Gear Tested at the Lee Valley Half Marathon: 9 Running Products Reviewed

Introduction

A flat, fast half marathon at Lee Valley Run Fest doubled as a full gear test. The goal was not a personal best but a marathon training run: run a fast first half, settle into marathon pace on tired legs, and see how a batch of products performed in genuine race conditions. Everything tested came away looking solid, with a few clear standouts.

The Test: A Half Marathon on Tired Legs

The course was a two-loop half marathon on canal towpaths through Lee Valley Regional Park. Surfaces were mostly good, with some grass and dirt sections and a few sharp turns around bridges, but everything was dry and flat, and there was a fast finishing stretch at the whitewater rafting center. The race finished in second place with roughly a 1:12, running a fast first half before settling at marathon pace.

That mix of surfaces and pacing made it a useful proving ground: simple enough to check GPS accuracy, varied enough to see how shoes and glasses behaved over a real race.

Hoka Mach X1 2.0: The Standout Racer

The Mach X1 2.0 keeps the bounciness of the first version in a much lighter, more aggressive design. On the day it felt spritely at fast opening paces, then settled comfortably into marathon pace on tired legs. Compared with the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3, it feels like the more practical racing option: still plenty of bounce, but with a more dialed-in feel that does not require hitting the foam at exactly the right point. It is very comfortable and now a genuine option for any race distance, which was not necessarily true of the original. The price is still high, though, and there are excellent cheaper alternatives in this lineup.

Garmin Fenix 8 vs COROS Vertix 2S: GPS and Heart Rate

Both watches performed well on a course that turned out trickier than expected, with winding trails, tree cover and plenty of running alongside water. The Garmin Fenix 8 tracked closer to the official race distance overall, though it was in auto-select mode rather than fixed multiband, which may explain some of its track wobble. The Vertix 2S track actually looked a bit cleaner in the trickier sections, hugging the right path around sharp turns and water.

On heart rate, both watches stayed locked in against the chest strap for the entire race after the Fenix 8 took a couple of minutes to settle at the start. No concerns with either.

Garmin HRM 200: Accurate and Comfortable

The HRM 200 has been consistently accurate in testing and delivered again here, with both watches matching it almost perfectly across the whole race. The standout hardware feature is a new privacy option controlling where heart rate data is broadcast, likely to appear on other Garmin straps going forward. The main caveat is size: the strap feels noticeably chunkier than some rivals, including the Polar H10, though it stayed comfortable over roughly 32k of running plus pre- and post-race wear.

Reks Sling Blade: Prescription Sunglasses That Work

These transition prescription sunglasses went from clear to dark blue over the course of the race, which is ideal for UK running where light conditions change constantly. The frame is genuinely sturdy, described as unbreakable, with thick lenses that can take a pounding. Fit is comfortable without gripping the head too hard, though they bounced a little on downhills, and the fit is slightly looser than some premium prescription sport glasses. The value is the big story: even with transition prescription lenses they come in around £178 on the website, far less than the biggest premium brands, and non-prescription versions are very cheap.

Suunto Aqua: Bone Conduction with MP3 Storage

The Suunto Aqua headphones launched recently and are a solid bone conduction option. The dual Bluetooth plus onboard MP3 storage combination is the key feature for runners: use Bluetooth on everyday runs when carrying a phone, then load playlists through the Suunto app for race day when you do not want a phone at all. That is exactly how they were used here, playing a podcast on the way around. Sound quality is typical bone conduction, a dip from regular headphones but acceptable, and they look very similar in quality to the established Shockz alternatives.

The Racing Shoe Field: Mizuno, Asics and Adidas

The Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 was used for a 10k session at 3:30 per km the day before and delivered a fun, very fast ride, but it is a wild, high shoe that would have been a risky pick on a mixed-surface race course. Some runners love that bounce; over long stretches it can feel tiring.

The Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris is cited as a great racing shoe that may even be liked more than the Mach X1 2.0, at a lower price. It remains a top pick in this comparison.

The Adidas Adios Pro 4 sits alongside it as another excellent, cheaper racing shoe, liked at least as much as the Hoka. For anyone shopping a new racer right now rather than specifically wanting the Mach X1 2.0, both of these are strong alternatives.

Buying Advice

If you want one shoe to handle everything from fast half marathons to marathon pace on tired legs, the Mach X1 2.0 is a serious contender, but the Metaspeed Sky Paris and Adios Pro 4 offer similar or better performance for less money. On watches, both the Fenix 8 and Vertix 2S proved accurate and reliable; the HRM 200 is an easy recommendation for accurate, affordable chest-based heart rate, with the caveat of a chunkier strap. For prescription runners who face changing light, the Reks Sling Blade transition glasses offer premium usefulness at a lower price than premium brands, and the Suunto Aqua earns its place for runners who want phone-free racing audio.

Conclusion

The Lee Valley half marathon proved an ideal real-world test: a flat, well-organized event fast enough for personal bests and well timed for spring marathon training. Every product tested came through with genuine strengths, and the Mach X1 2.0, the two GPS watches and the transition glasses stood out as gear worth shortlisting for a marathon build-up.