The Fleet Feet Reviewers

A close up shot of two pairs of running shoes, being worn by two runners.

Rain or shine, the Fleet Feet reviewers spend hours logging miles in all the latest shoes so you can make confident and informed decisions about your purchases. Learn more about the members of our review team and what makes them tick below.

Caroline during the 2023 Austin Half Marathon

Caroline Bell

Caroline works on the content team at Fleet Feet and oversees all shoe and gear reviews. She lives in South Florida with her boyfriend and three cats. She went from faking sick to get out of the timed mile to paying to run 26.2 in a row. When she’s not working or running, you can find her binging true crime shows or stalking her cats with her iPhone camera.

Would you rather…

Run short or long? I love long runs with my local running group.

Run fast or slow? Both! I do speedwork a couple days a week and easy paced runs the rest of the time.

Road or trail? Definitely road.

Train for races or workout? I love the excitement of training for a race.

Run with others or alone? I love having company for long, slow runs to pass the time, and having friends to push me during faster workouts is awesome.

View Caroline's fit id® scan

Ashley smiles with her dog.

Ashley Arnold

Ashley is the Director of Brand Marketing at Fleet Feet. She is passionate about finding answers to running and gear-related questions in order to make customer’s lives better. She works remotely from Asheville, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, David, and their two fur children Dylan and Pharaoh. She loves trail running, speed work on the track, gravel biking, whitewater kayaking and taking walk breaks.

Would you rather...

Run short or long? Both.

Run fast or slow? I love FAST or SLOW. I'm less of an "in-between pace" person. Basically, I am either an ultrarunner or a mile runner.

Road or trail? Trail.

Train for races or workout? Both. But I generally just love to train for the sake of improvement, personal exploration and spending time outside with friends

Run with others or alone? Others for sure! If I run alone, I usually run with my dog, Dylan.


Kate Schwartz

Kate Schwartz

Kate works on the Brand Marketing Team and lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband and their cat, Clementine. She ran her first mile-long race at nine years old, and kept running as a high school, collegiate, and now life-long runner. Kate loves racing on the road and trail, but her favorite thing is to run with friends.

Would you rather…

Run short or long? Both! Long runs with nice, easy rest days sprinkled in.

Run fast or slow? I love speedwork and I take my rest days easy.

Road, track or trail? All three but trail is my favorite.

Train for races or workout? Races.

Run with others or alone? Running with friends is everything.

View Kate's fit id® scan

Portrait photo of man on the beach

Alex Schwartz

Alex lives in Asheville, NC with his wife, their cat, and several closets full of running shoes. Alex has never been a competitive runner, but needs to get exercise every day or he gets grumpy and doesn’t sleep well. On days when he doesn’t run, he likes to bike, kayak, rock climb, play ultimate, and read a book on the couch while his wife goes running. Alex’s super power is sweating - which is not the super power he would choose, but it’s the only one he has.

Would you rather…

Run short or long? The mileage might be short, but every run feels long to me!

Run fast or slow? I’m going as fast as I can, which is generally pretty slow.

Road or trail? Trail if I have the time.

Train for races or workout? I only try to run faster than other people if I’m chasing a ball or a disc.

Nate Helming

Nate Helming

Nate works on the content team with Fleet Feet and lives in Bend, OR, with his wife and dog, Nora. He loves being a mountain athlete: running, hiking, strength work, mountain biking and floating down rivers!

Would you rather…

Run short or long? Right now shorter than longer!

Run fast or slow? The intention is fast, although it may not always happen.

Road, track or trail? Trail all the way!

Train for races or workout? Depends on the day, but getting the urge to race again!

Run with others or alone? I love running with my dog! As for humans, I run mostly solo but I appreciate a good group run now and then.

View Nate's fit id® scan

Brian Metzler

Brian Metzler

Brian Metzler is an award-winning running journalist, writer, photographer and podcaster who has created content for Runner’s World, Outside, Men’s Journal and more. He regularly runs on the track, roads and trails, has wear-tested more than 1,500 running shoes, completed four Ironman triathlons and numerous marathons and ultra-distance events, including the 2018 Leadman series.

Would you rather…

Run short or long? There’s not much I like more than a long, adventure-oriented trail run in the mountains.

Run fast or slow? Fast is a relative thing for me, but I definitely prefer up-tempo runs no matter where I’m running.

Road, track or trail? Honestly, I love running on all three surfaces, but if I have to narrow it down I’d say track or trails.

Train for races or workout? I appreciate the accountability of training for a race, but I love running unfettered most of the time.

Run with others or alone? I’ve learned through the years that I’m my own best training partner, but I do love sharing long trail runs with friends.

JuanMa Sanchez.

JuanMa Sanchez

When JuanMa isn’t teaching and playing music, he’s out running in one of New York’s five boroughs. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner and their mini-Australian shepherd, Lenny. JuanMa isn’t a professional runner, but his Strava stats might lead you to believe otherwise! To him, running is his meditation, his therapy and his time to connect with the world within and around him.

Would you rather...

Run short or long? Both.

Run fast or slow? Mostly fast because it’s more challenging on the mind and body. But I live in New York, so I tend to move with the pace of the city.

