Brooks Hyperion 2 Review: The Hype is Real

What You Need To Know

Introduction to the Brooks Hyperion 2

ROBBE: Way back when Brooks was doing both interesting things and terrible things, there was the Hyperion Tempo and the Hyperion Elite. Both came out around the same time as the 2020 Olympic Trials– one was a pretty great uptempo shoe, and the other was a lawsuit waiting to happen. I still cringe knowing that people paid $250 for that first Elite, which was quickly scrapped for version 2– a much better shoe, but still far behind the state-of-the-art Alphafly that debuted on Trials weekend. I still wonder if Des would’ve made up the 11 seconds between herself and the Olympic team had she worn a different shoe on that day in Atlanta. Then again, Aliphine won the race in the Hoka Rocket X, so there goes that hypothesis.

It’s been a long time since those Trials, and while I’d like to say a ton has changed, the truth is that Brooks on race day is far behind everyone else. Josh Kerr is a freak and can win in anything, but you can’t tell me that Brooks marathoners are happy as a Cape Cod clam running in the Hyperion Elite 4. That said, the DNA Flash v2 has a place and a time, and that place is wherever you do your workouts and that time is whatever pace your speed days are. Because they’ve actually fine tuned the first two strings of the Hyperion line– the Hyperion Max 2 and Hyperion 2– to be incredibly sweet and in key. The Hyperion Elite 4 is still flat with no signs of developing its voice, but there’s always 2025.

So what’s up with the Hyperion 2? A lot, actually. The most important update is the beautiful, open mesh upper on this shoe. Extremely lightweight and breathable, it feels very much like a premium racer. Before I gush any further on that, I should also note that the midsole on this shoe comes with an extra 4 mm of DNA Flash v2 in the forefoot, for a total of 26 mm in the heel and 18 mm in the forefoot (midsole only). The RoadTack rubber is made with recycled materials, offering lightweight durability.

For the Brooks-curious, this shoe differs from the Hyperion Max 2 in that it has a lower stack height, lower price point ($140 vs. $180), and does not have a plate. This is a simple, lightweight trainer that is meant to move quickly but can also work as a daily trainer for shorter mileage.

KALEB: I started writing for Believe in the Run a little more than two years ago now, and in my time, I’ve gotten to run in some really awesome shoes and I’ve gotten to run in some Brooks shoes. I became a staunch skeptic of the Seattle-based company when my first significant running injury popped up right after my initial review miles in the Brooks Levitate 6 (it was my second review ever and I still have PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Shoe Disorder).

One of the more disappointing Brooks shoes I ran in was last year’s Hyperion, the “revamped” version of the Hyperion Tempo. I went back and forth on the shoe, my emotions ranging from initial excitement, to disappointment in the flat ride, to moderate pleasure once the bounce finally showed up, then back to sadness because the fun only lasted like 200 miles. Ultimately I settled on “it was all right, but not worth $150.”

Fast forward a year, and I received a package I wasn’t expecting. Inside is the Hyperion 2.

And darn it, I might just be willing to take back all the Brooks-flaming I’ve ever done– ok some of it– because this might be one of my favorite shoes ever.

What we like about the Brooks Hyperion 2

ROBBE: As with its counterpart in the Hyperion Max 2, there’s going to be a lot of content in this section. Let’s start with the design. Against all odds, Brooks has finally made a shoe that I don’t mind wearing in daylight. I’m joking, the Ghost Max is actually a solid design, as are some other shoes that I can’t recall at the moment. But this one, as with the HM2, is flat-out nice. I’m a big fan of the big ‘Brooks’ label on the medial side of the shoe. I’m not sure why I love this, but I do. I can also see how some people would hate it. The Paris colorway (featured here) is nice, and I can assure you it’s the best colorway of all the others coming down the line unless you’re very into nuclear fallout color tones (i.e. gray/ash/death). So get it now while you can.

The actual upper is fantastic, as with all the uppers in the Hyperion line. It’s form-fitting and breathable and up for grabs for one of the best uppers of 2024. The slightly offset lacing and race-style sawtooth laces lock the foot down perfectly.

I noted in the Hyperion Max 2 review that Brooks seems to have finally found the best use-case for its supercritical DNA Flash v2 foam. With an additional 4 mm in stack over last year’s version, this version is the perfect balance of comfort and performance without sacrificing feel. It’s not soft or squishy; in fact, it’s a little on the firmer side of things. But it’s just a smooth underfoot feel with just the right amount of ground feel and energy return to give you a quick transition through the stride. 

I took this on two different workouts: the first was a 30-minute tempo at marathon pace with a few hundred feet of elevation, the second was 2 x 1-mile at 5K pace followed by a handful of 30-second hill sprints. It handled both of these workouts with ease, allowing me to open up and run without thinking about what was underfoot. At a mere 6.2 ounces for my men’s size 7, there wasn’t much to carry, which helped me focus on hitting my paces.

