La Sportiva Prodigio review

We pushed the La Sportiva Prodigio to its limits in the lab and on trails, and we're confident it's:

• A versatile jack-of-all-trails shoe for runners seeking comfort on various terrains.
• Excellent for lightweight runners who demand a breathable trail shoe.
• A good pick for those seeking a plushier La Sportiva, being ideal for long-distance training runs and competitions.

For racers seeking maximum energy return and explosiveness, the Prodigio might fall a bit short too. We recommend exploring options with Pebax foams and carbon plates, like the Nike Ultrafly or Saucony Endorphin Edge, for an exhilarating trail experience.

The heel boasts 29.3 mm of cushioning underfoot, although after accounting for the outsole, lugs, and insole, the actual amount of foam is less than it appears.

Nevertheless, we feel that being just shy of 30 mm probably strikes an excellent balance between lightness and cushioning for many runners.

With just 20.4 mm in the forefoot, La Sportiva has positioned the Prodigio as one of the less-cushioned ultra running shoes on the market.

We've noted that—coupled with the suboptimal durability we previously observed—this shoe is better suited for very lightweight runners who do not require much cushioning underfoot even for longer distances.

La Sportiva advertises a 6-mm drop, yet our precise measurements, adhering to official WA standards, revealed a true 8.9-mm offset. This is also clearly visible in the shoe's wedge-shaped profile.

It's also worth noting that La Sportiva lists a 34/26 mm stack height, which is significantly inaccurate, at least when measured at the 12% and 75% points.

After checking the insole, now it's time to properly take a look at the main cushioning agent of the Prodigio—the midsole. And it also happens to be one of the biggest news of this shoe.

The foam used by La Sportiva is a new formulation named XFlow that's softer than anything else that we have tried before in this brand, which is widely known as one that tend to deliver firmer rides.

But that's no more, as the 19.5-HA supercritical EVA feels plushier than ever, especially for being a trail shoe. And it's a good change especially for those tackling ultras.

We froze the Prodigio for 20 minutes to see how much the cushioning changed.

We then tested its firmness again with our Shore A durometer. The midsole firmness got up by 27.6%, which is actually a normal reaction for an EVA foam midsole in cold temperatures.

The insole is a 4.1-millimetre thick piece of foam made by the well-known brand Ortholite. It's their Hybrid model, which includes 5% recycled rubber for a more eco-friendly construction.

For those seeking the more traditional ride characteristic of most La Sportiva models, the Prodigio might not meet expectations—but we see the logic behind this design choice.

Geared toward long training sessions and ultra competitions, its rockered shape is a strategic feature that aids in turnover when legs are fatigued.

The good news about the stiffness continues—after placing the shoe in the freezer for 20 minutes and testing it again, we discovered that it only became 11.2% stiffer. This performance surpasses most running shoes!

We measured the toebox at its widest part, finding it to be 99.4 mm. This standard sizing is likely to suit 80% of runners, except those at the extremes of the Gaussian bell curve—those with either very narrow or very wide feet.

We always conduct a second—and last—measurement in terms of width for the toebox to understand how the shoe fits in this area.

We found that La Sportiva thought about toe splay, clearly knowing that the Prodigio should be a top pick in the ultra running category. That's why we found 81.2 mm, which is on the wider side of the spectrum. And we're happy with this!

European running shoes typically tend to be narrower than those of US and Japanese brands. This is validated by the midsole dimensions of the Prodigio. In the forefoot, we found 109.1 mm, which is a moderate-to-narrow design that aims to perform well at multiple terrain, including sharp corners.

The same philosophy applies to the heel, with a width of 89.1 mm.

That's a very average number that, again, aims to deliver a solid performance for all runners, but clearly steers away from ultra-wide, behemoth-like trail running shoes like the Brooks Caldera 7 (105.2 mm).

With its thick midsole, we initially expected the Prodigio to exhibit moderate to high stiffness, but La Sportiva pleasantly surprised us—it's actually quite flexible, which greatly enhances comfort.

