Inov-8 Road-X 233

 Sometimes we wonder how often in the course of a runners career do they find a shoe that has their feet smiling... 

The Inov-8 Road – X 233 is one of those shoes you don’t want to take off once you have them on.  The model 233 is one of four models offered in the Road-X series that come in three different Shoc-Zones (1, 2 and 3 arrow) plus a women’s model in the 3 arrow offering.  After I did a couple of trial runs around the running store parking area, I sat gabbing with Aaron Saft at Foot Rx, Asheville.  Aaron explained he had fitted me in a ½ size smaller than I would normally use. Due to my acute vision and engineer honed powers of perception, the 233 appears to set the foot further back on the sole than most shoes.  Whatever the reason they fit perfectly and since my feet couldn’t smile literally, I did it for them.

So why do these shoes make my feet so happy?  The Road – X series, along with the Terrafly, Bare-X and the soon to be introduced Trailroc series, are built over the “anatomic” last which is based on the shape of the foot and provide a natural fit providing more room in the toe box that allows space for the toes to spread and function as the great creator intended.  And if you are someone who goes barefoot as much as I do, this is a feature you will truly appreciate.  Too bad more shoe manufacturers are not picking up on this unique concept; a shoe shaped like a foot…… amazing!

The 233 sports the 2-arrow Shoc-Zone which indicates that the shoe has a 6 mm height differential or drop from heel to toe.   The foot bed provides plenty of cushion and flexibility for racing while protective enough to satisfy the needs of a training shoe.  The 233 is not a “foot coffin” by any stretch of the imagination.   The rock climbing technology based rubber outer sole provides excellent grip on wet pavement and even a few off-road ventures had me moving securely over rocks and roots.  This is a shoe that I would wear for any road distance 5k through the marathon.  If our dog Shadow wore shoes, we know he would give these a tailing wagging, paws-up.

You can get great deals on inov-8 shoes through Zappos  at 
http://www.zappos.com/inov-8-shoes or locally in Asheville, NC at FootRx

You can find more information about the Road-X 233 at the following link:
http://www.inov-8.com/New/UK/Product-View-RoadX-233.html?L=27

We recommend you scroll through the entire Inov-8 website for information about their shoes, technology and philosophy behind their great products.  In our opinion this is the best running shoe manufacture website we have ever come across.

"...I love to put these on when they're not home!"

Cheers to happy feet!

Bart and Eve