This seems like a reasonable place to talk about the Stenlight for night time running.
The short version is that the Stenlight is not good value only for running. That said, read on for more about my experience with it.
If you can justify one for other purposes (caving, cycling, walking), and can get a good headband for blade mounts then it may be adequate. If you need one for more extreme running events (like those endurance races accross New Zealand) then the Stenlights durability, efficiency and variable lighting may make it suitable.
I've taken the Stenlight out running through some small hills (maybe about 80m/250ft ascent) near where I live. The hills are sparsely forested, mostly with mature gum trees, eucalypts and lots of tall grass. Some areas are quite dark, whereas others (wuch as the top of the ridge) recieve light from the surrounding suburbs.
I'm in a somewhat strange area, its burbs, but backs onto a lot of bushland - the hills near me have about 25 kangaroos that roam around them (mostly ignore you, but I wouldn't want to startle them at night in the dark - they can actually seriously injure with their kick - they're very strong and have tough claws).
The light was really good, however the lack of a decent headband for it is very noticible. I use the ProLite Headband that I acquired as part of the group buy many moons ago.
I liked using the Stenlight more than my BD Gemini headlamp (single LED version) - I have yet to try running with my wife's BD Zenix.
When using the Gemini at night, I have occaisionally found myself staring into a sizable group of Kangaroos that I didn't realise were there until too late (which can be a bit disconcerting).
Keep in mind that the light is designed for caving and mounting on helmets - not headbands. This is not really its intended use, and in doing so there are some compromises. Note though that Stenlight have had a headband as "TBD" for a very long time, so perhaps there will be a custom headband available that specifically handles the stenlight.
The headband works well for walking, however it is not firm enough to hold the light stable relative to the head for running, so there is noticble flopping of the light when really running hard. I have had this problem with
Some of its suitability will depend on what you mean by "cross country". If you are running through hills and forested areas, then its benefits are more appropriate - if you are performing running through predominently flat well pathed trails then it is probably less suitable.
(I suspect though that this cannot be avoided, even with lighter headlights since my head usually flops around a lot when running anyway)
The Pivot on the lamp itself is more than strong enough to handle the weight for running - just the headlamp strap.
Also, the headband I'm using doesn't handle the battery pack very well (I have to wrap the pack in a rag to get it to firmly stay in place) - it was designed for a rectangular container based battery holder, rather than the stenlights cylindrical style battery pack.
The variable lighting was really useful - preserves enough night vision for many purposes, but can really be ramped up in areas where the ground contrast is really low (downhill gravel tracks), and for places where you want to see more of whats around you - and for lighting up enough when running through street areas to get to the hills. Its also good for getting the security guards at the diplomatic residences near here staring (although I don't know if they are thinking "that is really bright", "that person is a lunatic", "isn't it a bit late for running", "do I shoot that?" - hmm maybe not so good!!! ).
The bright lighting was also useful when I occaisionally paused and wanted to look around - it was remarkable how many pairs of eyes were reflected back from all around the hill.
By angling the lamp down, there is sufficient light coverage to see where you are running - but you have to use your head to aim up higher - as has been discussed in the Headlamps forum, the beamspread of the stenlight is quite well defined - there is not much general spill (this may be improved by the reflectors than Jon S Burly is working on - I'm dying from anticipation for my sets!).
There are also quite a few points in its favor:
* Selective lighting levels (dim through to OMG)
* Large number of power options (LiIon, 6xAA (pri/sec), (9V)
* Useful for other activities
* Small size
That can be compared to its disadvantages:
* Style" for summer running (shorts, singlet and metal cube on the head).
* Cost (really to expensive for only a running light - need to have more use for it)
* No really suitable headband (Cabling, Battery Mount and "flopping" are all a problem).
* Weight - I didn't really notice it, but it is definitely heavier than something like the Zenix.
If you are out running about, don't forget that if you end up using any roads with some traffic on them, its not such a bad idea to have a small flashing light of some kind projecting behind you. I usually use a Photon III on flashing mode with the clip stand facing backwards from the headband (beats being run over - especially in winter when running often means wearing thermals/skins).
Now that summer is here is Australia, with daylight savings, I probably won't be running in the dark again until next winter.
Useful Links:
http://www.jsburlysflashlights.com - JS Burly's (Stenlight Dealer, Great CPF Member).
http://www.stenlight.com/products.htm - Stenlight Manufacturers
http://www.proliteii.com/Products/mounts.htm - Headband For Stenlight
