3 in Trail Running Shoes
La Sportiva - Prodigio Max
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
16
2
"I did run a 100km race in the full size up without touching the shoe once in the whole race."
"The shoes are so comfortable that I wish I could wear them for the streets."
"Cushioning is superior to almost any trail shoe I have ever used. ... Soft but not like a marshmallow and it has just the right amount of energy return/bounce. ... Feels amazing on the downhills."
8
5
"Fits "normal", meaning it is wider than any La Sportiva shoe I have used, which is very much welcomed for my hobbit feet"
"the toe is spacious"
"You are right, they are a bit wider in the forefoot, which generally suits me well for longer distances. ... La Sportiva's Prodigio range also got wider compared to their other models."
10
2
"I've gone up to 85k in the regular Prodigio and could have gone farther"
"have about 100 miles on them already and are holding up very well. ... I think they will be a nice option for 100+ mile races and a great every day trainer."
"I removed both 4 columns and it's just perfect. I run 50K and 100K races and never had a problem with the shoe."
7
0
"It was a muddy shit show and the shoes were great."
"great traction like all la sportiva shoes"
"Outsole is a combo of Frixion Red and Megagrip so it's nice and sticky."
6
1
"My second pair of them do last up to now for almost 2500km (1,550 miles)."
"have about 100 miles on them already and are holding up very well. ... I think they will be a nice option for 100+ mile races and a great every day trainer."
"The La Sportiva Prodigio Max would also be a good option similar to the Caldera. Not a Matrix upper, but very similar. ... I have upper failures with most trail shoes after 200 miles and these two are proving to be bomb proof after 200 miles on each, the uppers show hardly any wear."
Disliked most:
1
3
"My regular prodigios have been wearing very quickly on the rocks in the Vegas desert. ... The outsole is smooth at the forefoot after 100 miles."
"if you walk a lot of kilometers in the street, the outsole which is designed for trails, is not durable. ... The shoes are so comfortable that I wish I could wear them for the streets. I guess I could with the expectation of replacing them more frequently."
"if you walk a lot of kilometers in the street, the outsole which is designed for trails, is not durable. ... The shoes are so comfortable that I wish I could wear them for the streets. I guess I could with the expectation of replacing them more frequently."
0
7
"it felt narrow ... Not sure I’ll try a 15 as I don’t know if that would solve the narrowness."
"They were much too narrow for my slightly larger than average width foot."
"My normal size is 13 w and ordered a 14 (47). My big toe hit the front"
0
2
"I found the Prodigio has a hard piece that slices under your outside ankle bones on off camber terrain, so they were terrible for me but ymmv."
"I found the Prodigio has a hard piece that slices under your outside ankle bones on off camber terrain, so they were terrible for me but ymmv."
"I like the normal Prodigio for longer runs (but not technical or too steep because of the upper). ... The only downside I see is the uppers are kind of hard plastic and it digs into my ankles on steeper grades. Love them for longer runs as long as the grade is not too steep because of that."
1
3
"The thing is absolutely huge. ... Just too clunky for me."
"It feels heavy and dead compared to the pro"
"The thing is absolutely huge. ... Just too clunky for me."
brs2008 1.0I 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.
concolourCAT 1.0Prodigio Max!! Killer shoe
DirtyMikeeandtheBoyz 1.0Completely 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!
eatstarsandsunsets 1.0I ran Black Canyon 50k in them and they were sublime.
EffDubya 1.0I 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.
EndlessMike78 1.0I would look at their max instead of the pro, more stable and more cushion
La Sportiva Prodigio, I like the Pro, but REI sells them. so...
yes, REI sells them. They have a Pro(my preferred) and a max. I heard the max is good for hiking.
failed_departures108 1.0Nnormal kjerag 2.0 Nnormal Tomir 2.0 Merrell long sky 2 matryx I was loving the la sportiva prodigio max but the eyelet ripped through at 40 miles.
Fuzzy-Hedgehog-5577 1.0La Sportiva Prodigio Max's! I am loving them so far! Taken them on a fair few trails (I don't run, at all)
harry_chronic_jr 1.0Re: 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.
Heavy_Mycologist_104 1.0Same. The Prodigio Max is a brilliant all-round trail shoe. The Pro is also a brilliant shoe but more refined. Having said that I've got a pair of Pros that have done nearly 1,000km and hardly look worn. Impressive.