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Trail Running Shoes • January 29, 2025

Inov-8 Trailtalon Review: Rippin’ Through the Lake District

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What You Need To Know

Weight

10.9 oz. (310 g) for a US M9 / US W10.5

Stack Height / Drop

18 mm in heel, 12 mm in forefoot (6 mm drop)

Best For

Quick runs or races in gnarly conditions

Key Features

Graphene Grip outsole, PowerFlow Pro midsole, Boomerang insole

On The Run
Great Graphene Grip lugs Bouncy Boomerang insole Heel security is lacking
Price / Availability

Available now for $150

The Score

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11 out of 15
Form 3 out of 5
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Fit 4 out of 5
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Function 4 out of 5
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Introduction to the Inov-8 Trailtalon

MICHAEL:  Having been a gear nerd for quite some time, one of the things about outdoor gear I’ve come to love is how clearly product demand drives innovation (Inov-8-tion?). It’s a simple design principle, really, yet in many industries and markets, its outworkings become marred.

For example, let’s say someone who lives in New England comes up with a design for a car tire that handles east coast snow better than west coast snow, and it works like a charm. This tire may be awesome, but by the time the idea works its way through all manner of product development, testing, and optimization for efficient manufacturing and sales, the end product may only be a shade of its former ideal. In order for the tire to be profitable, after all, it needs to be able to perform in west coast snow, too.

Such is not the case for trail running shoes. Headquartered in the quaint village of Staveley in the UK, Inov-8 has produced some of the world’s best fell-running (soft-ground) trail running shoes in the heart of England’s lake district since 2003. For the past 20 years, in a village with a population of around 1,000, the aforementioned line between a product’s environment and its realization becomes far more clear.

With impressive grippy, lugged outsoles, low-profile, lightweight midsoles, and minimally absorptive uppers across its impressive line of footwear, it’s easy to see how Inov-8 has analyzed the demands of its beautiful surroundings and channeled them into high-performing trail shoes that work. It’s a small yet beautiful operation that I’ve always admired yet never experienced for myself as a trail reviewer — that is, until now.

For some context, the Inov-8 Trailtalon is positioned as a lightweight, versatile, soft-ground trail shoe within Inov-8’s lineup. With higher profile Graphene Grip lugs than the Trailfly, yet lower profile than the Mudtalon, the Trailtalon sits at a sort of goldilocks spot when it comes to Inov-8 models built to handle the wet, sloppy conditions of England’s lake district.

The Graphene Grip outsole, topped off with a PowerFlow Pro midsole, Boomerang insole, and a simple yet secure upper, leaves no question as to what this shoe is made for: fast running in sloppy conditions. Thankfully, while it’s no lake district, winter in North Alabama has some sloppy conditions of its own, perfect for putting the Trailtalon to the test stateside.

It’s also worth mentioning that Inov-8 makes a secondary version of the Trailtalon, the Trailtalon Speed, which is, in my estimation, the same thing as the Trailtalon, with a lighter weight upper and slightly lighter, lower profile midsole. I received both pairs for review, but the Trailtalon Speed was simply too small to wear for a full review period. I’ve appended each section below with my perceived thoughts on the Speed, just know that I never got the chance to actually run in it.

What we like about the Inov-8 Trailtalon

MICHAEL: Since this is my first Inov-8 shoe, I’ve got a lot to get through here. Let’s start from the top.

I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll say it again: fit is the most important aspect of a great trail shoe, especially a shoe designed for technical terrain. Here, unsurprisingly, the Trailtalon does not disappoint. While it’s not at all flashy, the upper hugged my foot securely through the midfoot with no hotspots or issues. A slightly roomy toe box gives hints of an Altra-style foot-shaped last, and Inov-8 used more durable fabric throughout the shoe to provide some protection and aid in longevity. (Note: this protective material is absent on the Speed, which sacrifices some of the durability for a lower weight).

