I am interested in becoming a wear tester for some shoe companies. I have tried several different companies, but I have not found the perfect shoe for me and want to try to help develop a shoe that is right for not only me, but other runners as well. I just want a voice in the development of shoes. Any suggestions where to find these programs or how to become a part of them? Thanks!
Once does not simply become a shoe tester
Anyone have something useful to add?
I'm a shoe tester. I got in and have stayed in the program (around 8 or 10 trials so far) because:
1. I wear size 10
2. I run the correct mileage for the program (30 - 60 mpw)
3. I fill out my logs faithfully.
I applied at a booth at a marathon expo. I'm a supinator so I can only test shoes that are neutral and flexible without getting myself hurt. If after a week or two my IT band or iliopsoas is screaming at me then I usually contact the program lead and let them know that I can't wear that shoe any longer because it has too much motion control. They are very cool with that and say thanks for trying.
You have to be pretty selfless in some ways because if you take on a shoe for testing it is an 8 week commitment. If you don't really like the shoe you still need to put on enough mileage in it to give them the wear data they need.
I thought most shoe companies use size 9. No need to worry about adding a whole lot of input or think you will "develop" a shoe for you as most that come to you are pretty well in the production process
i was actually surprised to be accepted into a wear-testing program two weeks after sending the application in. I wear a size 11 and what the above poster said is true about being diligent on posting your wearlogs. It ends up affecting whether you get chosen for future tests.
Sorry about resurrecting a dead post but...
If you are still interested in testing shoes you can register on most of the larger companies own websites. I frequently see brands like New Balance or Brooks looking for testers. There is also a site called mesh01.com/weartest that does wear testing of shoes and apparel for a lot of different brands. I hope that helps.
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