Meet the reviewer
inov-8 Mudtalon Speed: first impressions
New for 2024, these inov-8 Mudtalon Speed shoes are designed to do one thing very well: enable you to run as fast as your legs will carry you across very muddy and treacherously skiddy terrain with confidence, by providing failsafe traction with a toothy, grippy outsole that will simply not let you fall down, slip over or give up, no matter what.
• List price: $TBC (US) / £130 (UK) / €150 (EU)
• Weight (per shoe): 260g
• Drop: 4mm
• Tread depth: 8mm
• Upper material: Ripstop
• Colors: Black & Yellow
• Compatibility: Perfect for training and racing on muddy trails and filthy fells
The distilled design of these mucky-minded shoes is the result of years of inov-8’s designers and outdoor athletes running and sliding around in the gloopy conditions of northern England’s fells, where the brand’s brains are based. They came up with the Mudroc, the Mudclaw and the X-Talon, and the life experiences of these shoes have been decanted into the creation of the Mudtalon Speed.
At least that’s the backstory as inov-8 tell it, and at first glance it all seems to stack up. But I’ve been trail-testing the Mudtalon Speeds to see how they actually perform compared to the best mud running and fell-running shoes already on the market.
inov-8 Mudtalon Speed: design & materials
For starters, there’s certainly no need to run the Mudtalon Speeds through a paternity test to work out that they share genes with some older members of the inov-8 family – the features are writ large all over them, including the 8mm fangs that cover the outsole.
This is a lightweight shoe, intended to be fast and nimble in challenging terrain, and the chassis is fairly minimalist, made from an opaque ripstop synthetic material with a PU skeleton to maintain the structure and provide a bit more strength. The laces are flat and fairly basic, but there is, of course, an extra high-placed lace hole for use when you’re likely to be running through deep, sucky bogs (no one wants to lose a fancy new shoe).
There appears to have been a change in the last used in the inov-8 design lab, and the Mudtalons have a shape that the brand say is more precisely contoured to the human foot. I would have thought people’s feet differ in shape quite a bit, but having said that, I certainly found these shoes to fit very nicely straight out of the box. They held my plates very securely and comfortably in all areas, from the heel across the top of my foot to the toe box. The sizing was spot on, the heel lock worked and my foot did not seem to move around in the shoe at all.
Impressively, the Mudtalon Speed is available in two versions: you can select between the Precision Fit (with a narrow, tight toe box) and the Wide Fit (which allows your pinkies more room to spread). This choice is good for mutants like me – with my broad hobbit-like hooves and bunions the Wide iteration is ideal – and it also reflects the fact that Mudtalons are intended both for competitive racers looking for every ounce of performance from their gear, and people (like myself) who just enjoy going on recreational runs, training sessions and everyday outings on mucky trails and hillsides.
The midsole is cushioned with Powerflow Pro Foam, designed to strike a balance between absorbing some of the impact of repeated footfall while still permitting an element of trail feedback. This is complimented by the Boomerang footbed, which helps put some bounce in your step. There’s also a Meta-Plate rockplate in the mid-shoe mix, to prevent puncture wounds if you accidentally stomp on something sharp submerged in the mud. There is a toe-cap, but it’s pretty small, so stubbing injuries are definitely a danger to be aware of.
Of course, as with all mud-running shoes, most of the attention from both the brand and the users is on the composition and design of the all-important outsole, which needs to be capable of keeping you the right way up even in the most heinous conditions. Like some of its parent models, the new Mudtalon has very aggressive 8mm lugs, intended to provide traction on the gloopiest of terrain.
Importantly, though, inov-8 have made these fangs with ‘Stickygrip’ rubber to give them some biting power and clingability on rocks, as well as stopping you from slipping on your arse every few meters when you’re running across hillsides boobytrapped with sections of ankle-deep mud.
inov-8 Mudtalon Speed: on the trails
I’ve been running around the increasingly sludgy trails and slippery hillsides of drizzly Devon in the Mudtalon Speeds for the last few weeks, since the shoe was soft launched, putting them to the test in conditions close to those they have been tailor-made to deal with. (We don’t get ‘real’ fells down here, but there is certainly no shortage of mud and plenty of lumpy landscape.)
