inov 8 Mudroc 290

To challenge Walsh in the fellrunning shoe market a manufacturer needs confidence, deep pockets and a better product. Most shoe makers have tried, and to some extent they have been pushing at an open door because many fellrunners resent the cost of the spartan Walsh and wonder where the money goes, but decades after its introduction the Walsh brand remains ubiquitous.

The newest competitor in the field is the wittily named inov 8 Mudroc accompanied by a technical and comprehensive website - www.inov-8.com. Although the shoes in the four model range are primarily aimed at mountain runners and have a couple of recent victories in the Snowdon race to their credit, the website includes side swipes at the "stagnation in development" of traditional fell shoes so it is appropriate to judge the Mudroc against the Walsh benchmark.

Fellrunners are not impressed with bells and whistles or striped laces that adorn the Mudroc and they may also feel that two finger-tags per shoe is two too many. When a fellrunner sees someone in a new shoe he asks questions like "do they grip, are they comfortable and how much?" and not "tell me about the biomechanicals."

The Mudroc looks like the trail shoe it is, rather than a fell shoe which it is not and the reward for the extra ounces in weight over a Walsh PB, which is not noted for its ability to absorb shock, is the side and mid sole cushioning and the larger sole area. Mudroc studs are stubbier but therefore less precise than those on a Walsh and the sole is thicker and the footprint bigger which all helps shock absorption. It may be relevant that inov 8 feature rock, rather than grassy banks, in their advertising.

The heel surround is much firmer and higher than fellrunners expect but this good heel hold is likely to cause blister problems, at least initially, for some runners.

Overall the contours of the shoe look strikingly and perhaps peculiarly different and by including such refinements as sole volume adjusters the buyer may feel that his £60 is buying a lot of technology.

This reviewer raced in the Mudroc effectively "straight from the box" on the 12 mile Mickleden Straddle, an act described by a fellow competitor as proof of madness. In traditional tight fit fell shoes it would have been because Mickleden, with its long down hill rocky paths and ascents up streaming paths, although not much pure fell, is as testing a trial as you can get. The comfort of the Mudroc was astonishing and it coped with everything. Even the striped laces stayed tight.

Trail runners who do not experience particularly severe or varied terrain could love the shoe. However for fellrunners the drawback to the shoe is the corollary of its virtues. Fellrunners do not wear a Walsh for comfort but as fit for purpose. A Walsh is like a second skin to ensure precise, positive positioning of the foot in conditions where a slip might send you down a mountain side. The comfort of the Mudroc is paid for by a sensation of more sponginess and bulk than fellrunners like and a concomitant lack of confidence when placing the foot. Inov 8 claim buyers get used to the new sensation and one would have to because when a fellrunner is powering down a mountain side confidence is all.

Most fellrunners will have no need to spend £60 on the Mudroc that tries to be all things to all off-road runners in contrast with a Walsh which, by sticking to its last, continues to be the benchmark for, say, steep grassy terrain and sheep trods.

Whether the shoe has durability will require future testing on some lakeland scree but fellrunners who have never run comfortably in a Walsh could find the Mudroc is the answer to their plight and even Walsh enthusiasts might decide that for races like The Three Peaks with its long lengths of track and rocky descents the Mudroc is worth a try. I do and I have sent my Peaks entry in already.

Graham Breeze
29.02.2004