We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
Top running shoe picks from Brooks across all categories
Daily training, tempo, race day, recovery, and trail
Any questions? Drop it in the comments. Otherwise, enjoy those miles.
This article is sponsored content; however, all of these Brooks shoes are our personal favorites and align with our individual reviews.
Think about when you started running and needed your first proper pair of running shoes. No, not the Nike Shox you’d been beating around — a real pair that’s just for running. If I had to guess, I’d say you walked into a run specialty store and found yourself steered towards a pair of Brooks. Maybe it was the Ghost, maybe it was the Glycerin, or maybe you jumped right in on the wild side with the Caldera. No matter what it was, it probably started a long and beautiful friendship of one kind or another.
That’s who Brooks is — it’s the perfect place to start, and just as good a place to stay for a while. Brooks has always made its name on being consistent, comfortable, and reasonably priced, making it easy to go back to generation after generation of your favorite shoes. But the times, as they say, are a-changing. Brooks has new foams and new technologies everywhere you look, and it’s high time you got yourself reacquainted with the brand that probably started your journey.
To do that, though, you might need a little help from those of us who run in a little bit of everything. You might need to learn a little bit about what’s new and what’s working, and we’re here to help.
For this piece, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite models across the entire Brooks range, especially now that there are plenty of new foams and technologies to talk about. So we polled our core team of reviewers — Thomas, Meg, and Robbe on the road side (with a cameo by Ryan), and Taylor on the trail side — to see what their favorite Brooks running shoes are at the moment.
Daily training and long miles
10.9 oz. (309 g) for a US M9 / 9.2 oz. (261 g) for a US W7.5
39 mm in heel, 31 mm in forefoot (8 mm drop)
ROBBE: Alright, so we’ll admit it right up front: We haven’t actually run in the Brooks Glycerin 23. However, we put an awful lot of miles on its predecessor, and it seems like Brooks has decided the smartest thing to do is stick with what works. We couldn’t agree more.
In this case, that means sticking with a pretty familiar bed of DNA Tuned foam for the midsole, and that’s all that matters. Seriously, the rest of the shoe (fit and durability) was already locked in, so when the Glycerin 22 arrived with a fully revamped midsole, it elevated a Brooks staple to new heights. In our review, Robbe touted the plush landing in the heel of the Glycerin 22, followed by a firmer, dare we say snappy, toe-off. After a few generations of wanting more out of the Glycerin, how could we not be thrilled?
Oh, and the thick layer of outsole rubber and double jacquard mesh upper add premium touches to keep the Glycerin glued to your feet for what we expect to be hundreds of miles.
THOMAS: If you want to make things a little more interesting, look no further than the Glycerin Flex. It’s the same base platform you love, just made a little more stylish and a lot more flexible. Brooks swapped the jacquard mesh for a breathable knit and split its DNA Tuned foam with grooves for landings that feel, well, flexible. Somehow it’s a shoe with a lot of stack but a natural landing, making it a pretty sweet daily trainer no matter what you’re into.
Long runs with pickups, uptempo cruising
9.9 oz. (280 g) for a US M9, 8.8 oz. (250 g) for a US W8
46 mm in heel, 40 mm in forefoot (6 mm drop)
MEAGHAN: Death, taxes, and me looking for anything and everything with the word Max in the name — just a few of the things that are as reliable as the United States Postal Service. Seriously, though, if I can’t feel the ground, I’m probably in heaven. In the case of the Brooks Hyperion Max 3, you can bet I’m in a good mood. Why? Well, it’s not just a mountain of foam — I actually get a bit of bounce back upon landing.
True to the Hyperion Max name, this third-generation max cushion shoe blends Brooks’ race-ready DNA Gold foam with a stabilizing layer of DNA Flash V2, resulting in a comfortable trainer with plenty of kick. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Glycerin Max, too, but this is my pick when I need to pick it up.
THOMAS: I mean, yeah, Meg nailed it. The Hyperion Max 3 is Brooks’ best shoe for a little pep in your step. It’s comfortable, looks clean, and actually picked up meaningful changes from the previous model. Brooks finally reworked the Hyperion Max’s upper and trimmed out a little weight from the midsole with a series of clever cutouts, and the combination gives this 46 mm monster a bit more personality of its own.
