Frequently asked questions

We have two. One in Portsmouth and one in Christchurch, Dorset. Both carry the full range of running shoes and running gear, and both run gait analysis with the same equipment and the same trained fitters.

Both stores are open Monday to Saturday, 9:00am to 5:30pm, and Sundays and bank holidays, 10:00am to 4:00pm. Holiday hours occasionally differ, so check our opening hours page before making a special trip.

By phone, by email or in person. All the details are on our contact page. You do not need an appointment to ask a question about running shoes or running gear, so pop in and speak to whoever is free.

We do, against selected UK retailers, on the same product in the same colour, size and condition, provided it is in stock with them at the time we check. If you have already bought from us, tell us within 7 days and we will refund the difference.

One exception worth knowing: where we have provided a biomechanical fitting, the cost of that assessment is deducted from the refund, unless the competitor is offering the same shoe with the same fitting service. Full conditions are on our price match page.

Since 1981, starting in Portsmouth. More about us.

We run a loyalty scheme in our stores. Ask a member of staff on your next visit and they will explain how it works.

Online, through our appointment booking page. Pick the service, pick your store, pick a slot. You will get a confirmation email straight away.

You are welcome to walk in, but we recommend booking. Booked appointments take priority, so booking guarantees your slot and saves you waiting, particularly on Saturdays.

Something you can run in comfortably, ideally shorts or leggings. Bring your current running shoes if you have them, because the wear pattern on the sole tells us a great deal before you have taken a step.

About 30 minutes for a full gait analysis, including time on the treadmill in the shoes we recommend. Allow a little longer if you want to test several pairs, and longer again for a custom insole fitting.

Yes. You can reschedule or cancel up to the day before your appointment, either through the link in your confirmation email or by calling the store.

Yes. Portsmouth and Christchurch both take bookings throughout the week and both offer the full assessment. Choose your store when you book.

All major credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay, plus gift cards. Everything is handled by Shopify's secure checkout, so we never see or store your card details.

We take payment when the order is placed, so we can get it packed and out to you as quickly as possible.

Yes, every price on the site includes VAT at 20%, with the exception of some sports nutrition and junior shoes, which are zero rated.

Largely, yes, with the exception of store exclusives and online exclusives.

Sometimes. Tell us what you are looking for, including the model, size and colour, and we will see whether we can source that particular shoe for you.

All our orders are shipped with Royal Mail. You will get a dispatch email with a tracking number as soon as your parcel leaves us, and you can follow it on the Royal Mail tracking page.

If it has been more than 7 working days and nothing has arrived, contact us and we will chase it.

Standard delivery is free on orders over £75. Full detail on our delivery and returns page.

We usually dispatch UK orders within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. Special delivery placed after 1pm goes out the next working day, and orders placed over a weekend are dispatched on Monday.

Yes, to selected international destinations, at £19.95, arriving within 3 to 14 working days. International orders are dispatched within 48 hours, Monday to Friday.

Customs handling times vary by country and are outside our control, and additional duties or fees may apply on arrival.

It is free on every order. Choose it at checkout and we will email you once your order is ready, usually within 20 minutes and typically within 48 hours. Collection is from our Portsmouth store unless you have asked otherwise.

Bring your order confirmation, your order number and photo ID matching the order. We hold orders for 48 hours from the collection email, after which the stock goes back on the shelf. If you need longer, just ask. More on click & collect.

Usually, yes. Occasionally items ship from different locations and arrive separately. If part of your order has not turned up after 7 working days, let us know.

Check the tracking link in your dispatch email first, and have a look for a card from the courier. If the tracking has not moved for a couple of days, contact us with your order number and we will take it from there.

You have 14 days from delivery to return an item for a full refund. It needs to be unused and in original, resellable condition with all its packaging. Post it to us with your order details inside:

The delivery and returns page has the full policy.

Yes. You have 60 days from delivery to exchange, which is longer than the refund window. The item still has to come back unworn and in resellable condition with all its packaging.

