This year, my goal is to compete in three Spartan races to elevate my fitness journey. It’s a process that has taken me five years to reach, and while I’ve gradually progressed among my fellow Spartans over that time, I still have a significant distance to cover before I entertain any thoughts of reaching the podium.
However, regardless of whether I ever secure a podium finish, the secret to advancement lies in training. Monitoring my performance with a smartwatch has been incredibly beneficial, but given the diverse obstacles and fitness types encountered in a Spartan race, which watch is optimal for tracking my progress?
I revisited two of my favorites from last year, the OnePlus Watch 3 and Google Pixel Watch 3, both of which I frequently rely on due to their precise fitness-tracking capabilities and comprehensive statistics. While I favor the compact size of the 41mm Pixel Watch 3, the battery longevity of the OnePlus Watch 3 stands out even more.
After completing the race, I analyzed my stats using various tools. Strava extracted the information from my OnePlus Watch 3, whereas Google’s Fitbit managed the data for the Pixel. All of this data was compiled into a web-based tool known as Quantified Self, which simplifies the process of directly comparing statistics and GPS-tracked maps at a glance. Now, let’s review the results.
Let’s get Spartan
If you have never participated in a Spartan Race, here’s a brief overview. Spartan Races are offered in three distances: Sprint (5K, 20+ obstacles), Super (10K, 25+ obstacles), Beast (21K, 30+ obstacles), and Ultra (50K, 60+ obstacles). The obstacles consist of a variety of challenges including rope ascents, crawling under barbed wire, navigating angled walls, and even carrying heavy objects for a specified distance.
Up to now, I’ve only completed Sprints and have no plans to go longer. I’m not Michael Hicks, and I can’t handle 20-mile races, but I have taken part in Ninja Warrior competitions previously, so obstacles play to my strengths. The varied demands of a Spartan Race make it challenging to gauge with a watch designed strictly for running, but they still offer a good amount of data for comparison.
Typically, I participate in Spartan Races in my home state of North Carolina, known for its hilly terrain, but I opted to try one while vacationing in the much flatter (and hotter) state of Florida.
Post-run 20-mile stats from four fitness watches
| Category | OnePlus Watch 3 | Google Pixel Watch 3 |
|——————————|—————–|———————-|
| Distance | 5.26 Km | 5.33 Km |
| Pace | 11:37 min/km | 11:05 min/km |
| Ascent / Decent | 0 m / 0 m | 35 m / 50 m |
| Avg. / max heart rate | 177 bpm / 195 bpm| 177 bpm / 200 bpm |
| Running power average / max | 93 W / 532 W | N/A |
| Calories | 852 kcal | 864 kcal |
| Steps | 7,049 | 7,042 |
| Cadence | 117 spm | 112 spm |
| Stride length | 0.74m | 0.74m |
| Vertical oscillation | 7.7cm | 8.1cm |
While both watches are quite even in their overall performance, a few statistics caught my attention. The elevation change, for example, indicated that the OnePlus Watch 3 perceived Florida as much flatter than it truly is.
Although much of the course at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park in Boca Raton is indeed very flat by my North Carolina expectations, several obstacles were positioned above or below the general elevation of the majority of the route.
The bucket carry, for example, required me to trek up a constructed hill that was several dozen feet tall, while another obstacle had us traversing through a pond that we needed to navigate down a slope to access.
Examining the graph reveals a malfunction with the OnePlus Watch 3. Whether this was a glitch or something else entirely, I’m not sure, but it’s clear that I didn’t receive accurate altitude readings from the OnePlus Watch 3. This anomaly is unusual, as I’ve never experienced this outside of this specific race (naturally), and I’ve taken it hiking multiple times.
I recognize this was an anomaly since when I analyze the remaining data, both watches show remarkably comparable results. This impresses me as it affirms my initial impressions regarding the OnePlus Watch 3.
