I’ve been into running, a kind of exercise that requires relatively less equipment, for many years. In the past several years, I’ve also tried various kinds of running shoes so as to pick the most suitable and comfortable one. But it was not until I bumped into this pair of La Sportiva AKASHA that I realized it was just the right one. So here is my personal experience with the shoes which I hope can be some help for you if you happen to be considering picking this pair of shoes.
La Sportiva, as you might have learned, is the world’s top sports shoe brand from Italy and most of its shoes have quite high reputations in their respective fields. So I think that this AKASHA from La Sportiva won’t be bad.
In terms of the shoes’ colorway, it is mainly blue in the vamp with some yellow setups, which makes me feel like surfing on the sea.
Actually, the shoes’ appearance is quite bright and eye-catching. At the side of the shoes, the brand logo is embedded, which appears quite natural. For the vamp, it is made of quite a large area of breathable mesh material with PU leather, and is also integrated with the midsole and the heel. The inside of the shoes are also equipped with PU leather which, together with the exterior PU and the vamp, provides adequate support and breathability for the wearer.
The protection material is used in the toe part of the shoes, which can provide good cushioning and protection for wearer’s toes when he/she is running downhill. In addition, the shoe tongue is sewn with the soles, which will help prevent it from slanting to one side during long and fast running.
The heel of the outsole made of yellow TRAIL ROCKER cushioning material can provide excellent cushioning and is also highly wear-resistant.
Akasha’s midsole adopts cushioning material that not only improves comfort but also cushioning performance. As for the outsole, I should say that it is a satisfactory one. It is in fact a bit slender and in the middle of it is printed with the logo of LA SPORTIVA. Made of rubber and patterned with grains shown in the above pictures, the outsole can still offer superior grip performance even in rainy days.
For the insoles, they can be separated from the shoes, making it convenient for us to replace them when necessary. On the other hand, however, this might also cause inconvenience: some people may find the insoles slip out of the shoes easily because of the way they walk.
With regard to the size, I pick the usual one which just fits my feet snugly. And for the wrapping, the blue PU leather, which has been mentioned earlier, is of great help, and the relatively hard blue rubber can offer a nice support as well.
However, at the end of the day, it was all the outdoor experiences that gave me a deeper and more complete understanding of the shoes. Thanks to the breathable vamp, I can have wonderful experiences with the shoes and most importantly, I am no longer bothered by a lot of sweat under my feet. Besides, the soles are elastic enough that I won’t feel fatigued that fast during the running process. And even at the end of the running, the shoes can still remain very stable. But the shortcoming I’ve found so far is the anti-rollover performance which is not so satisfying.
Overall:
All in all, it’s safe to say that this pair of LA SPORTIVA AKASHA is pretty nice in terms of its overall performances on both the mountain roads and urban roads. Its wrapping, breathability, wear-resistance, grip and cushioning are all superior. Although there are still some imperfections, I still think the LA SPORTIVA AKASHA is prominent and is also the most suitable one for me.