X-Talon 212

Adidas terrex speed pro sg. I have these and inov8 talon 212. Talon slightly better grip but i always go to the terrex because they are more comfortable and slightly wider in the toe box if you order half size up.

Damn, it's been a while. In my home region (soft woods with widely available marshes/bogs) they were very popular about a decade ago among trail runners and orienteerers before VJ effectively took over. Still see them occasionally but they aren't nearly as big as they used to be. I still my pair of X-Talon 212 but out of all the pairs I've got they're the only one that boldly claim perfect fit and funnily enough they have the worst for fit me. That's one of the reason they're still alive — I barely use them. Have to admit though, for the purpose they're good. Light, grippy, shed mud away quickly and pretty tough upper.

VJ iRocks for racing. Scott Supertrac RC2s are the closest I’ve found to roclites for daily training. I’ve got a pair of the OMM fell shoes to try but I’ve been out with the flu so haven’t given them a go yet. Luckily still have some old 212s that i save for special occasions…

Inov8's are now in the 260-270g range (it's a shame they do not do X-talon 212 anymore) but there are VJ's in the 220-250g range.

I have the innov8 MudTalon and the Innov8 talon212. I bought the Mud Talons to run that same 21k Spartan race last year due to the great traction and the softer insole (I thought would be beneficial for the longer distance). It was a huge mistake. They retained water like buckets. Zero drainage. That central Florida course is loaded with water and deep mud crossings (mid thigh to waist deep for long stretches. By mile 5 my shoes felt like cement blocks. Other than the miserable drainage they're pretty comfy for an OCR shoe. The Talon212's were my old trusty OCR shoe but were basically barefoot shoes or very minimalist in terms of cushioning which made me hesitate to wear them on the 21k run. They're equal in terms of traction but have far superior drainage, very flexible, and lightweight. Unfortunately they are no longer sold in stores so you'll have to search for them. I'm doing the same race this year but I'm bringing the 212s! My wife wore the Craft brand Spartan shoes that they sell at the race and on the Spartan site and she loved them. Said they held no water at all and were comfortable enough to get through the run. Long story short prioritize drainage for that Florida course! Good luck on the race Aroooo!

If you don't care about the cost get the V2. The heel cup lockdown and overall fit was a lot better than v1. The V1 personally felt really sloppy and all over the place. The rubber is supposedly softer but I don't notice it, it's not as big of a difference as the jump to the vj butyl rubber or even the terrex continental (though this isn't as good as the vj rubber). Depending on what you want them for inov8 has just re-released the x-talon 212 and the Adidas terrex speed pro SG are amazing for race day!

Inov8 x talon 212 are the most perfect shoes. Never gotten any little injury or blister from them. In fact, when I needed to run through a small injury, they were more comfortable to wear than my road shoes. Incredible traction and pretty agile and good for feeling the ground. Unfortunately the new models are way different and not as good anymore.

There's rarely a perfect trail shoe for UK winters, just which compromises work best. Here's my advice. 1. If your route is fairly flat for the muddy bits then most regular trails shoes are probably fine, you'll be slipping around a bit but overall if you have a mix of terrain you'll be fine. Just try to relax and have fun! 2. If your route is steep or off camber for the muddy bits lean more towards a shoe with better traction in mud and suck it up on the tarmac bits. 3. If your run is long but flat and muddy where your legs will be really tired, lean more towards a shoe that's better in mud. I've run some ultras where it's been really muddy for miles towards the end and nobody can stay on their feet and it's brutal and the funny side soon wears off. Be the one in the grippy shoes but try not too look too smug. Everyone has their favourite shoes because we all have different feet and running styles but if you have a road shoe that you really like and they do a trail version, that'll probably be fine for option 1. Option 2 and 3, then something that's more mud focussed. Inov-8 always excelled for UK trails, I loved the x-talon's but I've not really used Inov-8 shoes since they went a bit more mainstream. The x-talons were my go to for winter trails. Avoid any US brands for UK winter trails, they usually suck.

I have the opposite problem! I find speedgoats very comfortable for road portions of off-road runs, even long road sections, and they're good on easy trail and wet rock, but I struggle with them on technical trail stuff as they're far too unstable and they're terrible in mud. (I do a lot of fell running, so my definition of 'technical' might be more extreme!) What I'm struggling with is finding something as comfortable as the speedgoats that handles technical trail, steep off-trail descents / 'light' fell running well, but is comfortable for long runs. I currently wear inov-8 x-talons for short fell races but need something for longer fell runs.

Would love to know how inov8 ranks here, imo x talons are excellent at wet rock