Gear Reviews

Through the years I’ve put a fair few bits of kit through their paces (pun intended) and my reviews below are unbiased and honest reflections of how they’ve coped along the way. When I started running I never found any reviewers who were my size and shaped so I try to review kit from a regular runner’s point of view. Most of my kit and shoe reviews are posted after 150 miles of wear and tear. If you have any questions or want to know more about any of the kit below just get in touch.

Best Shoes of 2021

2021, was a year that you wouldn’t want to walk, let alone run, in many people’s shoes. But for me “the year that shall be forgotten” still featured some epic runs and adventures so I thought it would be great […]
Night Running Kit

With the darkness seemingly endless right now it seems inevitable that your run will be some level of night. While I fully admit that I struggle to motivate myself to get out and run when its dark outside and the warmth of the sofa is oh so tempting, I find that once I am out I love running in the cold crisp darkness. But and it is a big but making sure I am visible and can also see where I am going is crucial especially living in a rural area like I do.
Ultimate Ultramarathon Kit List – 2021

After a jam packed year of ultramarathons and testing out plenty of kit in the lead up to Marathon des Sables back in 2019 I’ve got a pretty good handle on my kit list now so thought with my races almost over for the year that I would pull together my go to kit list for the long miles ahead…
Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra – 150 Miles Later

This shoe has a lot of pressure on it’s metaphorical shoulders. Inov-8 have boasted that it has 25% better energy return than other shoes, adapts & reacts to terrain and has the world’s toughest grip. Bold claims but cutting through the buzz words and sound bites does the shoes with the world’s longest name live up to the PR hype?
My Marathon Shoe? Mach 4 vs Hyperion Tempo

The Brooks Hyperion Tempo were, hands down, my favourite road shoes of 2020. I had never experienced a pair of shoes that were so light, so responsive and ultimately so bloody quick. They are a real joy to wear and […]
THE BROOKS CATAMOUNT: 150 MILES LATER

I’ve tested the Brooks Catamount on fast trail races, long multi-day hikes and even an FKT and I cannot put into words how much these shoes have surprised me.
Brooks Catamount: Too Much Marketing?

When I first started trail running I was told by a friend who had been ultramarathon running for years that trail running was for those who wanted to get away from the world and back to basics; away from big city marathons and the hustle of everyday life. “You blend into the trails and your worries are left behind”, he once said whilst looking wistfully off into the distance. However, with a pair of the Brooks Catamounts it is pretty hard to blend in anywhere.
The Brooks Divide: 150 Miles Later

Back in April I brought the Brooks Divide with the aim of them becoming my go to trail shoe. Not just for running the trails but also for long hikes replacing the Brooks Cascadia which I had used all over the world. At the time of my first impressions review on this shoe I called it my work horse, sadly after only three months and 150 miles I’ve had to send this horse out to pasture and begin my search for my go to trail shoe all over again.
Glycerin 18: Nostalgia in a Name

I get that warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia when it comes to the Brooks Glycerin. It is a well earned love that goes all the way back to the very start of my running life…
Beats Powerbeats Pro vs Jaybird Vista

I have lusted after wireless earbuds ever since I started running. I run along narrow country roads so can’t listen to music in both ears whilst safely paying attention to what may be coming up behind me or zooming round a blind corner. So I have long dreamed of not having to worry about a cable flapping around my neck or a wire running from my phone sticking to my sweaty body in gross and uncomfortable ways until it gets caught and wretches the music from my ears…
The Work Horse and The Race Horse

In this time of isolation and weekend’s suddenly very free without races I’ve had a lot more time to think and create blogs which means I’m finally able to create some more review posts. In the next few weeks I’m planning to do a series of posts reviewing some of the gear I’ve used in the last year sandwiched between some of the races I took part in before the shutters where closed on the world. Of course I thought I would start these posts with shoes because it’s I tend to get asked the most about on social media. .
My Kit for Marathon des Sables

Even before I left for the desert a lot of people were asking what kit I was taking. Since I’ve been back not a week goes by where I don’t get asked for advice on what kit to take for next year’s race. So I thought I would compile a list of all the kit and food I took and give them all little review so that if anyone is looking for kit for a multistage ultra they can see what worked for me.
My Marathon des Sables Shoes

It is less than a hundred days now until I will be undertaking the toughest foot race on the planet: The Marathon Des Sables. Every time I say that out loud my whole body pulses with exhilaration crossed with paralysing fear…
2:09 – A Review

For anyone who has ever dreamed of getting that coveted six-star marathon majors medal, this is the product review for you…
On Cloudflyer – A Review

As runners, we are constantly on the look out for new ways to make us faster and more efficient. One of the easiest ways, without more bloody training, is to have a pair of shoes that enhances your running. So at every marathon expo or running event I would stare enviously at the On stand, ogling their incredibly innovative shoes…
Brooks Glycerin Review

I remember the fear I had going in to a running shop for the first time. Suffering from imposters syndrome I asked sheepishly what shoes they’d recommend for a marathon runner. It was October 2015, six months before I would […]