The following review was written by trail runner Sarah Barber and features the INVO8 Mudtalon Speed. The footwear was provided by ATRA corporate member INOV8 at no charge for the review.
It’s unusual to see the words “mud” and “speed” in the same sentence, let alone in the title of one product that claims to have mastered both. “Mud” and “stuck” is the more common combo. But INOV8 is back and more innovative than ever. This time with the objective of helping runners move quickly when traipsing through swampy bogs.
With over 20 years of experience in the industry, it’s hardly a surprise that INOV8 would attempt a juxtaposition like this. The fact that they pulled it off is also no surprise. The new MUDTALON SPEED sends a clear message to the trail running world: there is no reason to sacrifice speed in the name of traction.
Beefy lugs on inov-8 MUDTALON SPEED.
Beefy lugs
If sneakers could have all-season 4-wheel drive, the MUDTALON SPEED wouldn’t need it. With beefy 8 mm lugs on the bottom, the almost-shear upper must be on a diet, keeping the total shoe weight low. These kicks look and feel like they’re basically just tread with a foot wrapper on top. However, the strategically engineered upper is just as prepared to rumble as the sole—and the soul—that’s attached to it.
Constructed with rip-stop material, it would take a finely honed sword to slice through it. Branches and rocks don’t stand a chance. Amazingly, the material breathes as well as it protects. Any fool knows that dry feet on wet trails is a myth, so INOV8 didn’t waste time with water-proofing, opting instead for a quick-draining system that allows water to exit as soon as you’ve made it across the stream.
Shape and fit
Although INOV8 uses words like “bounce” and “plush” to characterize the POWERFLOW PRO foam and BOOMERANG insole, there’s not a lot of cush in just 26 mm of stack height. This is likely an intentional move from INOV8, as saturated earth is mushy enough on its own—lowering the user’s center-of-gravity offers better balance on an unstable surface.
INOV8 designed the MUDTALON SPEED with a foot-contoured shape and added two options for the fit. The Precision Fit is intended to swaddle your foot like the contents of a burrito. Conversely, the Wide Fit is relaxed enough for an extra pair or two of socks, or simply more space for toes to spread and stretch. Given my long, narrow flippers, I tried the Precision Fit and found that not all size 10s are created equal. The Precision Fit was so precise that there was barely enough room for my entire foot to fit comfortably in the shoe lengthwise. Barely. Which means that it fit. But, I might consider going up a half-size in the future.
Most trail runners are happiest when the dirt surface is dry or maybe a little tacky, and I usually vote the same way. However, most trail running shoes aren’t specifically created for soggy soil, as those conditions don’t crop up often enough to warrant it. But the INOV8 brand was born and is now based in the Lake District of England where fell running is a sport in and of itself. In case you wondered, not “fell” as in, “I fell running down a muddy trail last week,” but “fell” as in “rugged, steep, and wet mountainous terrain.”
Barber on the trails in the INOV8 MUDTALON SPEED.
The wear test
In a personal plot twist, test-driving the MUDTALON SPEED had me psyched about the atmospheric river moving through the west, creating record-busting rainfall and—you guessed it—muddy, puddle-strewn trails even in my high desert locale. My first few steps left me wondering where the arch support was in these flexible swamp monsters, but I quickly forgot about that when I flew down a trail with rivulets of rain coursing through it.
The joy I felt was something like being on a heater in Vegas—thrilling, dopamine-producing, and sadly temporary…because then I hit a short stretch of pavement and felt a little ridiculous with my lugs gripping the wet asphalt in a way that only INOV8’s STICKY GRIP rubber does.
Still, anyone running in exotic places like the Amazon or the Everglades (or maybe just trail running during winter in the Pacific Northwest) will appreciate a shoe that can handle it. The MUDTALON SPEED eats sludge for breakfast, chewing through muck, and begging for more by lunchtime. It’s niche critter that I wouldn’t use every day, but when El Nino makes a visit, no other trail shoe will give its weather a warmer welcome.
MUDTALON SPEED specs
Weight: 260 g
Stack height: 22 mm fore, 26 mm heel
Heel-toe drop: 4 mm
MSRP: $140
Editor’s Note: Enjoy a previous INOV8 trail running shoe review from Sarah Barber here.
