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4.5
Me:I am not a long distance runner, nor much of a runner at all. I’m an all around fitness enthusiast, who lifts weights, does calisthenics, rides bikes, go for hikes, paddles, rows and sprints… but I don’t run distance.Lately I’ve had the urge to add a little bit of trail running into the mix. I hike a bunch, and often find my mind wandering and dreaming about covering that same terrain at double the speed, bouncing from rock to rock with beauty and grace. I also do so many other things, and I knew I would never become a full time runner or “ultra runner”.I started my search for running shoes at a local running specialty store - I told them I am a forefoot striker, have been exercising in zero drop shoes for 10+ years and don’t like shoes that feel mushy underfoot. The shop proceeded to push mushy, overly cushioned “road to trail” shoes with drops (they called them offsets) ranging from 4mm to 10mm+ I was not impressed with any of them. I was less impressed with the staff there suggesting I could learn to become a heel striker.The closest thing they had to my liking was the Altra Lone Peak, but those shoes are freakishly wide and my feet are actually on the narrow side (I’m a 12B in things like dress shoes and cowboy boots). I left the shop a bit disappointed and feeling as though the shoe I dreamt of didn’t exist.After google searching for “zero drop trail running shoes” I came across review after review for the Inov-8 Terraultra G 270, with it being well praised for a blend of cushion, ground feel, grip and durability. I generally love Inov-8 shoes and have done my cross training in them for years, so I’m shocked I had overlooked them.Amazon had the best price and shipping speed (as they often do), so I placed an order for the “oh my goodness these are impossibly bright” orange and black color. And let me tell you, they are impossibly bright!Sizing:My normal shoe size is 12, but I sized up to 12.5 to account for swelling during runs and hikes. I recommend you do that too, or order the larger size if you tend to be in between sizes.These shoes are roomy, but not cavernous like the Altra Lone Peak. If you have slightly narrow to average width feet, the lacing system will let you dial in a very secure fit. I’m not sure how well they would fit really wide feet since I don’t have those.Feel:Like most Inov-8 shoes, they feel natural and light on the feet, while being comfortably snug. You will not find these to be clumsy, unless you are a hardcore barefoot advocate - in which case, why are you looking at these? Most people should get along fine with their balanced feel, “just right” level of cushion and snug fit.Grip:I’m going to give grip its own section. Simply put, the grip is amazing! My hiking boots have a grippy Vibram outsole that I’ve never felt lacked for traction, but the grip of these Inov-8s is on another level in comparison. Walking and running on the same trails, consisting of hard pack, tree rooted, granite/rocky, dusty and occasionally moist dirt has been eye opening. There are spots of trail that I anticipated a slide, but never got one. Northern California isn’t know for mud, so I can’t comment on that. Uphill, side hill and downhill we’re equally grippy and secure. A+ on gripPerformance:So far, about 45 miles into using these shoes I’m very happy. I will be using them for dry weather hiking and all of my running now. I have also run a couple miles with them on the road and don’t see why they couldn’t be used for that too. This is such a well balanced shoe, and has inspired confidence on my trail runs so far. No blisters either.Conclusion:I could see this shoe being popular with thru-hikers, fast-packers and guys like me who want to be able to transition between walk and run whenever the mood strikes. There are lighter shoes, there are more rugged shoes, there are cushier shoes and there are more minimal shoes - but I can’t think of any shoes as balanced and Goldilocks as these. The only caution I’d have is if you are a very established runner with a history of training in high drop shoes, or if you strongly favor an attribute not found in this shoe - in those instances, stick with what you like. If you are open minded, not super experienced or are somewhat of a blank canvas like me, you owe it to yourself to try them.Did I mention their grip?I bought these shoes to train for the 29029 Everesting event and they have been great. I was looking for a light weight but still cushoined trail shoe that had plenty of grip and would help me last through the 36-hour endurance event that I had signed up for. I have purchased a few pairs in the 10 months that I have been training for the event and these shoes are great and required no break in. They are a zero drop shoe so if you haven't worn zero drop before you'll need to gradually let your ankles and calves get used to them but once you do they are great. I can't wait to wear these to tackle me event in 3 weeks.These are very good snug fitting shoes. The fit is a dream. These shoes will absolutely do 400 miles if you run groomed trails.In my case I run the mountains in the PNW. Sometimes 20 miles plus on a single run. I have well over 120 miles on this pair, just on the trails. I will say I like the zero drop, I also really like the graphene soles. However there is no rock plate, and after miles in the mountains you will start too feel every big and pointy rock your feet make contact with. My only other gripe is how fast you feet become sponges from a few over grown bushes when it’s a dew point morning. These are trail shoes and trails are rugged.Good shoes but not for mountain running. I’m trying the g300 max next. Still no rock plate, but better cushioning over rocks I hope.Turns out I liked the zero drop heel. Excellent traction, although the tread will retain mud. Easy to rinse the uppers. Used with and without insole arch supports. Couldn’t tell the difference and I have lousy plantar issues so that was impressive.I need a new left shoe because my dog turned it into a slobbery clog . Shredded.The shoe fits great with ample room in the toe box and good heal lock. The deal breaker was that the sides of the shoe are too high and rub on my ankle bone. I’ve been hunting for a good marathon trail shoe and I guess the search continues.Shoes seem well built, but were too narrow for my feet. Returned.Seams broke on shoe within weeks light walking to break in shoes. Otherwise great shoe.They were highly rated, with awards won. However, I’ve run in many, many trail shoes and these were not worth all the hype. They felt slightly below average. If you’re looking to put on the shoes and have that instant feeling of “finally, I’ve found MY shoes,” you’re probably not going to get that.My usual trail running shoe is an Inov-8 Trailtalon 290, but my latest pair were due for replacement and with all the positive reviews about the Terraultra G270 I thought I'd try a pair. The Terraultra feels right in so many ways. It was surprisingly comfortable and supportive. I only ran indoors but it had a good level of cushioining without feeling soft or lacking feeling and responsiveness. It was also very supportive and my heel was nicely snug with no slipping.I really wanted to keep the Terraultras but there were issues with the fit. Despite being rated by Inov-8 as 5 on their width scale (their widest rating and apparently equivalent to a 2E width), this isn't a wide shoe. I compared it to other Inov-8 shoes I use - Parkclaw 275 (width 5), X-Claw 275 (width 5), TrailTalon 290 (width 4) and Roclite G275 (width 3) - and the Terraultra's sole and upper is narrower than all of them. The narrowness is exacerbated by plastic bands running across the upper that reduce its "give" / flexibility, thus the shoe was too tight and the bands pressed against my foot when they flexed. I was relieved to take off the shoe after 15 minutes wearing it indoors so I couldn't run any significant distance in it. The width was the showstopper but a further issue was that the cutaway where your foot enters the shoe is cut such that my ankle bone hit it when my ankle is bent foward. I'm sure that would cause issues on a long run.In summary, this seems to be a great trail running shoe for long runs in dry conditions. If it fitted my feet then I suspect I'd be saying it was my favourite running shoe. But it's definitely not wide fitting and shouldn't be width 5 on Inov-8's scale.Initially very bouncy and comfortable but laces won't stay done up. After a few miles, the heel loses its cushioning.Light, lots of room in the toe box bearing in mind I have very wide feet, enough bounce and plenty of grip. Excellent trail all rounder.The shoe was exactly what I was looking for . However, sadly they were a little narrow for one of my feet so I sadly had to return themSorprenden por su comodidad tras el paso de los km
