Why I Chose the INOV8 Mudtalon v2
Until now, my Tough Mudder footwear choice has been remarkably uncomplicated. I’ve done all of my events in a pair of ASICS Gel-Sonoma 8 trail shoes and, in fairness to them, they’ve given me very little reason to complain. They’re comfortable over long distances, have survived repeated soakings and plenty of mud and, perhaps most importantly, I’ve yet to finish a Tough Mudder with a blister.
And they aren’t being retired.
As the distances have increased, particularly on steeper and wetter descents, I’ve become more conscious that the Gel-Sonomas are general-purpose trail shoes rather than something designed specifically for deep mud and genuinely horrible ground. With Infinity events and ultimately World’s Toughest Mudder ahead, I wanted something more aggressive underfoot in my kit bag, without sacrificing the comfort I’m going to need when I could be on my feet for many hours.
There is another reason for adding shoes rather than simply replacing them.
For World’s Toughest Mudder, I think having several pairs available could be a significant advantage. After six, eight or fourteen hours of running, the prospect of putting on dry socks and a different pair of shoes sounds less like a luxury and more like heaven. Even if the replacement pair eventually becomes just as wet and muddy, changing the pressure points and giving my feet a different feel could provide some welcome relief.
So, before WTM next June, I expect to have four or five suitable pairs available in the Prickle Pit. Whether those ultimately consist of multiple Gel-Sonoma 8s and Mudtalons, or whether a third type of shoe earns its place in the rotation, is something I’ll work out through the events leading up to WTM.
That started a surprisingly lengthy search for my next OCR shoe.
Why INOV8?
INOV8 was an obvious place to look. The company has a strong background in fell and trail running, and several of its shoes are designed around exactly the sort of British conditions I’m likely to encounter: mud, wet grass, loose ground and steep climbs and descents.
But choosing INOV8 was the easy bit. Choosing which INOV8 was considerably harder.
The Mudtalon range stood out because it sits towards the muddier, more aggressive end of the range without being quite as specialised as some of INOV8’s outright fell-running shoes. For Tough Mudder, that seemed an important distinction. An OCR course isn’t simply a muddy fell race. There are hard-packed trails, woodland tracks, grass, gravel, obstacles and occasionally surprisingly long runnable sections between the mud.
I therefore wanted aggressive traction, but not at the expense of having a shoe I could comfortably run 15, 30 or potentially 50 kilometres in.
Why the Mudtalon v2?
That eventually led me to the INOV8 Mudtalon v2.
On paper, it appeared to occupy the sweet spot I was looking for: substantially more mud-focused than my ASICS, but still designed as a running shoe rather than something so specialised that I would regret wearing it once the course became firmer.
I also looked at other options within the INOV8 range. Shoes aimed more towards general trail running offered greater versatility, but that left me wondering whether I would simply be buying another all-round trail shoe to do essentially the same job as the Gel-Sonoma.
At the opposite extreme, INOV8’s more aggressive fell-oriented options promised exceptional grip but looked less suited to the increasingly long OCR distances I have planned.
The Mudtalon therefore seemed the sensible middle ground: buy the extra grip where I know I need it, without giving away too much comfort where I don’t.
Fit was another major consideration. My feet are relatively wide and, after measuring them properly, there is also a small difference between my left and right foot. For a shoe that may eventually be on my feet for hours at a time, getting the width and toe room right matters considerably more to me than saving a few grams.
And Why Not Another Brand?
There were plenty of alternatives.
Salomon, HOKA, Saucony, Brooks and several other manufacturers all produce highly regarded trail shoes, while brands such as VJ have a particularly strong following within obstacle course racing.
The problem was that I wasn’t really looking for the best trail shoe. I was looking for the right shoe for a rather unusual job.
It needs to cope with deep mud and wet grass, give me confidence on descents, drain reasonably well after repeated water obstacles, remain comfortable over increasingly long distances and survive the general abuse that comes with Tough Mudder.
Eventually, it also needs to earn a place in my footwear strategy for World’s Toughest Mudder. I don’t intend to rely on one pair of shoes for the entire event, and I don’t necessarily expect one model of shoe to be perfect for every hour or every condition.
The Mudtalon v2 looked, on paper at least, like the best balance of those requirements.
And “on paper” is important.
This isn’t a review written after walking around the house in a new pair of shoes. The plan is to use them properly: Tough Mudders, long training sessions, mud, water, obstacles and repeated loops. I’ll also continue using the Gel-Sonoma 8s, which means I’ll have a very familiar benchmark against which to judge them.
For two-day events I can alternate between the two. At an Infinity, I may even deliberately change shoes part-way through to find out whether swapping into a fresh pair after six or eight hours actually gives my feet the lift I’m hoping it will.
The questions now are fairly simple.
