La Sportiva Rajas Running Shoe - Men's - 2006 BCS

But I still prefer the Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultras. They seem to be the top trail running shoes (at least that I've tried) performance wise.

Before I got these shoes I read all the reviews and thought about it for a long time. I wear a couple of other Sportiva trail running shoes as well as their mountaineering boots and have loved all of them. I agree with a few of the reviews in that they do tend to run just a hair on the narrow side but aside from that I haven't noticed any kind of quirks in them. They do take a couple miles to break in but that's only because of a shank and a little beefy'er sole. I personally like that Sportiva doesn't have loads of room for movement in the toe box because that's always meant more possibilities for blisters. With all of that said, I have loved these shoes. Sizing is dead on, for me, the wear really well and have tons of stability!

I have had the Rajas for about 8 months now, so I can safely write an clear review. I bought these before I really knew much about La Sportiva, at the time they seemed like they would do the trick and they looked cool. (at least to me, but not the wife...)
I have ran them up 14,000+ trail systems and on the road in the snow and muck. They excel on a rocky trail system and will keep you from overpronating or slipping a step on a rock or branch. In the winter, these shoes will keep you warm, supportive and cut through the slush and muck. They will not keep you all that dry, but do have some benefits to wet weather by being higher than most other trail shoes by La Sportiva, and other manufcatures. I love these shoes and will buy anonther pair again! I must agree, beware when ordering, they run narrow. I run in a 9 (42) for my traditional road shoes and most trail shoes, but this is too narrow for my feet. I will probably bump it up to a 9 1/2 (42 1/2) next time I buy. They did break in, but it took about a week or two to do so. If you are looking for a shoe that can handle really rocky and nasty terrain then this is the right shoe for you!

La Sportiva Rajas have a great fit and feel, first few times out on the trails I found them to be a little stiff but a few long runs helped loosen things up. These are built for running up and down mountains, nice support/protection when up on ridges and granite outcroppings. The Rajas are the perfect companion for a rugged back country excursion.

This is my first pair of La Sportivas and I love'em. I'm traing for and ultra and these have the support that I need for those long runs, great cushion and traction to. Just switched from montrail to these, best decision I've made.

These are my second pair of Rajas. Beefy, burly shoe that eats up and spits out loose scree. Yes beefy, but not heavy, nice sticky rubber and great protection on the sides and toe. For me they was a short break in period, 1-2 shorts runs under 10 miles, then feel like slippers. Great trail shoe for rough terrain, rock, scree, roots mud, never a issue but a bit too stiff for roads.

These shoes are great for whatever you need them for. The soles will truck through mud like its nothing or they are at home running on the road. They are lighter than I previously thought trail runners like these would be. I use them to train for a the Robie Creek 1/2 marathon in Idaho and they are everything I could wish for dirt road training. I have wide feet and they are pretty accommodating for wider feet. Highly recommended!

I have owned numerous La Sportiva climbing, approach, and trail running shoes. The Rajas take the cake in the trail running arena. I received them on Thursday. I Broke them in with a six mile run and ran 21 rocky, root-filled miles on Saturday. Outstanding. I have been happy with my Crossroads and Slingshots, but the Rajas are superb. They will be my ultra shoe of choice. Comfort and function at its best.

These shoes were great out of the box. They had just the right amount of cushion without taking away from the "feel" of the ground. A grippy 'frixion' sole - great on all off-road terrains. As I am a heavy runner (210 lbs) and run all off-road, with a lot of off-trail mountaineous terrain (up to 100 miles/ week and many thousands of vertical feet) I put my shoes through extreme abuse. These shoes are going to disintegrate before they reach my magic 500 mile mark. As usual for my shoes I am breaking through the uppers at my little toe. 90% of all my shoes go right there. If I get 500 miles out of them it's okay, but these may have 200 miles on them now and there is a hole in the uppers in the usual spot. Up until the hole these were a 5 out of 5, but durability counts for a lot, and shoes aren't cheap.

I have used the La Sportiva Rajas on the trails and mountain runs in the Northeast this year and they work great.
The Rajas are lightweight yet provide great foot support for longer runs (I did a ten miler and they worked wonderfully). I have also done several races wearing the Rajas, they have great friction on the rock and hold the line well on muddy terrain.

I have been a longtime Asics user, so when New England rep Jim Shimberg approached me to give a different brand a try, I was a little apprehensive.
I am getting older and the 40 years of running have reduced me to shoes with cushion and support. Jim put me into a pair of La Sportiva Rajas to test out and give some feedback.

For the first mile I did on the road, they felt a little stiff. But as each mile went by, they felt better and better. I like the lacing system which adjusted the fit to my feet like a glove.
I also like how the lacing started closer to the toe and it has lace loop in the middle of the end. It has a great soft gripper rubber on the sole, but it does have a tendency to leave marks on the tile floor.

Other nice features I like are the rubberized material to protect the toe area, the flex bars in the sole (good flexibility and positioned well), and the tongue is attached to the upper to keep debris from entering in that area.

Based on my test run, I would definitely recommend the La Sportiva Rajas. La Sportiva should also feel fortunate to have a great person, runner, and climber Jim Shimberg as their rep. He will be a great asset to their company.

--from somewhere in the mountains, New Hampshire