“I carried out a lot of research for a pair of runners that would suit Ultra distance. Plenty of people believed that the Inov8 290's was the shoe of choice when you needed something that worked over long distances. Inov8 don't manufacture them any more the replacement/superseded pair are the Trail Talons 275. First impressions when I received them were good. I walked around the house for half a day wondering what they were going to be like on the trails of the Quantocks. The same evening I took them out and tried on a short flat mixed path/hard grass route. They felt good but not enough to convince me these are the ones!! Since then I have visited the Quantocks 3 (17mile sessions) times each session has been tough. Hard packed trails, no problems, soft ground with upturned roots, no problems, loose varied stone sizes, no problems, sloped earth/stone embankments, no problems, grassed area and sheep pooh, no problems. Grip is excellent for the stud size, loads of room in the toe box and good for foot spreaders like me. Cushioning over all surfaces mentioned has been excellent and my feet are sound with no aches or pains in my toes or arch. Still early days but so far I'm happy.”
“This is my second pair of Inov8 Trail Talon 275 bought to replace the first pair which are a bit tatty after about 7 months of use and hundreds of miles. Possibly last longer on sole because not pounding roads but uppers have lasted well too. Used as my daily trail shoe and very comfortable from the off with plenty of room in the toe box. Designed for long miles on hard trails they certainly work for that and are fine on roads for linking sections. I've used them on rougher muddy ground which they were not designed for and they have been fine. Really like this shoe and ideal for long multi terrain runs and they will cope with most surfaces. They cope with mud better than eg mudclaws cope with road so an ideal all rounder. I will be buying another pair when I need to.”
