The New York City Marathon on November 1 produced a wrist-check result few in the running-gear world expected. According to Garmin Rumors, Lifehacker checked the watches of the top finishers and could confirm only one Garmin among five athletes.

Men's winner Andreas Almgren of Sweden, who ran 2:06:01 in his marathon debut, wore a Coros Pace 4, runner-up Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy wore an Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro, women's runner-up Jess McClain wore the Garmin Forerunner 570, third-place Hellen Obiri wore a Coros Pace 4, and nonbinary winner Ryan Montgomery wore a Suunto Race 3S.

The surprise is how quickly the picture flipped. Garmin Rumors notes that back in April, both London Marathon winners crossed the line wearing a Garmin Forerunner 255.

Eight months later in New York, Coros claimed the men's winner and the third-place woman, while Amazfit put a watch on the men's runner-up — brands that barely registered at the majors a year ago.

Lifehacker, as reported by Garmin Rumors, points out that each confirmed runner is sponsored by the brand on their wrist, so podium watches reflect sponsor deals as much as athlete preference.

Even so, Coros's visibility at the majors is growing: Obiri also wore a Coros Pace 4 in London, where she finished second.

Garmin Rumors reports that Lifehacker's argument is that Garmin keeps moving up in price while rivals show a solid running watch does not need to cost that much.

The Coros Pace 4 launched last year at $249, while the Forerunner 570 McClain wore is $549.99, an AMOLED model with dual-frequency GPS and Garmin's full training and recovery features.

But the same report cautions that one race does not make a trend: in London, winners wore older, cheaper Garmins like the Forerunner 255, and elite runners mostly need accurate pace, a readable screen and enough battery for race day — needs both Garmin and its rivals now cover.

Because most elite finishers wear sponsor-supplied watches, the podium does not necessarily reflect what everyday runners chose.

The Garmin Rumors author, who ran the New York City Marathon himself, says it felt like a majority of watches on the course were still Garmin — while admitting his own bias.

At the grassroots level the same week, the Fort Worth Marathon crowned Ricardo Bonilla in 2:25:08 and 45-year-old Saleena Harner in 2:50:56 on November 8, with World-Track reporting both winners finished well inside Boston Marathon 2028 qualifying standards.

The watch fight at the top will be settled over a full season of majors, not one race in Central Park.