As with climbing shoes, the grippy rubber is always the bit you want, and the bit you pay for, but the problem is the grippier rubber always wears out the fastest. Rarely does a shoe give you so much confidence to run through the worst of the mud and wet grass/rocks than the Mudclaw 300. The ultimate in grip over fells, the Inov8 Mudclaw 300 will claw its way through the harshest of terrain and come out the other side asking for more. However, when I *do* slip, I have the absolute confidence that I will regain my balance and footing with these shoes, and that it is a momentary lapse, and probably on a surface that pretty much nothing will provide adherence to.

META-SHANK™ (Generation I) - 3-finger polymer Meta-Shank™ aligns behind the metatarsals for greater forefoot flexibility and control when contouring, whilst retaining underfoot impact protection. Beat the mud: The multi directional stud pattern ensures mud is released quickly from the outsole, so the studs are always able to deliver maximum grip with every step. Getting lacing right is particularly important as the heel box has been tweaked so that it sits lower on the Achilles Tendon to avoid tension and potential injury problems. They are also the most solid around the toe box and toe crease that I have seen in the mudclaw range, with the rand giving confidence in the construction. A Dual-C combination of medium sticky and hard sticky rubber ensures the studs stay strong over time and continue to deliver.

Thanks to its new flatter heel, it can cope with hard-packed and road sections more comfortably and with greater stability than ever before. If you’re regular running is road, you’re going to notice a different feel when you don some fell shoes. However, the Mudclaw doesn’t fit as tightly or as snug as say the Salomon S-Lab Sense SG (the perfect fitting shoe for me!

For a sturdy shoe with a complete outsole and injected midsole, the Meta-Flex band ensures there is still a level of flexibility thats required for steep ascents and descents. There is no question of whether they will find traction, leaving you confident on technical descents, you will remain in control. The MUDCLAW 300 CLASSIC propels fell and mountain runners over the muddiest of terrains by delivering the ultimate grip in mud through an aggressive outsole. The grip on muddy hills inspires a lot of confidence, in a situation where my Salomon trail shoes would start suffering a lot of wheelspin. Perfect for running in the fells and mountains when the terrain is Muddy and the ultimate in grip is needed.He climbed three mountains over the weekend and tells me, these shoes was perfect for the rocks he climbed. Up to this point the furthest I’d run in the shoe was 5 miles at a time, so the 26ish mile route we would take would be a true test.