Road or trail? Anywhere when I’ve got the right shoes on!

Train for races or workout? Workout, although I workout as if I’m training for races.

Run with others or alone? Mostly alone, or with my dog, Lenny.


Mandy Wahl.

Mandy Wahl

Mandy works on the digital team at Fleet Feet. She lives in Greensboro with her husband, daughter and two dogs, Shenanigans and Mischief. She played goalie in high school soccer because she hated running and then learned that she just hates sprints. She has now completed over a dozen ultra-marathons. When she's not running or working, she is busy being a mom, gardening, crocheting or dreaming of all things Disney. Fun fact, her first race ever was the Detroit Marathon.

Would you rather…

Run short or long? The longer the better, but even a short run is better than no run.

Run fast or slow? Slow. I have never been a speedy runner and just enjoy a conversational long run. I have to force myself to do speed work.

Road or trail? Trails, there is something so peaceful about being out there in nature. I have been running roads a lot more lately because of time constraints, and there is something fun about getting it done quickly.

Train for races or workout? There is almost always a race on my schedule that I am training for, but where I am in my life now, even races are less about time or placement and more about the experience.

Run with others or alone? I love having company on the run and use it as a time to catch up with friends.

View Mandy's fit id® scan

Adina Crawford

Adina Crawford

Adina is a certified yoga teacher who specializes in Vinyasa, Sculpt, and Restorative yoga. You can also find her teaching classes on meditation and mindfulness. She's completed multiple marathons, half marathons, triathlons and cycling events. Adina serves on the Board of Directors for the Black Girls RUN! Foundation. She is a mentor, motivator, advocate, and community influencer. Follow her on Instagram at @adinavcrawford.

Would you rather...

Run short or long? Short.

Run fast or slow? Medium to fast.

Road or trail? Road.

Train for races or workout? Both, but if I had to pick one, I'd rather train for races.

Run with others or alone? Both, but most of the time I run alone.

Jasmine Nesi

Jasmine Nesi

Jasmine is a co-founder at RUNGRL and USATF Level 1 coach. In 2014, on a dare from friends, Jasmine went from the couch to her first half marathon in just 10 weeks. Since earning that medal, Jasmine hasn’t looked back, and has run countless road and trail races from 5K to ultramarathons. Jasmine is dedicated to supporting other runners, especially women, on their own running and wellness journeys.

Would you rather...

Run short or long? Both.

Run fast or slow? Both! I love days where I can push the pace to see how fast I can go, and also easy pace runs where I can really take in the sights and sounds around me.

Road or trail? Road, for sure.

Train for races or workout? I appreciate the accountability of training for a race, but there's something special about waking up and choosing to run for fun, and not out of obligation to a plan.

Run with others or alone? With others! Community is everything.

Max Coatney

Max Coatney

Max is the Social Media Manager at Fleet Feet. He loves telling stories and highlighting the latest and greatest products on social media. He caught the running bug while working at Fleet Feet Chicago for over six years. Aside from running, he’s currently interested in archery, cooking, and film photography.

Would you rather…

Run short or long? Long. The more time I can spend outside the better.

Run fast or slow? Slow. Pace isn't concerning me right now. It's all about enjoying the run!

Road or trail? Trail. There aren't too many trails in Chicago, but if there is one, I've run it.

Train for races or workout? Workout. I prefer competition against myself rather than competition against others.

View Max's fit id® scan

Melissa Harward runs towards the camera during a marathon.

Melissa Harward

Melissa is the Email Marketing Specialist at Fleet Feet and lives in Whispering Pines, North Carolina with her husband and their dog, Gus. She started running as a way to cross-train during the tennis off-season and hasn’t looked back since. She loves training and racing on the road and paddleboarding in the lake.

Would you rather…

Run short or long? Saturday long runs are my favorite.

Run fast or slow? It depends on the day, but I’m always up for picking up the pace. Road or trail? Almost all of my miles are on the road.

Train for races or workout? Train for a race. I love setting my sights on a goal race, building up my mileage and finally crossing a finish line. There’s nothing quite like it.

Run with others or alone? Both, but having company makes the miles fly by.

Travis Myers-Arrigoni

Travis Myers-Arrigoni

Travis works as a Customer Care Specialist for Fleet Feet and lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife and two cats, Gatsby and Moody. He's had a passion for running ever since he joined the cross country team in middle school while trying to get in shape for basketball. Since then, he has always been up for a challenge, running track and cross country in high school and college, tackling the marathon and now challenging himself on the trails and ultra-marathon distances. When he is not running, Travis enjoys singing and performing in community theater, going on hiking adventures with his wife, playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends, and catching up on the current seasons of “Survivor.”

Would you rather...

Run short or long? Long enough that I feel accomplished, but not too long where I feel tired for the rest of the day!

Run fast or slow? A combination of both! I enjoy progressive long runs where I start out slow and comfortable before get into a groove and then try to go full send for the final few miles.

Road or trail? Trails and country roads!

Train for races or workout? I definitely prefer races versus workouts. Nothing beats that adrenaline from an exciting race atmosphere!

Run with others or alone? Nowadays, I have been enjoying solo runs with a good podcast or playlist.