Zach's been testing gear with Active Gear Review since it's inception over four years ago. In that time, he's completed numerous road and trail races, spanning distances from 5k to marathon. An avid snowboarder, Zach also was inspired by his work at AGR to create a demo site for all things snowboarding - eezysteezy.com. No matter what the gear or assignment is, he's always up for the adventure.
Some cushioned shoes err on the side of softness – it’s as if they replaced the original pronation correction with mysterious material, somewhat like the consistency of cotton candy. Other cushioned shoes err on the side of stiffness – they may lack that marshmallow feel, but there’s hardly any flex to the shoe. It’s no [...]
We’ve all seen, heard of, or tried barefoot running by now. It’s been all the rage for a few years now, and shoe manufacturers are getting hip to the fact that it might just be here to stay. Built on a tradition of running “naturally,” barefoot enthusiasts have literally chucked their own shoes out [...]
I was pretty excited to give Karhu a spin. Any brand that lays claim to such a runner as Paavo Nurmi is well worth checking out, at least in my book. And while I’ve no hope of ever running in Olympic competition, it’s fun to check out the roots of what launched your latest pair [...]
While not having a large running line up, Pearl Izumi is definitely making a bid to become more popular in the running community. We here at AGR have been big fans of all the Pearl Izumi gear we have tested thus far; from what we’ve seen, it’s all been quality product, whether it’s shoes, shorts, [...]
Camelbak. We all know the name, we’ve seen people wearing it, and we know how it works. Essentially, you carry water like a camel – in a pack on your back. Granted, a camel can’t strap anything on and off (mainly due to a lack of opposable thumbs and a phobia of mesh webbing), but [...]
Clydesdales. Really, it’s an unfair term, since the heavy footed feminine side of the species gets to be called “Athena.” Really, we should coin a new phrase – but since popular nomenclature terms the heavy-footed large runner as such, I will acquiesce as well. So, clydesdales – look no further for a long distance shoe, [...]
Although the adidas Adizero XT Trail is advertised as a go anywhere shoe, it’s hard to believe anyone would run this anywhere but the trail. While I liked it on the trail, the composition of the shoe (especially the outsole) just doesn’t lend itself to anything but running on trails. It did run well, though, [...]
I don’t know exactly what Reebok changed in their running line up a few years back. I don’t know who the dev team is, where they’re located, or who is running it for them. But whatever they are doing, they should keep it up. I’ve run several long distance runs in these, both indoor and [...]
Contest Below! I’m not going to lie – we testers at activegearreview.com open a lot of shoe boxes. As such, we’ve all developed a fairly good barometer for how a shoe will perform just by picking it right up out of the box. Many things are revealed just by the initial poke and prod we [...]
Inov-8 has long been a staple of the trail running community. Without making a huge splash, they’ve been analyzing and assessing natural biomechanics since before you were born. Okay not quite, but since 2003 – and we’ve all been awaiting their foray into road running shoes (announced WITH a splash in October of 2010) eagerly. [...]
Running with Zach – March Count: 88 days (3 Months) down. 2 States – CO, KS. As promised, this article will largely focus on the details of running every day. While the two prior articles were essentially structured around the nature of what it feels like to run everyday (along with miscellaneous add-ons [...]
Last years Ravenna was one of the first shoes to build a bridge between neutral shoes and stability shoes. Brooks rightly guessed that there were those out there who only needed a little pronation control as opposed to a complete and utter correction of pronation. Their goal was also to cut weight without sacrificing overall [...]
My first impressions of the Adidas Adizero Aegis were a bit biased – I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Adidas running line, and it shows through in numerous reviews I’ve posted here at AGR. After only a few test runs, I was ready to write these off – however, after a break [...]
Every year at SIA, the best and the brightest get together to show off their wares and vie for the honor of marketing all their gear to none other than you and me. For those of you who don’t know, this isn’t just your typical meet and greet with a bunch of booths, marketing dudes, [...]
Count: 31 days (1 month) down. Realistically the first month of my endeavor would’ve been far less painful had I anticipated the fact that ALL of my appendages were subject to extreme cold. I’d taken care to shield my feet, my hands, my head, my arms, my legs, and even my face. Why hadn’t I [...]
Soon enough, we got enough of a thaw to take them out to the trail and gravel. I run 1.5 mile of concrete to get to my trails, and the Minimus just didn’t feel right on the road. It wasn’t one solid thing I could put my finger on, but they just aren’t suited to [...]
In the 890, New Balance is following a growing trend in the running market. With the popularity of minimalist and barefoot running, they are seeking to stay competitive in the market today by stripping down shoes to the essentials without sacrificing quality. The movement has been termed “purposeful design” and they seem to have [...]
I have to admit the fact that 4 years ago I despised running with a passion that consumed me. I was overweight and under-motivated; my favorite meal consisted of a McDonald’s combo that would turn the stomachs of all but the most hardy teenagers. I had bad knees, a bad back, and slept poorly. My [...]
Whether you believe that Barefoot running is bunk or not, it appears that many of the major manufacturers believe that it is here to stay. The “less is more” philosophy has been coming on strong for quite some time now, and Merrell is one of several companies to embrace the trend by putting out several [...]
We’ve come to expect a certain standard of excellence from Asics. As a pillar of the running community, Asics has led the industry in comfort, function, and durability. Admittedly, most of the attention goes to the higher end shoes – and we testers at AGR, being equal opportunity reviewers, wish to let some of the [...]
Columbia’s new line of thermodynamic items looked a little, well… spacey. It looked as if it could be turned inside out and used as a halloween costume much more so than as any type of active wear. We are happy to report that we were ENTIRELY wrong. While the interior may just be a little [...]
Run faster Chicago! Released for this years Chicago Marathon, the new 870 (mens) hit the market as a light stability shoe that could go the extra distance. I have to say I agree with Shannon (who reviewed the women’s version). This shoe really does go the extra mile. Right out of the box, it handled [...]
Typically, a shoe designed to do everything fails at doing anything well. It strives for mediocrity by being able to function passably at different types of activity. Teva just laid to rest this stereotype by creating a shoe that’s rugged enough to take on serious day hikes, stylish enough to wear out, and comfortable enough [...]