Do the Mudtalons give me noticeably more confidence in mud and on descents? Are they still comfortable after 15 kilometres? What happens beyond that? How do they behave when completely soaked? Do they drain and dry effectively? Does changing between the Mudtalon and Gel-Sonoma actually help over a long event?
And, perhaps most importantly, when I finish a long event and take them off, do my feet still think choosing them was a good idea?
That’s what the rest of this review is going to find out.
London South: First Impressions
They are definitely an eye-catching shade of blue!
And those lugs on the soles… boy oh boy, those are grippy. You can feel them underfoot just walking across a carpet, so heaven only knows what they’ll be like trying to climb out of Mud Mile.
The Mudtalons are noticeably springy too. There feels to be more beneath my feet than in the Gel-Sonoma 8s, although at this stage I couldn’t tell how much of that was coming from the sole and how much was down to the insoles.
Those insoles, incidentally, are a lovely shade of yellow.
It’s almost a pity the entire shoe doesn’t come in that colour. It would go rather nicely with my evolving Electric Yellow running shirts and shorts.
Branding, baby!
There was one thing I noticed almost immediately, though.
Despite buying the Wide fit based on the measuring instructions on the INOV8 website, the Mudtalons still felt tighter than the Gel-Sonoma 8s.
That may become important.
Over many hours my feet are inevitably going to swell, so perhaps the Mudtalons should eventually become the first shoe of the day when I’m planning a pit change later.
Except that creates a slight flaw in my logic.
On a long event, particularly something involving repeated laps, the course is probably going to deteriorate as the hours pass. More people, more churned-up ground and potentially more rain means more mud. Logically, that’s exactly when I’d want the more aggressive Mudtalon grip.
So which matters more after eight, twelve or sixteen hours: additional room for swollen feet or additional grip for a deteriorating course?
That’s another question for the testing list.
Running to the First Water Obstacle
The first true dunking for the Mudtalons at London South was Mud Mile.
There had already been a foul-smelling beck to cross in the woods, but it wasn’t actually an obstacle. Having already encountered it twice during Saturday’s runs, I knew how to cross without getting my feet wet… or covered in the stagnant mud.
Mud Mile was therefore the first proper test.
And the grip was instantly noticeable.
I climbed over each peak without a single slip. Mud Mile simply wasn’t an issue. Over I bounded, with the lugs gripping firmly into the mud.
What a difference.
It’s worth remembering that this was Sunday. Mud Mile had already seen hundreds of Mudders by this point and was well and truly churned up, although it was still something of a mini-Mud Mile compared with the versions I’d encountered at Yorkshire and South West.
If this was a sign of things to come, the Mudtalons were looking very promising indeed.
Then Came the Squelching…
Running up the hill after Mud Mile, however, I noticed something I’d never really experienced in the Gel-Sonoma 8s.
Squelching.
There was water sitting in my shoes.
Was I only noticing it because I was deliberately paying attention to a brand-new pair of shoes? Possibly.
Had the mud already started clogging the additional drainage? Maybe.
I wasn’t sure, but the next obstacle would provide another opportunity to find out: Augustus Gloop.
That meant another complete soaking.
After descending from Augustus Gloop and making my way towards the first water station, I was once again very conscious that there was still water inside my shoes.
Not Draining, or Just New?
It never became a serious problem.
This was already my second 15k of the weekend and it would ultimately become my fastest Tough Mudder 15k to date. I then went back out for another two 5ks, taking Sunday’s total to around 25 km.
So the water certainly wasn’t stopping me.
But I remained conscious of it throughout the day. The shoes seemed to take an age to drain compared with what I’d become accustomed to in the Gel-Sonomas.
Why?
At this stage, I genuinely don’t know.
It could simply be because everything is new and the insole is particularly springy. It could be the positioning of the drainage holes. Or it could be connected to something I noticed the minute I first picked up the shoes: the upper has quite a rubberised feel to it.
That could potentially be an advantage when splashing through shallow puddles and wet grass, but perhaps less so after you’ve effectively been swimming and suddenly want all that water to escape again.
That’s something I’ll be paying much closer attention to during the next few events.
London South: The First Verdict
After Sunday’s three runs and roughly 25 km, though, the overall first impression was definitely positive.
The grip was the standout.
Mud Mile gave me an immediate example of exactly why I’d bought these shoes in the first place. Where I would previously have expected some slipping and sliding, the Mudtalons simply dug in and got on with it.
More importantly, after 25 km there were no blisters and no obvious pressure sores despite my initial concerns about the tighter fit.
And this wasn’t 25 km on fresh legs. I’d already completed 20 km on Saturday. Yet Sunday became my biggest single day of Tough Mudder distance so far, my pace remained consistent, and I recorded my fastest 15k to date.
I certainly can’t give the shoes all the credit for that.
But equally, they didn’t stop me doing it.
So after the first proper test, I have one very big tick next to grip, another provisional tick next to comfort, and one rather soggy question mark next to drainage.
Manchester should tell me a little more.