Suunto’s Marathon Pack: The complete gadget set for the distance runner in your family
Posted November 25th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Afton Cohen
Section: Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces.
Stumped as to what to buy the runner and tech enthusiast in your family this Christmas? Look no further. Suunto has now added a complete companion bundle for endurance athletes, the Suunto Marathon Pack, to their product line-up. Everything your runner needs to train, maintain, and improve; while also fulfilling his love for gadgets - the marathon pack has a lot of potential. The pack includes the stylish Suunto t4 running computer / watch with ANT belt, the Suunto foot POD and the Suunto PC POD.
Let’s have a closer look . . .
Suunto t4:
With each use, the Suunto t4 adapts to your changing physiology and makes on-target recommendations for achieving optimal physical condition. It continuously maintains an up-to-date plan for attaining your fitness goals and prescribes optimal workouts even if you’ve strayed from the plan.
ANT transmission belt:
This is a radio frequency transmissitter; “Every data message sent by the heart rate belt is digitally coded, so it’s only received by the monitor it’s paired with. This eliminates all cross-talk between other heart rate monitors and guarantees error-free heart rate readings”. It can track your distance, workout time, pace and hearrate.
Suunto foot POD:
a lightweight and accurate speed and distance sensor for your Suunto t3 t4 or t6. It transmits running pace, speed, average speed, and distance to your wrist. With your foot POD you can also set your wrist unit to take automatic lap times at fixed distances.
Suunto PC POD:
Plugged into a PC the Suunto PC POD wirelessly receives heart rate data from your HR belt. This allows you or your coach to monitor your performance in real time on a PC screen. It also serves as a wireless PC link for the Suunto t3 and t4.
Suunto’s technology appears quite impressive, although how it holds up against the Garmin Forerunner, Timex Bodylink and MotionLingo’s Adeo is still unclear. The Final Sprint is working on doing a product review of the Suunto t4 and will be comparing its performance, design, value and ease of use to the before-mentioned line of training assistant devices. Suunto is certainly ahead of the curve in terms of style, whether or not they can match up with performance remains to be seen.
You should also note that with the Suunto PC POD a runner is able to visualize his or her progress and can adjust accordingly. The Suunto t4 is also compatible with the Suunto GPS POD which tracks speed and distance across a wide variety of outdoor activities including hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, in-line skating and kayaking.
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: gadget, garmin forerunner, gps, heart rate monitor, motionlingo adeo, suunto foot POD, suunto marathon pack, suunto PC POD, suunto t4, timex bodylink, training assistant
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The Final Sprint
I was looking at Suunto watches for endurance sports (the X6HR, to be exact). Do you know if the marathon pack will work with those watches?
December 5th, 2006 at 9:05 amDear Lora,
You wouldn’t want to buy the Marathon Pack in conjunction with the X6HR if you plan to use it for marathon training and/or mostly running workouts. For running, the marathon pack is far better; it comes with the t4 wrist-top running computer that has the “Suunto Coach” (personal training program).
If you as are asking whether or not the X6HR, like the t4, is compatible with the Suunto POD’s (i.e. Foot or GPS POD’s) then unfortunalty, the answer is no.
However, if you are more interested in mountain climbing, hiking (and/or other trail related activities) and you require a altimeter,
barometer, compass, etc - then the X6HR would fit your needs quite nicely.
I would say that this is the most basic way of thinking of the t4 (especially when purchasing it as a part of the marathon pack) and the X6HR:
- The t4 is like having your very own running coach; tracking your results and motivating you to take your training to a whole new level.
-The X6HR is more similar to being accompanied by a nature guide; keeping you safe, helping to guide your way and giving you other vital information about the terrain & weather.
In terms of price: the X6HR is considerably more expensive than the t4.
Feel free to email me if you have any further questions (adam@thefinalsprint.com) and thanks for consulting The Final Sprint.
Take care,
Adam
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December 5th, 2006 at 11:24 amEditor-in-Chief
TheFinalSprint.com
Adam, thanks for the thoughtful post.
I did some more reading, and heard from some folks who have used all 3 products.
I think I’ll go with the Timex Ironman as a gift for my husband and let him be the guinea pig. I can wait until the after-Christmas sales to replace my Garmin. Or I may just stick with the 205 — it has served me well, and I’m kind of attached to it.
Thanks again for your help, and for an informative website!
December 5th, 2006 at 9:11 pmNo problem - my pleasure. The Timex Ironman Bodylink System is a solid product that has received good feedback throughout the running community.
In terms of replacing your Garmin, the 305 will definitely fit your needs. We reviewed it this past suummer and gave it a very good 8.0/10.0 rating. Check out the review here:
http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2006/06/gadgetell-review-garmin-forerunner-305-personal-gps/
Another good option to look into for you and your husband is the Adeo by MotionLingo. It does not have a heart-rate monitor but it is a very innovative new GPS training assistant that combines the audio feedback of the Nike+iPod Sportkit + with the GPS measurements of the Garmin. Check out our write up here: http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2006/11/adeo-fitness-companion-by-motion-lingo/
We are nearing completion of our formal review of the Adeo and are also in the midst of or about to commence reviews of the Timex BodyLink System and the Suunto Running Pack (t3 and foot POD) - so definitely check back soon!
Thanks again for your compliments and your interest in TheFinalSprint.com
As always, feel free to email us if you need advice or have any questions.
Happy Holidays!
Best,
Adam
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December 5th, 2006 at 9:56 pmEditor-in-Chief
TheFinalSprint.com
Dear Adam,
Any new yet about the comparison of the T4 to the Garmin and other systems? I really like the features of the T4, but I can’t quite decide between T4, Polar RS400SD and the Garmin.
Thanks,
Martin
May 14th, 2007 at 6:41 amHello,
January 24th, 2008 at 5:55 amI am hesitating between the Marathon pack and the Garmin Forerunner50. I am really interested in seeing my data on PC to analyze them after running. Any advice? The price difference is quite big…
Thanks
Xavier
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