand out to me:
- All three devices provided quite usable data!
- Stryd has the most "jitter"... I assume this is to be expected since when running your foot is constantly accelerating and decelerating, and the foot pod is measuring this directly.
- All three devices gave very consistent measurements when running at steady pace. This really surprised me—I was expecting more inconsistency from both the Epix and FR-745.
- Both the Epix and FR-745 had greater error at transitions between running and walking. (Of course this assumes that Stryd is reporting accurate speed). The Epix in particular seemed to overshoot changes in speed—slightly overestimate speed when accelerating and thinking I came to a nearly complete stop at the end of each interval (I did not). The FR-745 seemed to lag more in updating pace when I transitioned to walking.
- Overall the Epix data appears less smoothed than the FR-745, and closer to the Stryd values at faster pace.
In terms of total recorded distance:
- Epix 2: 4.458 miles
- FR-745: 4.465 miles
- Stryd: 4.452 miles
Assuming the Stryd was reporting the true distance, this gives the Epix 2 a 0.13% error, and the FR-745 a 0.29% error.
All in all, I am completely satisfied with the Epix! After returning my Fenix 6 because of problems with instant pace, I was not sure what to expect of the Epix. The pace data it records seems more than adequate for my needs. (I was happy with my FR-745 too, but was looking for a watch that also looked good on a date. The Epix checks every box for me.)
