Some of you may have started writing your Christmas wish-list... Runners tend to have a wish-list as long as their (worn-out) legs but if you are stuck for ideas and in the market for a new pair of trail shoes, let us help you. 

inov-8 recently launched its first-ever trail running shoes to include the use of nitrogen gas. The pioneering sports brand say their new nitrogen-infused midsole foam will give runners more underfoot bounce. And the big promises seem to be ringing true with testers of the Trailfly Ultra G 280reporting that the shoes made them feel like they were flying… almost cheating!

Wayne Edy, founder of inov-8, said: “The nitrogen foam we’ve created gives an amazingly lighter, softer ride for those runners looking for that. Given what our testers said about it, we decided to call the foam FLYSPEED. 
 
“It debuts on our new Trailfly Ultra G 280 shoes, which we can’t wait to get on the feet of trail and ultramarathon runners. It has great levels of cushioning while at the same time delivering incredible bounce and a feeling of being connected to the trail.”
 
To prove the trampoline-feel bounce effect, inov-8 carried out further testing which showed that FLYSPEED foam gives back 65%-68% of the energy put in. A standard foam midsole gives back 45%-48%. The new shoes also boast rubber enhanced by Graphene – which is 200 times stronger than steel – for the world’s toughest grip and a clever underfoot flexing technology that allows runners to feel more connected to the trail.
 
The Trailfly Ultra G 280 have already been worn by inov-8 athletes competing in – and in some cases winning – races ranging from 5K to 350K. One of those, top Spanish trail runner Abel Carretero, said: “The comfort is extremely good for long distances and the bounce is so great you feel like you’re flying. It feels a bit like cheating!”

More details available on the inov-8 website here.

Image: courtesy of inov-8.