Inov-8 X-Talon 212 Review
The 16th Mountain Mist 50K promised the usual rocks and gnarly single track, but as an added bonus this year, the mud made an abundant appearance. In the past I have worn the Roclite 295s and the Flyroc 310s in this event, with both performing flawlessly. This year I obtained a pair of X-Talon 212s. While I knew they were more known for shorter XC and mountain races, I was pleasantly surprised by their comfort and support on a couple of long trail runs. I decided the mud fest of this year’s Mountain Mist 50K would be a great time to utilize their perfectly spaced lugs for traction and the sticky rubber for the numerous rocks. The lugs are further apart that many shoes and I found this to be extremely helpful in keeping the mud from lodging within them, yet the traction was still awesome…and believe me, I would have noticed during this mud fest. The 2nd half of Mountain Mist has a plethora of various rocks, from small knife edges that “massage” your feet to boulders which threaten to throw you from side to side. For me, the X-Talons not only protected my feet from the small rocks, but the sticky outsole allowed me to grip the big rocks with confidence.
The X-Talon has surprising support for their extreme light weight. The shoes seemed molded specifically for my foot…they felt natural and I ran with confidence across a wide variety of terrain. I had no issues with my feet during the 50K and the “trail racing flats”, as I call them, performed higher than my expectations. I thought my feet might show the effects of racing 31 miles over harsh terrain in such light weight shoes, but they amazed me with their protection. The x-talon is definitely in my rotation whatever the race distance.
The 16th Mountain Mist 50K promised the usual rocks and gnarly single track, but as an added bonus this year, the mud made an abundant appearance. In the past I have worn the Roclite 295s and the Flyroc 310s in this event, with both performing flawlessly. This year I obtained a pair of X-Talon 212s. While I knew they were more known for shorter XC and mountain races, I was pleasantly surprised by their comfort and support on a couple of long trail runs. I decided the mud fest of this year’s Mountain Mist 50K would be a great time to utilize their perfectly spaced lugs for traction and the sticky rubber for the numerous rocks. The lugs are further apart that many shoes and I found this to be extremely helpful in keeping the mud from lodging within them, yet the traction was still awesome…and believe me, I would have noticed during this mud fest. The 2nd half of Mountain Mist has a plethora of various rocks, from small knife edges that “massage” your feet to boulders which threaten to throw you from side to side. For me, the X-Talons not only protected my feet from the small rocks, but the sticky outsole allowed me to grip the big rocks with confidence.
The X-Talon has surprising support for their extreme light weight. The shoes seemed molded specifically for my foot…they felt natural and I ran with confidence across a wide variety of terrain. I had no issues with my feet during the 50K and the “trail racing flats”, as I call them, performed higher than my expectations. I thought my feet might show the effects of racing 31 miles over harsh terrain in such light weight shoes, but they amazed me with their protection. The x-talon is definitely in my rotation whatever the race distance.
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