La Sportiva - Prodigio Max

I tried on all three and they fit roughly the same size for me (+1 euro size from typical). The toe box felt wider but less vertical room in the max compared to the pro.

Completely different shoes! The Prodigio Pro was designed for speed and handles technical trails really well. For me when I put the Pro on I feel like I am being propelled forward! It has a super critical eva cage a TPU core. That combo gives it more rebound and nice cushion. The other thing is the Pro is strobelless meaning your foot sits directly on the midsole keeping rebound high. The Max has a similar super critical cage but differs with a eTPU where the "e" is for expanded, where they start with little tpu beads and expand together. That core material provides more cushion and less rebound. Also has a traditional strobel lasting vs. strobelless. My understanding is the Max was designed with 100m in mind. I now have both and I really like the Max for day-to-day running and recovery and the Pro for racing, fast or technical days. They are really different shoes and work well together. Definitely a reason for being!

I have tried the Max on in store, but not run in them. FWIW they feel like a totally different shoe to the PP. the midsole feels ‘blocky’ and substantial underfoot; less nimble. I guess though that should translate to better long-haul stability. They seemed to have decent energy return. Certainly not dead-feeling. If I ran ultras regularly I would consider them.

I would look at their max instead of the pro, more stable and more cushion

La Sportiva Prodigio Max's! I am loving them so far! Taken them on a fair few trails (I don't run, at all)

Re: La Sportiva, they did—the Prodigio Max. Gave up on Olympuses after 2 pairs of the 6s (4 was the best). So far, I’m very pleased: the toe is spacious and the rest of the shoe feels very secure yet comfortable. Not zero drop though.

Also take a look at La Sportiva Prodigo MAX. Great, cushy foam, roomy toebox, and super secure midfoot hold, similar to how Topos hug the midfoot. Just make sure you size correctly (likely a full size up from your typical true to size).

It's a lot better than the narrow Bushido fit for sure but the durability was a weak point for me. I used my pair on like 3 weeks total of Sierra cross country over the past two seasons (so like ~250mi total) and the sole started peeling a bit in places, plus the cage around the midfoot started getting some holes that let sand in. Really great shoe otherwise, it feels very stable and super grippy on slab and talus. I've been messing with the Prodigio Max shoes instead of cracking open my backup pair of Bushidos, they're kinda like a souped up Speedgoat with better stability, grip, and durability. I've used them on some cross-country routes in the PNW since my last Sierra trip and I'm leaning towards wearing those for my big Sierra trip next year, I didn't feel unstable while scrambling on talus and they were much more comfortable for the flat rolling terrain that comprises a lot of XC travel. The rock plate on the Bushido is nice but really wears down on my feet after a few long days.

I recently bought a pair. I am a 10 1/2 but a little wide in the middle and had to get a Eu 45 to fit. La Sportiva are narow shoes. I have worn them twice. 2nd time my were squeeking. It is not due to a heel slip, it really feels like the foam is squeeking. It is a little annoying. Hopefully will get better not worse.

Between the Prodigio Pros and the Prodigio Max's, I think the Max might be better suited for what you want to do. They'll be more stable, more durable, and really are better as a daily driver. I think the Pros are *phenomenal*, but I think they're best as a race shoe or for when you wanna do some fast miles, if not due to the Pros being lighter. The Max's may just be a little more forgiving.