terra ultra g270 | iancorless.com – Photography, Writing, Talk Ultra Podcast

Since its release, the inov-8 Terraultra G270 has received acclaim all over the world. Many magazines, reviewers and bloggers hailing it the shoe of 2020. In late July I wrote my review HERE.

Now, with over 600km+ in the shoes it’s time to make a long-term review and assessment.

I am not going into the analysis of the shoe as in a typical post, you have a review linked above that goes through the pros and cons and all the technical jargon. This is a usage review.

First off, the Graphene outsole and 4mm lugs is a 100% winner. The durability has been superb, the grip incredible and the traction has been without equal. Even in mud, the outsole has performed but of course it is compromised. The lugs are just not aggressive enough to grip in very soft or deep mud, but a thin layer of mud and the G270 really does perform. Wet rock grip has been superb and arguably the most impressive aspect. Many have raved and provided a 5/5 review. I can’t give 5/5 because it is compromised in mud, therefore it gets a 4/5 BUT and this is a BIG but, in all honesty, you should not be using the G270 in mud, there are other shoes for that. So, if reviewing for intended purpose, it would get a 5/5. This may sound a little weird, but the G270 has become my ‘go-to’ road shoe, especially with the arrival of Autumn and Winter, the grip on wet roads, pavement and hard-pack trail has been superb. Although not a ‘hybrid’ shoe (road to trail) it performs like one and I would recommend for that use.

The cushioning has really surprised me. It’s plush without being squidgy. It’s super comfortable without losing that all important feel for the ground. It takes 20km hard trail runs in its stride and still allows legs to feel fresh after. The G270 is designed for longer races and as such, it comes highly recommended. An improvement on the G260. There was a mention of a ‘Boomerang Insole’ in the technical jargon that provides extra energy return, I have no idea if this is resulting in the positive feel of the shoe, but something is definitely working better over the previous G260 incarnation.

Zero drop – you are either going to be for or against. I am fortunate, I test shoes all the time and I am regularly mixing up drops from 0 to 10 and all the steps between. With zero I am usually careful not running too long or too often. The G270 changed that, I have been running regularly 3-4 runs per week since November with total distances of 50-80km (per week) just in the G270 and they have been superb. The days between I have been using 4, 8 and even 10mm drop on the odd occasion. Drop is very personal, so, I just warn against potential problems if zero is not normal for you.

The toe box is wide, and I have really enjoyed the extra space and comfort on long road or hard trail runs. With Injini socks, my toes can really splay for comfort. The G270 would be a great fastpacking shoe or multi-day shoe. I can see it being really popular in races like Marathon des Sables. The wide toe box though is too wide for me on technical trail… I don’t have the control or the precision I need, so, it’s not a shoe for me when running on technical terrain.

A major improvement is the upper. After 600km+ I have no signs of wear. The important ‘bend’ area behind the metatarsals that can often split in the corners is still good and showing no weakness. I mentioned the hold of the foot in my initial review and that has been one of the key pluses of the G270, particularly over the G260. The lacing, ‘Adapterfit’ and hold of the instep is reassuring, particularly important for me with a wider toe box.

All things considered, the G270 is one of the shoe highlights of 2020 without a doubt. It’s not perfect, but then again, show me a shoe that is. If you want zero drop, grip, traction, cushioning and a wider toe box, I think you’d find it hard to find a shoe that compares with the G270.

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Episode 193 – Has a great an interview with Damian Hall on his Pennine Way FKT.

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ARTICLES:

Read about Fastpacking HERE

A review of the NEMO Hornet 1P Tent HERE

FREEDOM in a Pandemic HERE

Shoe reviews of the VJ Sport IROCK 3 HERE and the inov-8 TERRAULTRA G270 HERE

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Tips for the TRAIL:

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NEWS:

FKT’s posted on last show:

* Franco Colle new FKT on Monte Rosa from Gressoney

* Nadir Maguet – Gran Paradiso FKT 2:02:32

* Erik Clavery GR10 9 days 9 hours and a few minutes

* Davide Magnini Ortles FKT 2:18:15

* Kim Collison 24h Lakes achieves 78 Peaks

* Sabrina Verjeee Wainwrights (wishes not to claim)

* Dylan Bowman Loowit Trail 5:11:49

* Josh Pulattie Oregon Coast Trail 12 days 10 hours 25 min

* Candice Burt Tahoe Rim Trail 2 days 12 hours 47 min

* John Kelly Pennine Way 2 days 16 hours 40 min

* Sarah Hansel (57:43) & Joey Campanelli (41:00) for Nolans 14

* Tom Hollins Dales Mountain 30 (130 miles, 30 summits) 41 hrs

UPDATE:

Adam Kimble new FKT on Tahoe Rim Trail, USA

Damian Hall new FKT for the Pennine Way, UK

Adam Jacobs new FKT for Hertfordshire Way, UK

Carla Molinaro new FKT for the JOGLE, UK

Beth Pascall new FKT for the Bob Graham Round, UK and set 5th fastest time.