Running shoes in particular are worth getting right, so tell us what was wrong with the fit and we will suggest the size or model that solves it rather than just swapping like for like.

Absolutely, at either store. Bring your confirmation email and the card you paid with. The return still has to meet the policy above. If you paid by PayPal or another digital method, allow up to 7 working days for the refund to come through.

Not for a change of mind. Return postage is yours to arrange, and we would recommend a tracked or insured service, since the parcel is your responsibility until it reaches us.

If the item is faulty, that is on us. We cover return postage up to £5, or you can bring it into either store at no cost.

We process returns within 7 working days of them reaching us, and your bank then takes a further 3 to 5 working days to show the money. Bank holidays stretch both. If it has been longer than that, tell us and we will look into it.

Not for a refund. Returns need to be unused and resellable, and shoes worn outdoors are neither, so try them on indoors, on carpet, before you commit. Worn or non-resellable items sent back to us may be charged return postage.

Faulty is a different matter, and so is a fitting that has not worked out. Come and talk to us in store, or get in touch.

Contact us first with your order number and a few photographs of the fault. That is usually enough for us to tell you straight away whether it is a manufacturing fault and what happens next, and it saves you posting anything unnecessarily.

You have 60 days for a faulty item and we cover the return postage. All returned items are inspected when they reach us, and where it is a genuine fault you can have a refund or a replacement. Faults that appear beyond that window we will take up with the brand on your behalf, so it is always worth asking.

The study of how you move when you walk or run. Ours is a 30-minute, six-step assessment: a conversation about your goals and injury history, podiatry-based clinical tests, a 3D scan of both feet, pressure mapping, slow-motion video on the treadmill, and a fitting that uses everything we have just measured. The full explanation is here.

A £30 deposit is taken when you book. It comes straight off the price of any footwear you buy in store on the day, so if you leave with a pair of running shoes the assessment has cost you nothing. There is no pressure to buy either way.

At both our stores, Portsmouth and Christchurch in Dorset. Same 3D scanner, same pressure mapping, same treadmill, same trained fitters. Both take bookings throughout the week.

No. We assess plenty of walkers, gym-goers, people coming back to exercise after a break, and people experiencing foot or leg pain or who are simply uncomfortable on their feet. There is no minimum pace on the treadmill and nobody is judging your stride.

No. Book with no obligation to buy anything. Sometimes the honest answer is that the running shoes you already own are the right ones, and if so we will say so.

We would suggest every time you buy a new pair of running shoes, or every 8 to 12 months, whichever comes first. Your gait changes over time, and so do the shoes. A model you got on with three versions ago may not be the same shoe today.

You can learn something from filming yourself running, and it is better than nothing. What you cannot do at home is measure how pressure is distributed across your foot, capture its geometry in 3D, or test the recommendation on a treadmill with someone who fits shoes for a living. We do not offer an online version for that reason.

Book as normal, and tell the fitter you have been referred along with anything you have been told about your feet or your gait. If it turns out the answer goes beyond footwear, we have qualified podiatrists in store at both locations who can see you separately.

Gait analysis and biomechanical assessment, custom insole fitting, 3D printed insoles, podiatry, physiotherapy, sports bra fitting and shoe repairs. The full list is here.

An off-the-shelf insole is built for an average foot, and yours is not one. We fit insoles to your own foot shape and pressure pattern, either heat-moulded in store or 3D printed to your scan. How custom insole fitting works.

Insoles printed from the 3D scan of your own feet, rather than moulded to an existing shape. More on ME3D insoles.

Yes, at both stores, by appointment. A gait analysis is a fitting service rather than a clinical consultation, so if your feet need more than the right shoes, our podiatrists can see you properly. Podiatry appointments.

We do, by appointment. See our in-store services.

We offer basic repairs on running, walking and fitness shoes, so it is worth asking before you replace a pair you get on with. Bring them in and we will tell you honestly whether a repair is worth doing. Shoe repairs.