Now the British-born brand is expanding its graphene range further with today’s launch of a new trail running shoe, the TRAILROC G 280 (mens | womens).

200 times stronger than steel, graphene is the world’s strongest material. Collaborating with scientists at The University of Manchester, inov-8 has infused the Nobel prize winning material into insanely-grippy rubber outsoles, which are scientifically proven to be 50% harder wearing.

First launched in the summer of 2018, inov-8 beat its rivals in the race to use graphene and has since spread its patent-pending technology into shoes for hiking and fitness, as well as running. Such has been the popularity of their game-changing footwear, inov-8 has seen sell-in of their Graphene-Grip products increase by 95% in the first half of 2019.

The new TRAILROC G 280, designed for off-road runners tackling long distances on hard-packed trails, is expected to be another huge success for the brand which was forged in the fells of the English Lake District.

 inov-8 COO Michael Price said: “Graphene is the future, mark my words. It has limitless potential and we feel proud to be leading the way in a sports footwear revolution.

 “By utilising graphene we have solved a long-standing problem for end users who had to choose between a softer rubber outsole that grips in all conditions and a harder rubber outsole that is more durable. Now they can get it all in one rubber outsole boasting the ‘world’s toughest grip.’”

He added: “Sales of our graphene-enhanced products have been incredibly strong and by 2020 they will account for more than half of all inov-8 footwear sales. “The TRAILROC G 280 is our latest highly-anticipated addition and we won’t be stopping there. We have a number of very exciting graphene innovations in the pipeline.”

As well as a Graphene-Grip outsole, the TRAILROC G 280 also features inov-8’s most cushioned underfoot ride to date, combined with a new flexible rock plate that both protects and gives a kick of spring-back energy with every stride.

Weighing just 280g, the super-comfortable shoes were worn straight from the box by Hallvard Schjolberg when winning the 85km Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun earlier this year.