Garmin - Forerunner 965 vs Garmin - MARQ Athlete (Gen 2)

The Forerunner 965 edges ahead on the Mars Score (49.7 vs 45.3), but the 4.4-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

Pick the Forerunner 965 if you care most about smartwatch mode and gps mode. The biggest gaps in its favor are smartwatch mode, gps mode.

Pick the MARQ Athlete (Gen 2) if you care most about ecg. Its strongest claims are ecg.

Both ship with comparable multi-band gps, solar charging, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.