Three runners. One honest opinion.
We test running kit for weeks, not weekends. On real terrain, in real weather, with real opinions.
I started Stride Tested because I was sick of reading gear reviews by people who'd clearly never run further than their front door.
You know the ones. Pristine trail shoes photographed on a clean rock. "This jacket kept me dry on my commute." Five hundred words of spec sheet rewritten with adjectives. No mention of what happens when it's actually raining sideways on Bleaklow and you're an hour from the car.
I wanted a site that reviewed running gear the way runners actually use it — covered in mud, soaking wet, forty miles into something questionable. So that's what this is.
We buy everything ourselves. No freebies, no brand partnerships, no "gifted for review." If a shoe falls apart after six weeks on the Dark Peak, you'll read about it. If a watch genuinely helps you navigate the Bob Graham round, you'll read about that too.
How we work
We're a team of three, spread across Sheffield, Leeds, and Hebden Bridge. Trail runners, road runners, fell racers — different disciplines, same stubborn insistence on testing things properly before telling you what we think.
Every product we review gets bought with our own money and tested over weeks — on real terrain, in real weather. Trail shoes get run on Peak District grit, Lake District scree, and Pennine bog. Waterproofs get worn in actual rain. Watches get taken on routes with poor GPS signal, because that's where you actually need them.
We cover six categories: trail shoes, road shoes, GPS watches, running clothing, nutrition and hydration, and accessories. We'll tell you honestly when the cheaper option performs within 10% of the expensive one — and when it doesn't.
Who writes the reviews
Rob Cairney
📍 Sheffield, Peak DistrictCovers: Trail Shoes, Fell Running, Waterproof Kit
Surveyor by trade, trail runner by every other available hour. Based in Sheffield, which means the Peak District is a fifteen-minute drive. Has done the Lakeland 50, the Spine Challenger, and enough Dark Peak bog crossings to know exactly what works and what doesn't. Inov-8 loyalist, slowly being converted by Hoka.
"If it survives a winter on the Dark Peak, it'll survive anything."
Dan Hollis
📍 Leeds, West YorkshireCovers: Road Shoes, GPS Watches, Running Tech
Started with a parkrun in 2016, somehow turned that into a marathon habit and an unhealthy interest in GPS watches. Software developer by day, which means spending too long comparing Garmin firmware updates and not enough time actually running. Chasing a sub-3:15 that keeps slipping away by about forty-five seconds.
"Show me the data. Then show me how it feels at mile 22."
Kat Moran
📍 Hebden Bridge, West YorkshireCovers: Fell Shoes, Women's Kit, Nutrition, Recovery
Grew up in Todmorden, started fell running at fifteen to beat her dad (took three years). Has raced most of the classic Pennine fell races — Pendle, Three Peaks, Boulsworth Bog Dash. Works as a physio in Hebden Bridge, which means spending half her life telling runners to stretch more. None of them listen.
"There's no bad weather, just bad waterproofs. Actually, some weather is just bad."
What we won't do
Accept free products
Every product on this site is purchased with our own money. No brand sent it, no PR company gifted it.
Weekend tests
Weeks of use, not an afternoon. Trail shoes get run on mud, rock, and bog. Watches get taken where GPS actually matters.
Hidden affiliates
We use affiliate links and say so. We write the review first, add links after. Our picks don't change based on commission.
Soften bad reviews
If something's overpriced for what it is, we'll say so. We have zero obligation to any brand.
How our reviews work
Buy
We purchase everything ourselves. No pay-to-play, no gifted kit.
Run
Weeks of real use on real terrain. Peak District, Pennines, Northern roads.
Write
Honest, detailed reviews. The good and the bad.
Earn
Affiliate links fund the testing. No ads, no sponsors, no brand deals.