I felt like the outsole had some nice bite to it, but I can’t comment on its performance in the rain, as I only ran in dry conditions.

At $140, I think this is a gem of a shoe at a very fair price point.

KALEB: To put it briefly: Brooks flat-out fixed every single complaint I had with version one (since there are technically two version ones, I’ll just clear things up now: I’m talking about the 2023 Brooks Hyperion):

Version 1 had weird, thick laces that didn’t stay tied for long, and bit through the thin tongue into the foot if you didn’t get the tension distributed right. It had a crinkly, plasticky upper that hugged the foot in all the wrong places, and a tongue that did nothing to protect the tops of your feet from lace bite. Underfoot was a slappy slab of rubber without much grip, placed beneath a too-thin chunk of hypercritical DNA Flash foam that didn’t stay bouncy for very long.

That kind of makes the first Hyperion sound like the worst shoe ever. It wasn’t, but in the modern era, it didn’t really stack up to any other lightweight plateless trainers like the New Balance Rebel or the Topo Athletic Cyclone.

The Hyperion 2 changes everything. And I mean everything. The outsole rubber has been trimmed back to a reasonable amount, and the compound is grippy and bites the pavement in both wet and dry conditions. The four added millimeters of foam underfoot bring this shoe to life. DNA Flash v2 is the perfect mix of comfort and energy. The Hyperion 2 felt fantastic at easy paces, and absolutely came to life at higher speeds. I ran some 1k repeats at 5k race pace, and the Hyperion 2 felt fantastic throughout. I don’t know whether it’s simply because there’s more foam present, or because the compound has been improved, but I’ve logged nearly 50 miles in the Hyperion 2 already, and I’ve loved every one of them. 

Up top is a fantastic upper that– in contrast with version one– hugs the foot exactly where it should, while leaving some space in the toe box to not feel cramped. The laces are ridged and remain tied, and the tongue is nicely padded, so I was able to get the lockdown I needed to take turns at fast paces.

I don’t know what came over them, but Brooks suddenly just got their act together and made a fantastic shoe. I’m a big fan of speedy, plateless tempo shoes because I can wear them for just about anything, and the Hyperion 2 is a true do-it-all trainer. I’d happily bring this along as my race day shoe above some of the plated options out there. 

Oh, and my US men’s 9 sits just under 7 ounces, which is fantastic for the amount of cushion and response underfoot.

What we don’t like about the Brooks Hyperion 2

ROBBE: I’m really not sure if there’s much I can put in this section. For what this shoe is meant to do, it’s really going to be hard to beat. I would note that if you have any issues with stability or medial support, then this may not the shoe for you. As my readers know, I have awful ankles, and while I didn’t roll them during my miles in the shoe, I came dangerously close a couple of times. It also feels like the medial side collapses a bit, so if you need that support then stay away.

KALEB: I really don’t have any major gripes about this shoe. For overpronators, the Hyperion 2 does hold the foot a little close to the medial edge of the shoe for comfort, but Brooks makes a GTS stability version of the Hyperion 2, so that’s not really a dealbreaker.

Final thoughts on the Brooks Hyperion 2

ROBBE: If you’ve gotten this far and you’re still trying to figure out how this differs from the Hyperion Max 2 in terms of feel, I would say the Max 2 is meant for slightly longer distances and has a more pronounced rocker effect. So you’re getting a bit of help through the stride and then that pop off the Pebax plate. However, I feel that the Max 2 only has one speed (which floats between 10K to marathon pace), whereas the Hyperion 2 works well as a lightweight daily trainer and/or a fast day shoe (or even a race day shoe for shorter distances). It’s more versatile, but maybe not as fun as the Hyperion Max 2. The good news is that both shoes differ enough that they for sure deserve their own places in the line, whereas last year they were way too similar.

Similar comparisons to this would be the Hoka Mach 6, Saucony Kinvara 15, Adidas SL 2, and New Balance Rebel v4.

The Hyperion 2 is another excellent shoe from Brooks, and one that you should consider if you’re looking for a lightweight and reliable shoe that can do most (if not all) of the things.

KALEB: Well. I’ve got to hand it to Brooks. The Hyperion is one of the best shoes I’ve run in this year. Not necessarily because it’s insanely high-tech or groundbreaking in and of itself (although Brooks making quality products is pretty groundbreaking), but because every part of this shoe works together to make something that just flows underfoot. For those looking for a do-it-all shoe for 2024, this might be a top contender. 

You can pick up the Brooks Hyperion 2 for $140 by using the buttons below.