…but preferably, not on the hard stuff
Like virtually any dedicated mud-running shoe, the Mudclaws are quite uncomfortable to wear when running across hard-packed or sealed surfaces over any distance. The pronounced studs can be felt through the midsole, and it’s reminiscent of running across a carpark in football boots – which is all absolutely fine, as they’re not designed for use in such boring environments, quite the opposite, and so this is to be expected and it’s not a criticism. It’s just something to be aware of if you tend to scamper across some sections of pavement or concrete en route to your local trails, hills or fells, as I do – grass verges and nature strips are your friends here, just ignore the disapproving looks from neighbors.
Trail feel
The fact that you can feel the lugs through the midsole on hard surfaces is testament to the fact that inov-8 have achieved their aim of not completely dampening the tactile trail feel you get in the Mudtalons. But this isn’t at the expense of cushioning – the Powerflow Pro Foam midsole does its job just fine, providing the perfect amount of suspension required in a shoe designed primarily for running on soft squishy surfaces, but still allowing feedback from the underfoot environment to percolate through.
Stability on mud and trails
For tackling technical trails covered in roots and rocks, the 4mm heel-to-toe drop is excellent. The low center of gravity provides almost barefoot levels of confidence and stability, and this is complemented by the very secure hold achieved by the snug-fitting upper and heel lock, and, of course, the exceptionally grippy outsole.
Although the tread on these shoes is ultra aggressive, I’ve been really impressed with how little mud sticks to the bottom of the Mudtalons. I expected the grip and traction to be good – and it really is, I haven’t taken a single tumble or gone for a slide on my backside once since I started wearing them – but I really thought I’d be bringing half the hillside home with me, and this hasn’t happened at all. The lugs are so well spaced that the mud sheds straight off as you run, which actually makes more of a positive difference to your pace than any of the fancypants materials used or design elements employed in a running shoe (wet mud is very heavy to carry around – it will tire you out and slow you down extremely quickly).
Another impressive feature of these shoes is the degree of non-slip performance the ‘Stickygrip’ rubber used in the outsole offers on exposed rocks and roots.
Durability
There is always a compromise, of course, and the fact that the outsoles are not made with inov-8’s signature superhero-esque graphene compound, means they won’t last as long. But, given the Mudclaw Speeds are not designed or intended for regular use on hard, high-impact surfaces, they should have a decent life-expectancy.
I got a bit of a shock when I first put the Mudclaw Speeds on and realized I could see my socks right through the ultrathin translucent upper. Skinny and see-through it might be, but the chassis is made primarily with a ripstop material, and inov-8 claim these shoes are as tough as old boots. Only time will tell us if this is really true, but so far (with about 100 filthy clicks on the clock) they’re fine – as you would very much expect them to be. (I will update this review with any significant wear and tear issues.)
Some minor drawbacks
You don’t tend to notice over-heating issues too much when running through deep mud during the depths of January in England, but as far as I can tell these shoes do allow my feet to breath perfectly adequately. However, I’m not sure the Mudtalon Speeds are quite as quick-draining as they look, or as inov-8 claim they are. On a recent run I was still experiencing noticeable squelch several kilometers after a stream crossing.
Also, I think the toe cap could be more substantial, and there’s no noticeable rand to protect the sides of your feet (both compromises made to keep weight down, I suspect). Lastly (on the whingeing and whining front), while perfectly adequate for most outings, the lacing system is a tad basic and like any traditional setup, laces can come undone amid the muck. Having the additional lace hole just below the ankle is, of course, essential for any mud-running shoe worth its salt (it enables a much tighter closure and secure fit than almost any quick-lace boa-system can offer, and is a safer solution, less prone to failure), but perhaps a lace pocket might be an improvement.