THOMAS: We recognize that not everyone is like Meg, and for those runners who actually want to feel the ground a little bit, there’s the Hyperion 3. It’s a low-stacked shoe with a DNA Flash V2 midsole and no plate — basically, a return to the tempo trainers we used to love and spent almost all our time in. Honestly, it’s one of the better bargains on our list, too, at just $140, making it cheaper than the Adidas Evo SL, Asics Novablast 5, and Nike Pegasus 41.
Rockin’ on race day
7.1 oz (201 g) for a US M9, 5.7 oz. (162 g) for a US W7.5
40 mm in heel, 32 mm in forefoot (8 mm drop)
MEG: We’ve had… concerns about Brooks on race day for a while. Despite pros like Des and CJ Albertson dropping some seriously impressive times, we just never really felt like the Hyperion Elite line lived up to the hype-rion for the average runner. More recently, though, Brooks has figured out how to challenge that notion.
Its Hyperion Elite 5 is a mystery of a shoe all wrapped up in an enigma. On the one hand, it doesn’t feel like the soft, springy supershoes we’ve become used to. And yet, when I took it through a whole bunch of workouts, I consistently found myself beating my paces and coming back for more. Maybe there’s just something sneaky about the DNA Gold foam that’s finally making its way to more and more Brooks shoes. Whatever it is, I like it.
RYAN: Oh, hey, I can pop in here too, seeing as I inherited Robbe’s pair of the Hyperion Elite 5, making it my first Brooks review in I don’t know how long. Like Thomas above, I’ll echo Meg’s sentiment and say that this one gets a whole lot right. I thought the ball-shaped cutouts in the midsole were interesting at first, but they certainly didn’t detract from the shoe’s stability, nor did they alter the sensation of the DNA Gold.
I’ll also take a second to shout out Brooks’s new upper, which feels like there’s nothing there. It’s such a wide-open mesh that you might almost worry about getting sticks or other debris stuck in it, but I felt like I was moving quickly enough that any would-be debris couldn’t keep up. I also dig the two-toned colorway of the launch pair, which looks an awful lot like a racing livery you’d see on an F1 car.
THOMAS: The reason I didn’t write about the shoe above is that I actually feel like its half-sibling was just a little bit better. Brooks took everything I liked about its Hyperion Elite 4 and simply swapped out its midsole foam when it was ready to bring DNA Gold to the masses. The result? A clean, bouncy shoe that’s actually fun to run in. It still has the same breathable upper that we’ve loved from previous Hyperion Elites, just with an entirely better midsole.
Also, we’re fully convinced that the version of DNA Gold in the Elite 4 PB is different than the formula in the Hyperion Elite 5 — it’s soft and smooth and actually feels freakin’ fast. By the way, the shoe is as light as Nike’s Alphafly 3, how about that?
Road miles with bulletproof cushioning
11 oz. (311 g) for a US M9 / 10 oz. (283 g) for a US W7.5
45 mm in heel, 39 mm in forefoot (6 mm drop)
MEG: As promised, I’m back to hype up another maxed-out running shoe from Brooks. This time, it’s the cruise-worthy, ultra-plush Glycerin Max 2. As you’ll remember, the OG Glycerin Max pretty much knocked us off our feet, coming in as an absolutely wonderful surprise with the first taste of DNA Tuned foam. This time around, there’s even more of a rocker to play with, and it complements the plush bed of foam wonderfully.
After all, with this much shoe underfoot, it can feel like a battle to find the perfect balance between comfort and stride, so having a smooth rocker helps massively. I like that Brooks kept the clean, simple design of the Glycerin Max, too. The midsole looks a bit bigger this time around — mostly due to higher sidewalls — but hey, chunky is in these days.
MEG: I’ll save you the same max-cushion start this time, but you can guess what I’d say. Once again, there’s a lot of cushioning underfoot, and once again, I’m a happy gal. This time, though, the cruising comfort comes from Brooks’ DNA Loft V3 foam that we know so well. Interestingly, Brooks says not much has changed from the Ghost Max 2 to the Ghost Max 3, but I disagree — in a good way. I think this version of the shoe is smoother and, therefore, better.
