Apple Watch Ultra question

Hi all, I have an Apple Watch Series 10 but am increasingly frustrated with it when trying to record outdoor runs. So I'm wondering if the Apple Watch Ultra, with its action button, might help. When I'm at Parkrun or at a race, and so amongst a crowd at the start waiting for the 'Go', it is very difficult to use the touch screen with VoiceOver to start the outdoor run workout. To get around this, what I've tried doing is to start the run in advance and immediately pause it by pressing the digital crown and the side button together. However there are some issues with this:

1. Afterwards, it displays two times, the overall workout time which includes when it was paused, and the active running time. Not the end of the world but not ideal when reviewing stats either.
2. It doesn't work reliably. I keep finding that it didn't pause or resume when I tht I had pressed the buttons, or something else has gone wrong. So, if I had the Ultra, with an action button, can I set the button to simply start and end an outdoor run workout? Alternatively, can anyone recommend any other watches or fitness bands that are accessible and will sync with the likes of Apple Fitness and Strava? Cheers, Dave