It is a strong contender for one of the most likeable shoes I've worn in a long time, feeling comfortable and supportive irrespective of the distance. The Jackal is emphatically NOT an off-piste beast, as its width can lead to it feeling a little unstable on off-camber and rough terrain (think tussocks) however, it's not designed or pitched as being for this - hence it's an unfair criticism to draw (although a question people will inevitably ask, including myself). Given that I'm already a convert to La Sportiva's more gnarly Mutant, I wasn't sure whether the Jackal would tempt me away, but had all gone to plan it is undoubtedly the one I would have chosen for the BGR - at least for the first two or three legs (possibly more). If you get your route dialled there's a few bits which have an off-piste feel, but if all goes to plan you should be keeping these to a minimum.

The vast majority of the Bob Graham is on wide footpaths in the Lakeland fells, between which there's a fair few trods of varying size and significance.

So what about an ultra like the Bob Graham, which combines each of these aspects of running into a single very long outing? This is a thought I was thinking a lot earlier in the year, shortly before a ruptured appendix scuppered my own attempt. You might picture a broad, manicured track winding gently through forest and valley floor, but equally, 'trail' could encompass something the various routes up Snowdon, Scafell Pike or Ben Nevis, which clearly border on what many might call fell or 'mountain' running. To add a little further context to the intro, where is the Jackal best suited? The term 'trail' is exceptionally vague.

La sportiva jackal