Check FKT website for latest updates https://fastestknowntime.com/

In other news…

Asif Amirat in the UK is still creating a stir with his 100-marathons in 100-days. Many have been questioning his runs and becoming very vocal on social media. I have reached out to Asif for an interview. At first he was cooperative, however, after I asked several probing questions, he blocked me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

RACES:

Montreux Trail Running Festival – Switzerland COMPLETED

Full results are online here https://montreuxtrail.livetrail.net/ in the main event 112km Jean-Philippe Tschumi and Ragna Debats were crowned champions. Remy Bonnet and Maud Mathys won the 30km.

Speedgoat 50k – USA COMPLETED

Noah Brautigam pipped Hatden Hawks and Anthony Costales to the top slot with Michel Hummel placing 6th on GC and winning the women’s race. Kristina Trystad-Saari and Lelly Wolf were 2nd and 3rd.

Fjallmaraton – Sweden – COMPLETED

Simen Hjalmar Wästlund (Norway) took a surprise victory of UTMB Champion, Pau Capell. In 3rd, Johan Lantz. Times8:50:04, 0:04:49 and 9:35:38.

Azara Garcia took the top slot for the women and placed 9th overall in 10:37:52. Anna Carlsson and Lena Trillelv were 2nd and 3rd.

In the 43km, Tove Alexandersson and Olle Kalered took the top slots

Rondane 100 – Norway – August 15h

Pyrenees Stage Run – Spain (now postponed to 2021)

Marathon des Sables – Morocco (now postponed to 2021)

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Top ultramarathon runner Damian Hall has set a new record time for the 268-mile Pennine Way – while also cleaning the trail of litter at the same time.

The 44-year-old inov-8 ambassador completed the iconic route from Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders to Edale, Derbyshire, which includes a section along Hadrian’s Wall, in an incredible time of 61 hours 34 minutes, beating the previous record by more than three hours.

The Pennine Way is Great Britain’s oldest – and arguably toughest – National Trail. Much of it is over remote, boggy hills, with a total ascent that exceeds the height of Mount Everest.

Popular with hikers, who usually complete it in 16-19 days, Hall did it in just two-and-a-half, battling sleep exhaustion and all manner of tough weather conditions along the way.

Damian and his team of pacers also helped clean the famous trail of litter as they ran, stuffing it in their packs before handing it to support team members at road crossing meet-up points.

“I feel overwhelmed, really. I remember writing about Mike Hartley’s 1989 record in the Pennine Way guidebook before I got into running and thinking ‘That’s insane, I could never do that!’It was a huge team effort and I couldn’t have made it happen without the support of my road crew, pacers and the people we met along the way. I had the inevitable low spells, but the incredible team got me through them. I felt hugely motivated by three things and had FFF written on my arm in permanent marker as a reminder. They stood for Family, Friends, Future – the latter relating to our need to protect the planet. There wasn’t lots of litter on the trails, but we picked up anything we saw. The road support crew did likewise from the places they met me at along the way. Also, the whole attempt has been certified as ‘carbon negative’ by Our Carbon, as has all my running and my family’s lifestyle for 2020.”

The record Hall beat had previously been set just a week earlier by his friend John Kelly (64 hours 46 minutes); an American ultramarathon runner now based in England. Listen to John Kelly on EP182 HERE – Before that it had stood unbeaten for 31 years, belonging to legend of the long-distance running sport, Mike Hartley, who ran 65 hours 20 minutes in 1989. Kelly ran the route south to north, starting in Edale, while Hall followed in the footsteps of Hartley by doing it north to south. Either way, the route is regarded as one of the toughest in the UK.

Damian, has achieved a great deal in recent year’s and notably finished 5th at UTMB as well as setting other FKT’s. This FKT was fuelled without animal products or plastic waste, while raising more than £4,000 on a JustGiving page for Greenpeace UK.

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INTERVIEW : DAMIAN HALL

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