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

Good!

{section_summary} 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, c[…]

Scott Supertrac 2.0

Great!

{section_summary} Scott Supertrac 2.0 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 Conn[…]

Scott Supertrac 2.0

Great!

{section_summary} {section_positive} {section_negative} Scott Supertrac 2.0 review I’m a tall, medium build (slowly growing into my ‘dad’ belly), fore-midfoot striker and I train mostly in barefoot/mi[…]

Nike Epic React Flyknit

Good!

{section_summary} Nike Epic React Flyknit 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[…]

Under Armour HOVR Phantom

Great!

{section_summary} {section_positive} {section_negative} Under Armour HOVR Phantom review I really like the look of the 860v9. The colours are nicely understated and they don’t seem like they’re trying too ha[…]

Under Armour HOVR Machina

Good!

{section_summary} {section_positive} {section_negative} Under Armour HOVR Machina 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[…]

Under Armour HOVR Phantom

Great!

{section_summary} {section_positive} {section_negative} Under Armour HOVR Phantom review I’m a tall, medium build, supinating, fore-midfoot striker and I train mostly in barefoot/minimal shoes. But beca[…]