I think his best advice was ‘find a pair of trainers that fit you, run as much as you can and don’t try to run fast - you will improve if you just keep running’ which I scoffed at when I was young, but have come to live by. Seeing as this is largely a running blog, what better place to start than with a review of a pair of running shoes? Please be aware, if you’re looking for a technical review of the last and design, you’ve come to the wrong place. I like to tell stories.

In December 2019 we launched the first-ever X-TALON shoes to include our revolutionary Graphene-Grip outsoles. You can find out all the details here. The X-TALON G 235 is joined by the X-TALON G 210 (V2 version now available) as the new Graphene-Grip products in the range. From time to time carriers may deliver earlier or later, or on non working days however this is cannot be guaranteed nor should it be expected. The 190 weighed just 190g and had a 3mm drop, bringing the foot closer to the ground for an even faster feel, while offering underfoot comfort courtesy of an injected EVA midsole. I apologise for the glowing review, but I didn’t set out to be technical - these are simply a great piece of kit and have changed my running considerably for the better. I’m interested to try out some other brands (I’m quite keen on the look of the Salomon Speedcross) to see how they compare now but they have turned me into a bit of an Inov8 fanboy.The only fault with these (and it might just be down to my foot shape) is that because they are fairly minimal shoes without much cushioning and have very knobbly soles, they can become painful when running on harder ground. There's one stud on the sole in particular which I land on right in the centre on the ball of my foot behind my second toe, if the ground is hard then this really becomes uncomfortable after about 8k.

Overall I love these shoes but I do have a few complaints. They don't dry very well as the water stays at the bottom of the shoe when wet. They don't have a lot of arch support and they can be a bit narrow so buy a larger shoe size if you don't have narrow feet. There is no heel counter. There is no plastic and the heel is fully collapsible. However, a foam material and a suede-like overlay does provide some decent structure to the heel. The upper comes in a tightly woven and dirt repellent mesh that – coupled with the reinforced toe-cover – protects the foot. Expecting to have my feet ripped to shreds as with all new running shoes I hadn’t worn in, I set off in Epping Forest.

Key Features

We’d recommend looking at the size guide which shows the approximate length of each size’s midsole in centimetres. These Inov-8 X Talon 212s are amazingly comfortable. When I wear these on the trails I don't experience any irritation or sore spots. Great shoes! The X-Talon 212 is one of Inov-8’s best-selling trail shoes in the world due to the shoe’s aggressive grip on wet terrain. When I finally got to try them out, the X-Talons were a slightly better fit. Remembering my dads advice not to go for the ones with the coolest name, I finally bought the X-Talons. They were ridiculously light and felt great - from a functional perspective, there was also very little cushioning or material on them and as I do a lot of running through streams, rivers, big puddles and water in general, drainage was important for me. They fit like a glove, which made me wary.

The fit is really nice. I did as suggested and steamed them before I first put them on so they'd fit my foot shape better. Very comfortable to run in on the right surfaces. The X-Talon 200 has been designed to cope with the challenges of obstacle course racing. It is made on Inov-8’s standard fitting last which means that it is broader then the X-Talon 212. It is also a 3mm differential between the height of the heel and the forefoot making it a flatter, more stable shoe. The X-Talon 200 is also a bit more flexible than the X-Talon 212. So, although it is designed with the obstacle course racer in mind it would be ideal to the runner looking for a more minimal wider fitting X-Talon for fell or cross country running. If you already have a hiking boot, running shoe, or training shoe that fits you well, you could measure the length of the shoe’s insole and match this with the size guide. Think of inov-8 and more often than not you think of the X-TALON. Since its inception, this iconic off-road running shoe has become a global success story. Run on soft ground trails in the UK, the USA or anywhere else in the world and you will no doubt see the distinctive stud pattern of the X-TALON, left behind by the runner ahead of you.Compared to other runners and trainers on the market these shoes cannot be beaten for their grip. Perfect for off-road. They fit perfectly and they look good. Inov-8’s naming convention tells you a great deal about their shoes. The name is always the type of outsole followed by the weight. In accordance, this shoe features an X-Talon outsole and weighs in at a slight 212 grams. For you Americans, that’s less than 7.5 ounces for a US men’s size 9. All applicable customs and import duties and any other charges are the responsibility of the customer.

I am training for my first Spartan race and I'm using these shoes. I love them. I think that putting an insert in these will help with longer wear and running. We have meticulously studied the foot and its function during the gait cycle and also the interaction between the foot and the terrain. We have used this knowledge to develop our fitting scale. For technical footwear a good fit is essential to enhance your performance.Delivery timescales are esimates in working days; Public Holidays, Saturday's and Sunday's are NOT classed as working days. They seem to be really well made, and use good materials. They're usually pretty muddy, but I'm sure they'd be like new if I cleaned them. The X-Talon 212 wouldn’t be my shoe of choice for long races, but for 5 km or 10 km distances in specific terrain conditions, they are ideal. I’m glad to have another great inov-8 shoe in my arsenal. After buying our house near to Epping Forest and taking up trail running, I decided to invest in a new pair of trainers that would not only work for me as trail running and mud racing shoes, but also actually fit for once.