The La Sportiva Prodigio Max. All photos: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
When the La Sportiva Prodigio Max ($185) was released, I had to wonder why the brand — which I’ve historically associated and appreciated for making mountain shoes for technical terrain — needed another maximally cushioned shoe. I’ve long been a fan of the La Sportiva Akasha II for my mountain romps and turned to the La Sportiva Mutant for runs that involved a lot of scrambling or steep terrain. I wore through a pair of lower-cushioned La Sportiva Levante on shorter daily runs. Admittedly, I’d loved the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro for my longer technical but not too technical outings in the mountains and found them plenty cushioned and comfortable. I happily wore them for efforts approaching 50 miles without issue. I like the brand, always have.
So where does the Prodigio Max, with its high stack height, grippy outsole, and durable upper, fit into the brand’s lineup? After many miles on all types of terrain — from smooth trails to gravel roads to steep terrain — I’m honestly still not entirely sure, but here are my thoughts:
If the Prodigio Pro is the brand’s version of a supershoe — with high-quality midsole foams but no carbon plate — the Prodigio Max is the long-haul counterpart that provides more cushion at the expense of less responsiveness and extra weight. If looked at in profile, the shoes appear remarkably similar, but in the details, there are some significant differences. With an actual weight of 10.8 ounces (306 grams) for a U.S. men’s 9.5 — which is equivalent to a U.S. men’s 9 from most other brands — it’s 1.4 ounces (39 grams) heavier than the Pro, and it’s noticeable. The midsole of Max, with three extra millimeters of stack height and a different foam, feels less responsive but more cushioned, and the upper offers a more traditional fit than the sock-like fit of the Pro. The 6-millimeter drop stays the same, and the outsoles are remarkably similar. Although still expensive, the Max costs $40 less than the Pro.
I found myself reaching for the Prodigio Max for longer runs where feeling zippy wasn’t a priority, and I wanted my feet to be cushioned regardless of the length of the run. They’re not shoes for highly technical or steep terrain, or when you want to feel bouncy and light, or when you want to go fast, but they hold their own on the routes and terrain — and effort levels — that most of us run on a regular basis.
Like many La Sportiva shoes, the Prodigio Max runs small. I and most of the iRunFar team go half a size up from my normal shoe size for the right fit.
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La Sportiva Prodigio Max Upper
A lateral view of the La Sportiva Prodigio Max.
When compared to the Prodigio Pro, the La Sportiva Prodigio Max upper provides a slightly less secure fit but feels generally more comfortable with a bit more space and give. On flatter terrain, I found the lockdown difference is negligible, but it’s noticeable when descending steeper terrain. Even when I made the effort to tie my laces appropriately — which didn’t always feel necessary with the Pro — my foot would still slide forward on steep descents.
The outer layer of the upper is made from a TPEE polyester that has a very plastic-like feel. TPU yarns run alongside the back of the midfoot and around the forefoot flex point, providing extra durability and stability. It’s not a particularly pleasant upper material to hold in the hand, but it provides a lot of structure, and the inside is lined with a much softer polyester. I’ve worn the shoe with a variety of socks and haven’t had any issues with discomfort. Granted, I haven’t taken this shoe out on any truly shoe-destroying terrain, but the upper is showing no wear after more than 150 miles on some of the softer and gentler trails in the Silverton, Colorado, area, as well as on many miles of the well-established and hard-packed trails on the Colorado Front Range.
La Sportiva is known for making narrower shoes in general, but the Prodigio line is a bit wider than most of the brand’s shoes. The toebox of the Max is slightly wider than that of the Pro, but I found the difference to be fairly negligible, and it doesn’t feel so wide that it sacrifices much control on technical terrain. The TPU toecap provides a lot of coverage and extra structure on the front of the shoe, and it’s one of the better shoes for (accidentally) kicking rocks.
The tongue has a reasonable amount of padding and is incorporated into an internal fit band that attaches directly to the midsole. There is a second, smaller internal band used in the lace loop construction, which provides additional security throughout the midfoot when laced up. Three layers of material around the midfoot is a lot, and it’s a unique design. While snug all around, it’s not an ideal design for keeping debris out of the shoe, especially compared to the sock-like upper of the Pro with its mini built-in gaiter. But the whole setup has enough padding for comfort on long runs. Lace guides through the middle of the tongue help keep it from moving around, and I had no issues with it slipping.
