La Sportiva Prodigio Pro Review: The Perfect Shoe Does Exist?

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From Tess, our long-time staff member who loves to go on big adventurous trail running slogs:

The perfect running shoe doesn’t exist. If you’re like me, you understand that unfortunately this is a fact of life. But perhaps like me, you are also easily convinced that maybe it does. That maybe the perfect running shoe is waiting for you just around the next corner, a mere $225 away, and while there’s many more practical things you could do with $225 like maintain your car or fix your leaky faucet, we are simple creatures. You buy the shoe.

I was at first hesitant. When the original Prodigio first came out I had given it a shot and after around 100 miles decided that the toebox was still a bit too low volume to be comfortable for me, and I didn’t love how it performed on the harsh terrain of the Sierras. Having heard that a lot of folks found the Prodigio Pro to be a narrower, sportier fit in comparison, I avoided it. Plus, they are quite expensive. However, once we began carrying them here at Eastside Sports, I tried them on and felt like someone had slapped me across the face. It was perfection, and after having put close to 200 miles on them since, I can say with certainty that the Prodigio Pro is about as close to perfect as I’ve ever found. 

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A Wide-ish Toe Box Combined with a Sporty Fit

Of course all feet are different, but as someone who has bunions and a medium-wide forefoot, my toes feel like they have plenty of space in both width and height in this shoe. Additionally, the sock-like fit in the midfoot keeps things feeling nimble despite their fairly high stack height (34mm heel, 28mm forefoot). I also have a wider midfoot, and I do sometimes notice this part of my foot feeling a bit uncomfortable in the first ten minutes or so of a run, but once everything warms up I have no issues. 

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Check out that wide-ish toe box for yourself!!!

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Good Balance of Cushion, Rigidity, and Grip

I often struggle to find a shoe that can handle big days in the Sierras, the Tungstens, and the Whites. You need enough cushion to stand up to a long day of pounding down all those darn stone stairs or steep, loose slopes. You need enough agility and groundfeel to help you not to trip and kick things, and enough protection for when you inevitably do trip and kick things. The Prodigio Pro manages all of these things as best as I’ve ever seen it done, and additionally, the fancy power wire upper is more durable than most running shoes and stands up to our harsh terrain well.

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Springy as Heck

The Prodigio Pro looks like a fast shoe, and I gotta say when you put it on, you feel fast as heck. Normally I find all the technical talk about new midsoles a bunch of hogwash, but in the case of Sportiva’s new XFlow Speed foam, I do actually feel a significant difference compared to other shoes I’ve worn. It’s bouncy. It’s springy, and combined with the enhanced rocker I often find myself feeling convinced that I’m the fastest darn person on the planet. 

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Look at the at badass springy shoe chilling on that rock like it's nothing!

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Why it Works in the Sierra

• A wide-ish toe box while still maintaining a technical, sporty fit
• Grippy rubber (FriXion XF 2.0 rubber) has yet to feel slippery on Sierra granite or the rollerball terrain of the Tungstens or Whites 

• Has enough stiffness to feel protective on long days

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Who Should Wear It

• Anyone who prefers a slightly wider toebox while maintaining a sporty, ‘European’ snug fit
• Those who need a shoe that can handle technical terrain while also providing ample cushion
• Any runner with a shoe-buying problem
• Anyone who wants to feel real fast

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Final Verdict from Eastside Sports

If the shoe fits, buy the shoe! I promise, this one might actually be perfect. 😉

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If the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro has caught your attention, stop by the store to test them out or click here to see if we have your size in stock and get your own pair shipped today!

As always, don't hesitate to call us at the store (760-873-7520) if you have questions about the best trail running shoes for you!

(And if you need any gear to prepare for your own Eastern Sierra adventure, we got you covered with free shipping if you meet the criteria! All you have to do is join our email list and place your order of a certain amount with us online.)