Registering just 20.0N in our 90-degree bend test, we found that the Prodigio doubles effectively as a hiking shoe and delivers a comfy experience even on the longest runs.

The good news about the stiffness continues—after placing the shoe in the freezer for 20 minutes and testing it again, we discovered that it only became 11.2% stiffer. This performance surpasses most running shoes!

In hopes of receiving encouraging news, we brought our digital scale to measure the weight of the Prodigio.

We discovered it weighs just 9.6 oz or 271g, a favourable figure for its size. From our evaluation, the shoe also feels exceptionally light during runs.

Trail shoes often struggle with breathability, but we had high hopes for the Prodigio, as La Sportiva positions it as their premiere ultra racer, suggesting it should offer at least good ventilation.

To our delight, the Prodigio delivers on this promise, earning a 4/5 in our breathability rating—a solid performance.

By using a light and examining the cut-in-half shoe, we observed the varied thickness across different parts of the Prodigio. The midfoot and toecap are substantially reinforced for ruggedness and stability, while the toebox uses just engineered mesh.

To better understand this effective ventilation, we returned to the microscope and identified the key to its impressive airflow.

The engineered mesh is punctuated with countless mini holes that allow heat and moisture to escape, effectively combining with the tongue.

We also appreciated the quality of the upper, which features a dual-layer configuration that adds comfort by ensuring the foot is not in direct contact with the mesh but rather a softer inner fabric.

While the Prodigio excels in breathability, this often entails a compromise in durability—a significant concern for trail shoes.

Indeed, our tests revealed a disappointing durability score of 1/5 after subjecting the shoe to our first Dremel test. The engineered mesh surrendered almost immediately when confronted with the sandpaper tip.

After examining the toebox, we turned our attention to the heel padding, hoping for an improvement—since it seemed things couldn't get much worse.

However, we were met with another eyebrow-raising score of 1 out of 5 here in the lab, deepening our concerns about the overall durability of the shoe. We're now holding out hope that at least the outsole will show some improvements.

Before using the Dremel for the third and final time, we paused to first assess the hardness of the FriXion Red XT 2.0 rubber. With a reading of 90.1 HC, it's definitively on the harder side of the spectrum, suggesting robust durability.

Yet we faced another disappointment.

Following our third Dremel test, the outcome was far from satisfactory, revealing a 1.5 mm indentation that seriously questions the Prodigio's durability. Based on our findings, we believe this shoe should not be considered by those who frequently deal with early wear in their footwear.

We also examined the rubber thickness, which measured a very standard 2.0 mm.

The lugs of the Prodigio are not deep at all at 3.4 mm, making this shoe particularly well-suited for easy or moderate trails, such as those found in US ultra marathons. It's also well suited for many European popular race courses.

Each lug on this shoe features a chevron-like pattern to enhance traction. The design includes thinner lugs in the centre of the outsole; and thicker, more durable lugs on the exterior for added toughness.

In our lab, we're always delighted to find trail shoes equipped with hi-vis reflective elements, and La Sportiva has ticked this box with the Prodigio's heel.

We carefully measured the tongue of the La Sportiva Prodigio and discovered that the Italian company pursued a very balanced approach between weight and padding. At a thickness of 5.5 mm, we feel that they achieved this balance perfectly, and we actually like the tongue a lot, especially for ultra distances.

The Prodigio also features a mixed-style lacing system that's somewhat unusual and might be less appealing to those who prefer traditional eyelets.

In our view, a proper trail running shoe should feature a gusseted tongue to ensure a perfect lockdown and prevent debris from entering the shoe.

Interestingly, the Prodigio has a tongue that is indeed securely attached to both sides, and they've also extended the toebox to minimise the tongue length— a design choice that might not suit everyone, especially those who prefer a bit more room in the instep.

The Prodigio lacks a finger loop heel tab—an omission that, while not critical, would have been a welcome feature for us.

We discovered that La Sportiva is considerate of those who prefer customized or aftermarket footbeds, as we found that removing the stock insole poses absolutely no problem.