The heel is well-padded, and the foot sits well into the midsole in the rear of the shoe for improved lateral stability.
La Sportiva Prodigio Max Midsole
A medial view of the La Sportiva Prodigio Max.
For better or worse — we all have our opinions — there’s no denying that the current trend in running shoes is maximal cushion, and the La Sportiva Prodigio Max rides that wave with its 37-millimeter stack height under the heel and 31 millimeters at the forefoot. On rocky terrain, the cushion provides a lot of protection, and I don’t think twice about stepping on sharp rocks. For a relatively high stack height, the shoes feel surprisingly stable on technical terrain. A little bit of sole flare offers a wider platform without compromising the ability to place the shoe in precise locations.
The midsole is made of two different foams with an eTPU foam for its inner core. The “e” means that the TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) particles have been expanded, and it results in a lighter and softer foam material than regular TPU. The outer material is a firmer nitrogen-infused EVA foam. The difference between the ride of the Pro and Max is noticeable, and it’s easy to feel the difference when the shoes are worn side by side. While the midsole construction uses the same design, the Pro features TPU foam for the core and offers more rebound.
The Prodigio Max is marketed as a long-distance shoe, while the Pro holds the niche as a race shoe for reasonably long distances. On the foot, the Max does indeed provide a lot of cushion — especially after a 30-mile break-in period — and significantly less responsiveness than the Pro. While I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a plodding shoe, it’s definitely not one that encourages speed and fast turnover. It doesn’t feel mushy underfoot, or cloud-like; instead, I would call it durable feeling. Still, the rocker shape makes for a comfortable ride on flatter terrain, and they feel like a pair of shoes I could wear for endless miles without my feet getting tired or sore.
La Sportiva Prodigio Max Outsole
The outsole of the La Sportiva Prodigio Max.
The La Sportiva Prodigio Max sports a full outsole made of the brand’s FriXion XT 2.0 rubber. While some swear by Vibram Megagrip as the ultimate outsole material, I’ve had incredibly good luck with La Sportiva’s rubber when it comes to staying upright on slippery or technical terrain. The front of the outsole is made of a softer, grippier rubber, while the heel area is covered with a thicker, more durable rubber. It didn’t take me long to trust the shoe on everything from roots to rocks to kitty-litter-like decomposed granite trails.
Unlike the Pro, which has a cutout under the midfoot for the outsole, the Max outsole is fully covered in rubber. This increases underfoot protection and overall durability at the expense of a bit of flexibility and added weight. I’d think this difference adds to the reduced get-up-and-go feeling of the Max.
The lug pattern and shape are essentially the same as the Pro, with the Max having 4-millimeter lugs compared to the Pro’s 5-millimeter ones. It’s not a huge difference, but a nod toward the Max being better suited to longer distances over slightly less technical terrain. The front lugs also have small diagonal cutouts in them, perhaps to increase their surface area for improved traction. I’ve run plenty of miles on pavement and smooth gravel roads in these shoes, and the lugs don’t feel overbearing, but they also don’t make the shoe feel svelt or speedy.
It took a higher-than-average number of miles for me to wear through the outsole of the Prodigio Pro, and given that I see minimal wear on the outsole after about 150 miles on the Max, I suspect a similar outcome with this shoe.
La Sportiva Prodigio Max Overall Impressions
A top view of the La Sportiva Prodigio Max.
As much as I would like to have a life where I can galavant in the mountains on technical trails every day and not have a use for a shoe like the La Sportiva Prodigio Max, the reality is that many of my running miles are done on routes where I don’t need the maximum amount of stability, ground feel, and traction. Plus, there’s something to be said for comfort over the long haul.
The Prodigio Max is an everyday workhorse shoe that does a lot of things well and happily lives in the middle ground of not being particularly fast feeling or slow feeling, not light but not super heavy, being able to handle some technical terrain but nothing extreme, and having an upper that is comfortable and functional.
If I had to choose between the Prodigio Max and the Prodigio Pro and never have access to the other — and money was no issue — I’d choose the Pro. It’s simply a more fun shoe, and I’ve found it to provide enough cushion and protection for the long haul. That said, as long as there is space in my closet, I’m glad that both exist and provide different running experiences at different price points.
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Call for Comments
- Have you run in the La Sportiva Prodigio Max? What did you think?
- Do you have a favorite La Sportiva shoe?
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