Ya, the Fenix is absurdly expensive. I had a well used Fenix 6 that I’d been really wanting to upgrade to an amoled screen (epix) but waiting because I heard the Fenix would get it.

Ya any of the 1, or 2 series Garmin’s will be fine for sure. I bought my son a Garmin 45 which also has GPS and supports running activities would work

The more expensive ones you’re paying for more features and more battery life.

Garmin has fantastic customer support too if you have any issues! (At least in my experience)

They also have vivofit line that has more smart watch features (kind of a crossover) if you need a watch and wanna get something you can wear all the time. I have a friend that runs with one of them.