James Smith

James Smith
I'm a 33-year-old British Army veteran with a passion for running and fitness. I've been running on and off my whole life and competed in multiple track and cross country events when I was younger as well as being a competitive swimmer and squash player. In recent years, I have completed several half marathons and aim to run both full and ultra marathons in the not-so-distant future. I run anywhere between 10 and 50 miles a week depending on how much time I have outside of my family life. I am married with 3 daughters so I'm always very busy! My favorite brands for running are Vibram, New Balance, Inov8, Under Armour, Nike, Altra & Newton.

Lab tests and in-depth reviews

Scott Supertrac 2.0
86
Good!

Scott Supertrac 2.0 review The Quest 3 is a lightweight, affordable road shoe, but Nike clearly made sacrifices to bring the cost down. It lacks in some very important areas: flexibility, cushioning, and res[…]

New Balance 860 v9
87
Great!

New Balance 860 v9 review I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed using the Machina just for the technology element. If I could get a pair of minimal Under Armour shoes with Connect technology bui[…]

New Balance 860 v9
88
Great!

New Balance 860 v9 review I’m a tall, medium build (slowly growing into my ‘dad’ belly), fore-midfoot striker and I train mostly in barefoot/minimal shoes. But I’ll try anythi[…]

June 9, 2018
86
Good!

June 9, 2018 review If you're looking for a solid training shoe that will be comfortable mile after mile, look no further. The HOVR Phantom is a really good road running shoe. They've bee[…]

Scott Supertrac 2.0
87
Great!

Scott Supertrac 2.0 review I really like the look of the 860v9. The colours are nicely understated and they don’t seem like they’re trying too hard. Which I much prefer! I really like the e[…]

October 10, 2018
83
Good!

October 10, 2018 review In my epic hunt for a racing flat that would not only be suitable for race day but also do well over long runs and on the odd bit of off-road, I came across the Nike Z[…]

November 19, 2019
88
Great!

November 19, 2019 review I’m a tall, medium build, supinating, fore-midfoot striker and I train mostly in barefoot/minimal shoes. But because I enjoy trying new things out so much I’[…]