Inov-8 Men's Race Ultra 290 Trail Running Shoe

I've run several trail marathons in these while training for a much longer ultra i have coming up. Here's what i found:-I feel these run just a hair short, which wouldn't be a problem except the upper doesn't hold my foot in place well enough to keep my big toe from repeatedly hitting the front when braking on downhills.-They don't drain well. After a small stream crossing i found my feet still squishing a half mile later and that's unacceptable to me. I've since corrected this by replacing the insole which soaks up water like a sponge and creating a few small drainage holes in the upper.-The protection underfoot is great! It is a firm ride but it seems to work for me.-The traction/grip is adequate but not fantastic on wet rock.-They transition from trail to road pretty well. Good for that long trail race that has a few miles on road. I wouldn't wear these for a 50k or shorter on very muddy terrain; I have other shoes that perform better on that terrain.

After only my 2nd run the "inov8" lettering is peeling. Not cool. I've worn inov8s since 2003/2004 and my last 3 pair (rocite 295's) fell apart fairly quickly. I'm noticing the quality of the inov8 brand is no more. I may be switching brands after this pair.UPDATE 1 WEEK IN:After about 30 miles of trails they continue to fall apart (2nd photo). The material along the outside of the foot is starting to deteriorate. I am very disappointed in these shoes.UPDATE AFTER 1 MONTH + 1 WEEK:Still exclusively used the shoes for trail running only, I have around 60 miles on them, and now the seam above the toe is coming apart. I am beyond my 30 day amazon return policy, but am hoping these fall under the 1 year policy per the inov-8 website. They fit well, and have been great on the trails, but are coming apart fast. These shoes should last 500-600 miles.

I knew from previous purchases that the INOV8 brand seems to be about a quarter to half size shorter in length than New Balance or Nike. And the toe box and forefoot area is typically a tad wider than Nike or Adidas. Therefore where I would normally wear an 8.5 in New Balance or 9.0 in Adidas or NIke, the 9.0 INOV8 is a perfect fit for me.

Used for a 25K Trail run in Oregon. Worked very well. It was a little muddy and very steep (16%+ grade) at times. Never really had a problem with traction. Could use a little more cushion, but very happy.

Toes felt cramped in the front so I might have needed to go up a half size. The logo graphics are peeling off which is not a major complaint for me. However, the upper is not very durable. Wore these shoes on five runs (four training runs and one 50K race) and they are starting to develope holes at the places where foot bends. I would not buy these again and am hesitant to purchase this brand primarily due to the materials failure.

some of the questions are too generalized, like "how long can you wear them comfortably? I use the shoe for training, even if i were to race i don't do ultras anymore so i wouldn't say you could wear it "All Day"

Shoe fits great. The 290 provide more beef in the midsole for rocky trails. Traction and stability great. Ran 7 tough rocky miles with shoes straight out of the box. Up to 4 pairs of inov8 s great shoes for the cost

Excellent trail shoe. I run some road to get to the trail and they do just fine on a couple miles of pavement. I am in southern California so it's sand, rocks, and hills and this shoe performed very well both up and down the hills. Got these bad boys at $55 and I already bought 2 more pairs cause you can't beat that price.

Size: These fit perfect. No need to go a size or half size up as the trainers are wide toed. I've already done several trail runs of up to 18 miles and I've had no knocking or bruising on my toes.Comfort: Incredibly comfortable to wear on the trail. I tried them on a 8 mile road only run and I'll never make that mistake again. They are ideal to wear over mixed terrain i.e trail, grass, paths and small amount of tarmac.Price: Incredibly well priced. Top quality trainers at less than £50. I'll definitely buy these again.UPDATE: After having the trainers for 6 months and only ran about 200 miles in them. I'm very disappointed to say that both sets of trainers have ripped in the same place (inner side by big toe) and have practically made the trainers unwearable. It's a shame as the trainers are great to wear but this isn't the 1st time this has happened to Inov 8 trainers for me.

This is my 2nd pair of Ultra 290s. They are perfect for trail running through the countryside. I wore my previous pair during the Highland Fling (53 miles) and they were incredibly comfy to wear for the full run. They are very wide toed, so when your feet swell during long runs, there's still room for your toes to sit comfortably. No need to buy a size up for these, as they fit perfectly well. My last pair began to tear along the inside of my big toe, so I'm hoping these last a little longer... So far, so good.

Perfect trail shoe. Very comfortable. I bought these to use in a Mountain race up Snowdon and had them on during all weathers for over 8 hours and they are excellent. Most importantly, NO BLISTERS!!!

Initially I thought the shoes were great and to be fair took me through a 55Km ultra across Dartmoor last August with zero blisters and no injuries. However I now have a total of 234Km on them mostly on North Devon coast routes and the fabric uppers have completely self destructed. Ok I might have snagged a couple of rocks now and again, but they are meant to be trail shoes.I don't know If i got a duff pair.

Great comfy running shoe with the right amount of support. Bought these to train in and later run a marathon.