Small GPS or Runners Watch

[eternalX]

My gf is running in her first marathon this weekend and I was thinking about getting her a cool new GPS watch or at least a runners watch as a present. Anybody have any ideas? Must be really small and stylish.

 

Currently she has this bigger watch that uses radio IO to connect to a box you wear on your arm that links to GPS. It's pretty big and bulky.

[DPS]

REI sells a wrist top GPS unit geared toward runners for about $100. While small in comparison to standard GPS units, it is not particualarly small for a watch. A more expensive version allows you to download data to a computer. Neither model gives elevation/altitude.

 

Nike has some very stylish watches. A good place to go for girl centric running stuff is Title 9 at Green Lake near Gregg's Cycle. There is also a new Road Runner Sports next door as well.

[Plinko]

Like DPS mentioned, REI has a few GPS units, like the Garmin ForeRunner (geared toward runners) and Foretrex (geared toward hikers), both come in a 101 and a 201 variety. I've got a Foretrex 101 and it's great for running and general hiking, but it gets scraped up easily when climbing, so it goes into a pocket when it gets to be a scramble. The 201 has a rechargable battery, otherwise the 101 has exactly the same features, INCLUDING elevation. Using a GPS in summer, a pair of AAA's will last about 12 hours...in winter, make sure you've got spares handy, an impossibility with the 201's rechargable battery. They're a rugged unit with heaps of cool features in a relativly small package. The BIG display screen makes it easy to read info while your bouncing down a hill. If the Garmin GPS's are too technogeek for her, check out the Suunto X9 GPS watch. More compact/stylish, but harder to read and doesn't use a common battery size. Good luck shopping...