Garmin Forerunner 201 BP Wrist-mounted GPS Personal Training Device
Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS Training Assistant - The Forerunner 201 offers athletes an easy-to-read display, ergonomic wristband, and integrated GPS sensor that provides precise speed, distance, and pace data.
It’s a compact, lightweight, accurate training assistant with performance tracking, auto-lap, auto-pause and more. The Forerunner 201 is easy to use right out of the box and delivers the benefits of GPS technology at an affordable price. Working out with the Forerunner 201 means you’re never alone in your personal training, because the unit provides a Virtual Partner.
This unique feature allows you to set your training goal by configuring your Virtual Partner’s pace and workout distance. You’ll get a graphic perspective of your performance by viewing your pace in relation to your Virtual Partner’s pace, so you can always see at a glance if you’re keeping up or falling behind. Includes - Wrist strap, AC Charger.
The Forerunner 201 has a variety of helpful tracking, monitoring, and navigational features. The History function enables you to view your workout statistics broken down by individual days, cumulative weeks, or your entire workout history (if you track different workouts during the same day, they’ll be broken out as different laps). You can even view a map of your route. And much like other GPS units, you can save waypoints (called “locations” in Forerunner parlance) to mark the coordinates of a place you want to return to later.
Garmin Forerunner 201 BP Details:
- In the box: Forerunner 201, wrist strap, protective case, AC desktop charger with serial interface, user’s manual and warranty information
- Display: Customizable data; 36.49 mm x 23.35 mm, 100 x 64 pixels
- Training data: Includes training time, pace, distance, lap pace, lap time, lap distance, average and best pace, elevation, and calories
- History: Stores up to approximately 2 years of training histories; review lap histories to date, by day, or by week; download histories to your PC using free software from Garmin’s Web site
- Auto pause: Automatically pauses the training timer when you slow down below a specified resting pace; timer resumes when you start running again
- Auto lap: Automatically triggers a lap when you reach a specified distance; allows you to run anywhere and still get accurate performance data
- Virtual Partner: Allows you to input training goals based on time, distance and pace; Forerunner displays a graphic “virtual partner” that will run with the set goal, so you can see at a glance if you are keeping up or falling behind
- Pace alert: Alarm sounds if you are slower or faster than the pace you’ve input
- Time/distance alert: Alarm sounds when you reach the specified time or distance
- Receiver: 12 parallel channel GPS receiver continuously tracks and uses up to 12 satellites to track your speed and distance
- Antenna: Built-in patch
- Mark location: Mark and save up to 100 locations
- Find location: Look up and navigate to stored locations
- Back to start: Navigate back to starting location
- Map mode: Electronic map shows your location, along with marked locations; pointer arrow shows direction to travel when navigating back to start or to a stored location
- Power source: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Battery life: 15 hours
- Case: Waterproof to IEC 529 IPX7 standards
- Temperature range: 5 degrees F to 158 degrees F (-15 degrees C to 70 degrees C)
- Item length: .69 inches
- Item width: 3.26 inches
- Item height: 1.71 inches
- Item weight: 2.75 ounces
- Warranty: 1 year parts and labor
Customer Review: A great product that works well.
Overall this is a great product that works well and does exactly what it should. The only real drawbacks are what others have mentioned already. The serial interface is a pain, but for a few dollars you can buy a cable on ebay that will convert serial to USB, so that’s not a huge deal. The other thing is the reception. It is not bad, but definitely not great. In addition when you are going at a decent pace and then make a sharp corner, your info is way off for a few seconds while the unit realizes that you are not still moving in the same direction. I’m not sure if Garmin has fixed this with the new Forerunners, but this can be a pain sometimes when you turn a corner and suddenly the unit shows that you are barely moving!
The other thing I have experienced is that the contacts on the charging unit get corroded, so the connection to your PC can be shady sometimes. I have to periodically brush off the contacts to try to upload to my PC.
One thing that has improved is the ability to use the Training Center software instead of the Logbook software which was the only thing originally available with the 201. If you don’t have it, check it out on the Garmin website.
Overall a great product that I have been very happy with and has seen me through a couple of years and many, many miles! If the new models improve on this they are definitely worth the money.
Customer Review: Garmin 201 review
Great piece of equipment. I use it to pace my basic training unit at Fort Benning while on foot marches and during runs. I recently used it on a foot march during a pretty heavy thunderstorm. Being out in the middle of nowhere with heavy cloud cover didn’t seem to faze it much.
A bit slower loading in its location with the satellites, but it still worked. During this march, it was soaked in water and sweat. It also got a taste of some mud when our evac. vehicle got stuck on a dirt trail. However, I wasn’t able to manipulate the “custom” pace alarm within my specified time. It only allowed me a 10-minute gap instead of a preferred 2-or-3-minute gap. The battery provides a pretty decent charge and the settings are otherwise easy to manipulate.
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