Good shoes for mountain running - Inov8 X-Talon 200 Trail Running Shoe - Mens

I`ve bought these shoes specifically for preparation for my first sky marathon and the actual race. Even though it was very dry on the race day which was quite opposite to what I expected, and a reasonable runner probably should have choosen another footwear like Trailroc 235 model, the traction was very good, even on rocky terrain - I never fell once running without poles, while some guys with poles did.
The wear is quite noticeable after 260 km (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwBTSxkynkd4SThMSGV1MmxiVHM/view?usp=sharing) and 3 lugs on the left shoe are almost detached (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwBTSxkynkd4bnJKVmVHUi1vYTQ/view?usp=sharing), but overall there is plenty of life left. The sole is rather stiff which speaking honestly is not so bad at a 50 km run in the mountains. The mesh is rather strong and dense so that very little mud comes through when stepping into puddle for example. I run with a forefoot strike (which is how it should be with this type of shoes) and the toe box is wide enough. I wish Inov8 used was more consistent with their natural running notion and used insoles without excessive padding in the heel area - these so-called 3 mm insoles look more like 6 in the heel area and I had to shave them off (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwBTSxkynkd4OWlRSnVqcE5TQ1U). Also, I had like everyone else to buy size a half size up, so I wonder why Inov8 would not correct their sizing chart so that the difference between US and UK sizes would be 0.5 rather than 1 size, like everyone else`s.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.