Long distance trail racing
9.5 oz (266 g) for a US M9 (Unisex sizing)
30 mm in heel, 24 mm in forefoot (6 mm drop)
TAYLOR: Oh, how sweet is it that the era of true trail supershoes is upon us? For a while, Brooks seemed more interested in watching from the sidelines, but not anymore. The Cascadia Elite (which comes out soon) is an absolute buffet of the best materials that trail running (and road racing) has to offer. It’s got a Matryx upper, a DNA Gold midsole, a Vibram Megagrip Elite outsole, literal wings — okay, not that last one, but like you get it. Were it a nightclub in New York, Stefon would declare that it has everything.
This is, of course, a shoe for the long-distance racer out there more than the everyday trail runner, but that’s not a bad thing. It was most recently on the feet of one newly dirt-ified Des Linden as she tackled Black Canyon, and her seal of approval is good enough for our money.
Stabilized road adventures
10.6 oz. (300 g) for a US M9 / 9.5 oz. (269 g) for a US W7.5
37 mm in heel, 27 mm in forefoot (10 mm drop)
ROBBE: I’ll step in for Sam and Lindsay on this one, seeing as they actually put miles on the latest Brooks Adrenaline. If you want to read their thoughts, though, I can sum them up pretty quickly: Sam absolutely loves the GuideRails. They’re probably his favorite technology since sliced bread, and definitely his favorite shoe feature ever. The GuideRails are about as classic an approach to stability as you can take, acting as lateral and medial posts to keep your foot locked in and headed forward.
Otherwise, the Adrenaline GTS 25 is a pretty straightforward affair, which is usually top marks for a stability runner. It looks clean and rides on an unfussy bed of DNA Loft V3, complete with an extra 3 mm of cushion across the platform. We liked the simple gray colorway we received, too — it’s very wearable as long as you know how to work the hits of bright green and blue into your outfit.
Daily training, long miles
10.2 oz. (289 g) for a US M9 / 9.1 oz. (258 g) for a US W7
38 mm in heel, 28 mm in forefoot (10 mm drop)
ROBBE: Earlier, I teased you by using the Glycerin 22 as the basis for why you should buy its successor, but now this model gets its moment in the sun. While the new version might be a little more refined, the Glycerin 22 is where our love of DNA Tuned really took off. I mean, we knew it was good based on the Glycerin Max, but it’s so much better when a foam shines just as brightly in a lower-stack design.
By the way, because this is a previous-year shoe, you’re absolutely going to find it for a steal. Right now, it’s floating around $50 off, which means it’s just barely more than a Benjamin to get it on your feet. Mix in the fact that Brooks still has 11 men’s colorways in stock, and you could build a whole wardrobe around the Glycerin 22 without ever breaking the bank.
Have something to say? Leave a Comment
As the founder of Believe in the Run, Thomas’s goal is to help runners pick the shoes and gear that will make their running experience the best that it can be.
More from Thomas
Meaghan signed up for her first marathon three weeks before the race, because it was $10 more than the half she planned to run. She learned everything in running the hard way. Now a USATF & UESCA certified run coach, she loves encouraging friends to go for big goals as she continues to chase faster times. She enjoys a hot cup of coffee, a cold martini, and making bagels for friends and family.
More from Meaghan
Robbe is the senior editor of Believe in the Run. He loves going on weird routes through Baltimore, finding trash on the ground, and running with the Faster Bastards. At home in the city, but country at heart. Loves his two boys more than anything. Has the weakest ankles in the game.
More from Robbe
Taylor Bodin is a trail and ultra runner living in Estes Park, Colo., with his wife and daughters. As the head of the Dirt Division at Believe in the Run, trail running is pretty much the only hobby he can manage right now and loves it. Every so often, he will pop off a race or FKT attempt because competition is pure and the original motivator for him getting into running anyway.
More from Taylor
Ryan is kind of like Robbe’s Igor behind the scenes. He helps to compile and clean up everyone’s reviews, and finds time to get in a few miles of his own. When he’s not running or editing, Ryan writes and reviews for Android Authority, spending time with the latest tech and complaining when things don’t work quite right. If he’s not doing any of that, maybe you’ll find him nose-deep in a crossword puzzle or trying to catch up on an endless backlog of shows to stream.
More from Ryan
