At first glance, La Sportiva Jackal doesn´t look like an innovative and fast trail shoe for long-distance running. Learn more about the protective trail shoe here.
We all want to protect what is most precious to us. And if you are a runner (which I am guessing you are, since you are on this site) - you want to protect your legs and feet. Therefore its important to find shoes which are able to do that. That is where La Sportiva Jackal enters the equation as it is probably the most protective shoe I have ever used. You almost get the sensation that you are wearing safety shoes - except for the fact that this safety shoe is agile, fun, very comfortable and a shoe which you can wear for extended periods of time.
Jackal is suited for long trail runs - ultra-long trail runs. Everything in these shoes is targeted to go far, and protect your feet and legs as most as possible. Occasionally I think that trail shoes don´t have a lot of cushioning which leaves you too much in touch with the surface. But when I use La Sportivas Jackal its not a problem for me. Here I get lots of cushioning and a great grip. Even when I am on my way to the woods and have to run a few hundred yards on asphalt, I feel like my legs and feet are well protected.
Outsole
I have primarily tested Jackal in soft terrain, in the woods close my home. I tested it on days when it was raining or the day after it was raining, so the terrain was always muddy. Jackals outsole (produced in what La Sportiva have named FriXion XT 2.0) is designed to be able to handle pretty much everything. This means that you should be able to use it in snow and ice, in soft and muddy terrain and on rocks, cliffs and loose stones. It has 3mm lugs and they are strategically placed in a way which makes them excellent for braking when you are going downhill. La Sportiva calls it the Impact Brake System. In addition the rubber compound also feels sticky which contributes to providing a great grip.
It goes without saying that when the outsole has to handle pretty much everything, it cannot be specialized for one purpose. But even when it was muddy, and I ran up and down a couple of very steep hills, I rarely slipped in the mud. I actually went looking for more muddy stretches so I could test the shoes as much as possible. And the shoes surprised me very positively as the 3mm lugs provided a much better grip than I had expected.
It should also be mentioned that the outsole should be able to last lots of miles as it feels really solid.
Midsole
La Sportiva Jackal particularly stands out from other trail shoes through its midsole. The midsole absorbs all the beatings for your feet and legs on your runs. Its built like a sandwich with EVA-foam on the outside (the foam makes the sole soft) and with a rock plate in the middle (set to provide stability and ensure shocks from sharp rocks or cliffs are distributed through the midsole) which is typical for a trail shoe. However, La Sportiva doesn´t stop with the midsole. Instead two so-called Infinitoo-pads have been placed above the sandwich in the forefoot and the heel to provide a high degree of energy return. Perhaps it sounds very technical, but it works.
The shoes provide a lot of propulsion. They are fun and fast and you can go far in them as the midsole doesn´t seem to "tire". You can often feel how a shoe seem to tire and provide less energy return, the further you go. The foam doesn´t pop in the same way as through the first miles of your run. La Sportiva claim that the Infinitoo-midsole preserves the same degree of energy return regardless of the distance. For obvious reasos, I don´t know if this can last forever but I am sure that most people will enjoy great runs with the midsole as it seems to be able to keep going - so its an obvious choice for ultra running.
Another special thing about this shoe is the untraditional 7mm drop. I don´t recall having tried out a shoe with a 7mm drop. Most often running shoes have a 8-10, 4-5 or 0 mm drops. But perhaps its very smart. Now the shoe is suited for runners who like a 4-5 mm drop but also for runners who like an 8-10 mm drop. A smaller detail, which I , however, think is worth mentioning, is that the shoes are designed with
Ortholite insoles. I found they contributed to providing a comfortable fit for my feet and also contributed to the great cushioning.
Upper
When I first saw La Sportiva Jackal, I thought that my feet would get very warm during my runs. The upper looks very robust. The shoe is designed with a lot of plastic across the shoe which adds structure at the same time as it makes the shoe more durable but it doesn´t look like much of the material is ventilating. So, I was quite sure that my feet would be boiling. But no. Somehow, in some strange way this doesn´t happen. Even with my half-thick trail-socks, I never felt my feet heating up.
Conclusion
If you like long trail-runs and want a trail shoe protecting your legs and feet or if you want a trail shoe which can handle pretty much everything, La Sportiva Jackal could be the right shoe for you. The shoe was a very positive surprise for me and I will certainly return to it for trail runs. However, you should be aware that you need to go up half a size or a whole size compared to your normal size. But then Jackal will also have a perfect fit.
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