Brooks Running Shoes Review

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful.
Beware the high arch
By Tricia
These shoes were SO comfy when I tried them on in the store, and crazy light to boot! I've been looking to go to a zero-drop shoe after spending nearly a year transitioning to a mid/forefoot strike in response to plantar fasciitis. (Boo!) I didn't want to go whole-hog minimalist, so thought the Brooks Connect would be an excellent compromise/transition shoe. I've run in Brooks shoes for at least a dozen years, so I trusted these would be just the ticket.On the first run of four miles they seemed awesome. They are indeed crazy light and cushy, and definitely encourage a mid/forefoot strike. Man, they're light!Unfortunately, tacking on just one more mile on the next run was all it took to make me realize....Yow, that arch is really high! That fifth mile was pretty uncomfortable, and my feet were sore through the next day. I don't know what it is about a high arch that really stresses out feet that are *not* high-arched, but man! I was hoping to use these for up to 10 miles at least. :( So, with a heavy sigh, I had to return them.I also agree with those who noted how narrow these are. I'm a woman but had to get the men's Connects in order to avoid pinching my forefoot. That surprised me; I figured Brooks' sizing was consistent across all their models. Silly me!Having said all this: I believe these are truly AWESOME shoes for folks with high arches and somewhat narrow feet. I wanted so much for them to work, darn it, 'cause they felt great just trying them on and walking around, and were fine for a very short run. I would just caution anyone with lower arches to be wary. I also found that I could somewhat feel the cool/funky cutouts in the sole on the ball of the foot. I only did the two runs in them, but I was getting a little of that sort of nerve tingle in my toes that indicates weird pressure points underfoot. It's entirely possible that, at 6' tall and 160 lbs, I'm really just too heavy a runner for these shoes. Damn!So: If you're a not-too-heavy runner with relatively narrow feet and relatively high arches, I think you will LOVE these!If you're relatively heavy with average width feet and not-very-high arches, you may want to scope out another option.Happy Running!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
excellent product
By playnicely
* joy to run-in. No knee pain after high milage and use of proper pose/chi form* made for narrow-medium feet and high arch*excellent design and construction*outstanding running and adaption to minimalism - maintains forefront strike with heel stability afterstrike*not stable for squating or crossfit because of the low drop. Maybe Innov8 or wrestling shoe but no shoe does it all. This one does running flawlessly. Period.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Cure for my flat feet!!
By Los Muertos Mariachi
My flat feet have caused me so many problems running such as lower back pain and CONSTANT shin splints. For the longest time I kept buying expensive shoes and then spending an extra thirty dollars on inserts. My thinking was the more padding I have the easier it will be on my shins and back. When my last pair of shoes gave out I went to the local Runners Market and talked to one of the employees and told them about my flat feet and my problems. The man in the store told me that while it may be rare wearing a more minimalist shoe may help me out. I bought these shoes thinking that I probably just wasted a hundred dollars on them but when I put them on I felt the difference right away. The high arch gave me a little help and corrected my foot strikes. The shoe is so light and since I've been running in it I've encountered no shin or back pain. I've already logged a lot of miles in my first pair and I've completed three half marathons in them. I never thought that I would be able to train for a full marathon but with these shoes I'm going for it!! Like I said before I may be rare case who knows but these shoes have served me so well I can't say enough good things about them. I just ordered my second pair and I will be sticking with this type of shoe for a long time.