My 2nd Pair of Fell Shoes

[Skids]

I've not been doing this fell running thing for long (and would hesitate to call myself a 'fell runner' until having at least a few races under my belt, which is not going to be happening until next year) but I must say I'm really enjoying it.

I have wide feet with a high instep, so not all shoes will fit me, but my first pair of shoes (Mudroc 290s, size 10.5 - I'm normally a 10) fit me well. These were great in the summer when I started, and the fells were dry(ish), but now winter is drawing in I'm noticing some drawbacks:

1. When they get wet, they feel very heavy, and they seem to take a while to lose their water (on a related note, how does one dry one's wet shoes? mine always seems to be still wet when I next put them on, which I don't mind, but it can't be good for the shoes - will I wreck them by putting them next to a heater?)

2. They are not very good (potentially lethal!) on wet rock - a couple of times recently (coming down the front bit of Causey Pike or Melbreak) I've been reduced to wobbly legged bottom sliding, whereas normally I'm fairly confident coming down steep rocky things.

3. They are not that good on mud - fine on the flat, but not going up/down/traversing - and I've gone over a few times because of it.

So I'm thinking it may (already!) be time to upgrade to something with a bit more grip Will still wear my Mudrocs when I know it's going to be dry ()

I do all my running in the NW lakes, mostly sticking to paths, but still regularly come across mud, rocks, scree, bogs etc. A normal run is about 5-8 miles with a fair bit of ascent/descent, and I'm covering about 20 or so miles a week on the fells. I've not done any races yet, but am planning to take the plunge next year.

Any suggestions as to what my next shoes should be - I've been happy with Inov-8s, so will probably get something else from their range. As far as I can see, my choices (with my current thoughts) are:

Mudroc 280 - for better grip on rock, but otherwise not much of an upgrade?

Mudclaw 330 - better grip overall, but a bit heavy, especially in the wet?

Mudclaw 270 - better grip, less likely to hold water? May also turn out to be a bit narrow for my feet

X-Talon 212 - grip better than mudroc, worse than mudclaw? May not fit my feet well. Nice and light, and I have been doing a bit of more minimalist almost-barefoot running on the roads

Edit: So as not to appear a complete Inov-8 wh0re, might it also be worth trying some 'wide' fitting Walsh Ultras?

Any thoughts/advice/personal preferences anyone would like to share with me?

Cheers

[PaulE]

No idea about the shoes as I've never run in Inov8s, but I dry mine by stuffing them with newspaper and changing it often.... I think you can get fancy things which you put in your shoes to do the same job, but can't remember what they are called,

[Splatcher]

You need something with better grip for the winter mud. My current shoes are:

1. Inov-8 Mudclaw 290, which I wear for out & out fell racing & mountain marathons, & for training if it's very wet & muddy. My last pair for this were Mudclaw 330s, which did the job just as well - a bit heavier, but a bit sturdier. Not sure they last any longer though, as me heels wear out the lining before anything else fails. The grip's great, & you can run down anything in them.

2. Inov-8 Roclite 315, which I wear for all trail races and the rest of my training if it's rough, wet or muddy at all. These are actually very good on wet grass & mud, although not as tenacious as Mudclaws. Mudclaws do tend to catch on longer grass & you can trip sometimes. Roclites are good if you run longer races on paths, grass, trails etc - they are very comfortable for long runs & have good grip.

3. Brand X trail shoes, which I wear for shorter training runs on paths & tracks if it's not slippery. This is mainly a way of using up the shoes I bought earlier that weren't as good as I'd hoped.

Newspaper is the answer to drying shoes out, plus leaving them in a warm place. Don't buy waterproof running shoes - you'll have wetter feet as the water can't escape once it's in (& it always gets in if you're running anywhere interesting in the winter). They'll be slower to dry out afterwards too.

[Ady In Accy]

For those that did not know, the number after the model name indicates the shoe weight. Dry naturally with newspaper stuffed in for best results - mine are currently outside very wet and quite muddy - looking forward to putting them on in an hour

[Skids]

2. Inov-8 Roclite 315, which I wear for all trail races and the rest of my training if it's rough, wet or muddy at all. These are actually very good on wet grass & mud, although not as tenacious as Mudclaws. Mudclaws do tend to catch on longer grass & you can trip sometimes. Roclites are good if you run longer races on paths, grass, trails etc - they are very comfortable for long runs & have good grip.

good idea - at the moment I'm happy using my Mudrocs on trails/dry stuff, but when they wear out I'll definitely try some roclites (these or the 295s) as with the wider 'endurance' last I'll probably be able to wear a size 10 which will be a neater fit.

[david]

on a related note, how does one dry one's wet shoes?

I rinse mine under the cold tap, give them a short spin in the washing machine and then just leave them in a corner in the kitchen.

[Hanneke]

Drying shoes: I take the insoles out, stuff them with newspaper and leave them under the radiator or next to the woodburner when it is on.

Re better grip: you want Mudclaws for the best grip and the 270 is the one that will shed it's water really happily. I have a narrow foot and like a minimalist shoe, so I have all the lighter model's of Inov8. However, if you have a wide foot, you will find the endurance last fits you better.

I just bought a pair of Roclite boots for my Everest trek, but had to send them back as my regular size was too wide...

The Xtalon has a slightly wider forefoot than Inov8's other preformance last shoes, so you would get away with that I reckon. Extremely light shoe, good grip on wet rock, the best of any off road shoes I have ever worn, sheds water easily, very responsive... Not as good on wet grass and deep mud as the Claws though and I do find the sole too thin for running on purely rocky terrain. You will be fine with them weher you are though. I happily used them around that part of the world...

The xtalon is advertised as being for short, sharp stuff but I have raced things like Langdale and Black Mountains in them and those are long races. Longest I have worn them for was a stint of BG recce-ing of just over 6 hours... They are good for x-countryb too, but the uppers are not particularly durable. Comes with the fact that they are so lightweight I reckon but the shoe is otherwise so good, I have forgiven inov8 for that

[scott baistow 93]

The mudroc 280 is a brilliant show i did the scafell pike race in it and it was great same as 290 but 180 grams lighter so not as heavy when wet mesh upper as well so shreds water easily, it also has a sticky rubber sole were as the 290 has endurance rubber so the 280 is awsome on wet rock with better grip on the steep stuff as well.

The 330 which i use for training some times is a tough old shoe but if you think the 290 is heavy the 330 is 40 grams heavier which really does become a pain when wet, but on the other side it does offer a double mesh upper so lets water out quite well and has great grip on mud and grass not so good on wet rock though.

The mudclaw 270 good show lighter than the 290 so puts it in the racing category with the 280, 270 is great on wet rock on steep grass and mud. Only thing i found with this shoes is it was uncomfy on tracks were ground is quite hard.

the X-talon this is an awsome shoe at 212g is lightest of the lot ranked the lightest fell shoe in the world i keep this shoe entirely for racing as with the sticky rubber outsole wears down quick if you do miles in training excellent shoe for rocky grassy racing and awsome in mud hardly weighs anything when wet to.

[shadbolt]

Get some Walshes.

[Derby Tup]

Get some Walshes.

Very good