Inov-8 X-Talon 200

My first pair of Inov-8's, and probably not my last! I bought these in preparation for my first OCR, the Spring Wolf Run in Warwick.

I'd originally purchased the Mudclaw 300's for their aggressive grip and extra support, but the Precision (slim) fit was too narrow for my wider feet, and so I exchanged them for the Standard fit Talons. With their 8mm lugs, which were more like running spikes, they didn't disappoint!

When they arrived I trialed them in my local park, which is fortunate to have a 1/4 mile obstacle course, including parallel bars, monkey bars, balance beams, 5ft wall, pull-up bars - it's the perfect OCR gym and best of all, it's free!

The road-run to the park and back is only one mile, and the Talons offered reasonable cushioning. But these are designed for off-road and OCR, so don't recommend long'ish hard surface runs in these. I'd only ever worn 'standard' running trainers before, and I do like good support and cushioning, but I soon appreciated the lower 'bare foot' feel off-road.

Once on the grass and soft ground, the Talons came into their own. On slippery mud, doing static bodyweight exercises - tuck-jumps, lunges etc., I felt well-anchored and stable. Doing zig-zag runs up the muddy bank of a small stream the horizontal grip was superb!

On the dry wood of some of the obstacles the sticky-rubber outsole gave good grip, and the low heel-to-toe drop and thinner sole provided a 'bare-foot' feel.

They got their first real test on the Spring Wolf Run in Warwick, and performed superbly! No matter how muddy the trail, I was sure-footed

all the way, as others slipped and slithered on 'standard' trainers.

They drained well, although still retained some water in the sock/footbed - but only to be expected on a OCR I suppose! The uppers are thin yet strong, and the heel felt quite stable, especially using the lace-lock system. They were comfortable straight out of the box, with plenty of toe-box room, so ideal for the wider foot. I wore them with medium thickness Karrimor Run socks, and after 10km had no hot-spots or discomfort. The medium thickness socks provided adequate cushioning from the natural creases of the uppers.

The lace system was good, normal thickness laces, not those stringy things, and the lace eyes sat well-down in the lace bed. The lace-lock system was effective, allowing a little play across the top of the foot for comfort.

My only niggle was the length of the laces, which even with the lace-lock and double tied, were still overly long, and had to be tucked well-down into the lacing.

I purchased them from Sportsshoes.com, whose return/exchange service was excellent, so a big thanks to the folks there.

Certainly impressed with Inov-8, now if only they made the Mudclaw 300 in a Standard fit...

Inov-8 https://www.inov-8.com/trail-running/shoes-by-activity/mud-running