LaSportiva Akasha

My injury and fatigue after Stefanik Trail is long one. It is time to resume hard training and find a replacement trail running shoes for my old LaSportiva Bushido, which after 2 years and almost 1k km fell apart.

The King is dead, long live The King! I chose LaSportiva Akasha model mainly due to better cushioning needed for long distances (60 km +) As I am going to mainly use these for long training sessions and ultramarathons I went with half size bigger model to accommodate foot swelling after long effort.

Some technical details: the shoe weighs 330 g – it is 32 g heavier compared to Bushido. Drop is the same – 6 mm. As opposed to Bushido Akasha has no rockplate in the front part to protect from rocky terrain. In spite of this Akasha is comfy and there is no pain running over stones thanks to thick sole – 25-19 mm. The drawback is reduced foot arch support and firmness of the shoe. I would not recommend Akasha for trekking with backpack or as an approach shoe. Outsole texture has an interesting V-shaped lug placement. The pattern is reversed at the back to facilitate heel breaking on downhills. At the back there is a loop for holding shoe while putting it on or attaching it with a sling or a carabiner to your backpack.

My first impression after 30 km is positive, although I need to get used less support and stiffness. The comfort is better. The real test will come in August on the next ultra