Going all day, and fast. The average runners super shoe

I recently took the Prodigio on their first big run, 35miles 11,000ft of elevation gain. This ultra had steep descents and ascents, rocky terrain, as well as smooth flowing single track. Through almost 7 hours of going up and down, there was hardly a time when the complaining going on in my brain was about the shoes on my feet.

This shoe seems like it would be a common model type that most shoe brands would sell. (Cushioned, endurance, technical shoes). But the closest comparison to this shoe comes with the S/Lab Genesis. Both shoes are meant to tackle similar terrains and have similar performance. But there is something about the La Sportiva model that is phenomenally put together, unlike any other shoe.

The Pros and First Impressions

The most impressive thing to me about this shoe is the fit. La Sportiva notoriously has weird sizing (usually long and narrow). It took many tries to get the sizing correct when I first bought mountaineering boots from them. The only other experience in sizing I have with the company is with climbing shoes, which is its own puzzle (I go 2.5 sizes down on my street size). I was wary of ordering these online, but I followed what seemed to be the consensus of going a full size up and sent it. When I first put them on, it was instantly so satisfying. They slipped on relatively easily, considering the tight collar, and the fit was immaculate. The heel was cushioned and secure, my toes had enough spread to wiggle a bit, and my midfoot felt appropriately tight. It felt like a shoe ready to rip. I think a part of this is the unique upper construction of the La Sportiva branded Power Wire. It reminds me a lot of the upper on the Prime Strung x2 (which I also greatly enjoy). The wire gives a tight, protected feel while not feeling restricted, giving the confidence to push it on steep rocky trails.

During my first runs in the shoe, I could tell this shoe was made to race. I had raced in almost exclusively carbon-plated trail shoes before this: North Face Vectiv Pro, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra, Hoka Tecton X. The energy return on this shoe easily competed with the feel of these brands, despite the Prodigio being unplated. The speed of this shoe was even enough of a consideration that I opted to run in a local trail 10k with them due to the long, twisted, slightly rutted descent present on the back half of the course. The stability of the shoe, given by the heel, tongue, and upper, makes you feel unstoppable on descents of any kind. (A statement that I could not say with as much confidence about other trail super shoes)

This race feel also heavily comes from the construction of the midsole. The supercritical nitrogen-infused foam just works so well. It is reactive yet soft, making running fast on technical terrain feel so smooth. While I usually prefer a denser more firmer foam (like Adidas Lightstrike Pro) the instability of this type of foam can make it hard to find a balance that works on technical trails. La Sportiva nailed it on their first real attempt.

Technical Details on the Outsole

Moving to the outsole, there isn’t much to complain about. La Sportiva knows how to make good grippy rubber. Working with Vibram rubber and 4mm u-shaped lugs, the shoe feels sticky on rock and flowy on trail. While I only have around 100 miles on this shoe, I can tell the durability is high with little to no wear on the lugs present despite wearing them mostly on harsh rocky terrain that usually shreads through outsoles.

What wasn't quite as good

There are only two small things I don’t like about the shoe, and it unexpectedly has to do with the fit. Despite all my raving about how well I like the fit of the shoe (I stand by that), when these shoes get soaked (fully submerged in water), the form-fitting of the collar and heel is a little lacking. The cloth-like tongue stretches more when it’s wet, and the sweet fit of the shoe starts to fall apart. This could easily be fixed using a running knot to have a tighter lock on the collar. However, this leads to the second issue, the laces being too short (for me). With a higher volume foot, longer laces are needed to really secure the heel, which this shoe doesn’t have. Pretty simple fix, buying new laces, but something to consider. Despite these complaints. The feeling of slipping these shoes on in your car at the trailhead is unmatched.

Another sidenote is that the shoe does feel on the warmer side, the thicker upper and black tongue enclosure traps heat fairly well. It did not cause an issue for me but it is not the coolest shoe on the market. If hot feet give you issues this would be something to keep in mind.

Final Thoughts

If I were only able to have one shoe in my quiver, it would be the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro. It truly feels amazing on almost all terrains and at any distance. While it was definitely developed with longer races in mind and more technical courses (this is truly where it excels). The shoe has no trouble keeping up with pure speed shoes. I would not be surprised to see this being the choice of many athletes, even for races like Western States. The shoe fits so well and the foam is very forgiving, giving a more midpack racer who is on their feet for an extended period of time the ability to keep moving on the descents and flats, especially on courses with as much elevation change as WSER.