Moving on down, the Trailtalon features a proprietary Boomerang insole, which has a number of noticeable benefits to a more standard ortho-lite offering. First, it absorbs noticeably less water than a standard insole, which is helpful in muddy terrain. Second, it gives the shoe an undeniably fun and somewhat springy feel through the stride. This works in tandem with the similarly soft and lively PowerFlow Pro midsole, which was probably the most impressive part of this shoe. Together with the Boomerang footbed, the combination results in a really quick toe-off and spring in the step that is just simply fun to run in.

Lastly, of course, we have to talk about the outsole. The most prominent feature for any shoe across Inov-8’s lineup, Inov-8’s Graphene Grip outsole continues to shine here in the Trailtalon. While the 6 mm lug (Inov-8 calls them cleats on its website, which is perhaps even more appropriate) is certainly built with the mud in mind and falls on the aggressive side, it still runs pretty smoothly over dry trails as well. And while the Trailtalon does not feature a dedicated rock plate, the generous full coverage of rubber keeps the underfoot protected and sharper rocks at bay.

With all the different aspects mentioned above, this shoe invites you to drop it down a gear, hammer the descent, and take the corners tight. This is a relatively lightweight shoe that is versatile for muddy training days and race days alike. (Note: the Trailtalon Speed is, of course, even lighter and will likely excel on race day.)

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What we don’t like about the Inov-8 Trailtalon

MICHAEL: Unfortunately, there are a few things that hold the Inov-8 Trailtalon back from being perfect for every muddy run.

First, and perhaps most noticeably, the heel cup is not very secure, coming up very short on the heel. The feeling is like that of a loose handshake, as the heel kind of feels like it could come out of the shoe at any moment. To be fair, I didn’t have any problems with slippage since the lacing through the midfoot is so secure, but it just never really felt confidence-inspiring when romping through the most technical terrain I could find.

Part of this may be due to the especially thick heel of the Boomerang sock liner, something Inov-8 could very easily remedy in the next version. Also, this shallow heel cup felt like an open invitation for dirt and rocks to get in the shoe, which is never a great feeling.

Building off the uninspiring fit in the heel is the lack of stability back there. Between the soft midsole, insole, shallow heel cup, and the shoe’s slim-fitting footprint, security when heel striking was really iffy in the Trailtalon. This all resulted in no significant increase in my ankle rolling habits, but it is worth pointing out to those more prone than I am.

Lastly, I would like to submit my opinion that the Graphene Grip outsole, while pretty good, isn’t at the top of my mountain. As I see it, I would still say it’s one of the better-performing outsoles out there, but it doesn’t succeed in surpassing VJ shoes and Vibram Megagrip for the top two spots. Where it succeeds in durability and performance in muddy, wet conditions, it lacks that top-end tackiness for wet rocks, of which there are very many in northern Alabama. In my hierarchy of outsole materials, I’d give it a respectable third place.

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Final thoughts on the Inov-8 Trailtalon

MICHAEL: Whether you’re a long time Inov-8 fan or you just jumped to the conclusion because you couldn’t make it through my confusing intro, then welcome. After putting in some solid technical mileage in the Trailtalon, I think there’s something here for pretty much any mud-slinging, soft-ground traversing, sloppy race-running trail enthusiast out there. With a durable and dependable outsole as the shoe’s calling card, the Trailtalon has everything you need to get through those tough conditions and have fun doing it, whether it’s race day or every day.

You can pick up the Inov-8 Trailtalon for $150 by using the buttons below.

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Authors

michael bio photo
Michael Loutzenheiser
Southern Trail Reviewer

An engineer living with his wife and cat in Birmingham, Ala., Michael loves chill morning runs in the neighborhood, but especially enjoys soaking up long miles of technical southeast singletrack. Occasionally, he’ll get a racing itch and actually string together some “organized” training for a trail race or FKT. In his free time, Michael enjoys books, backpacking, and hanging out with friends.

More from Michael
Shoe Size

9.5

Fav. Distance

13.1 (Trail)

PRs
  • 4:48

    50K
  • 1:16

    Half Marathon
  • 16:45

    5K
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