Brooks Hyperion Elite 4
Weight: 7.8 oz
Drop: 8 mm
MSRP: $250
Mileage at Time of Review: 21
The Warmup
The Brooks Hyperion Elite series has had a rough go of it since I’ve been following the shoe. I had the chance to try on the Elite 3 in store but didn’t get much running in it. General feedback I got was that it felt a bit flat and clunky. When I saw the Elite 4 coming down the pipeline, I got very excited about this shoe and I was hoping to get my feet in a pair to log some good miles in it. I’m very excited to have gotten a pair and while the shoe has gotten mixed reviews, I think that on the whole it is an incredible shoe, though it may not be for everybody. It has taken me a little longer to get the mileage in for the review as I think this is a speed shoe only, and the review for this one will be a little shorter as I will not be recommending this shoe for the gym or for work.
The Breakdown
The Outsole
While the outsole on racing shoes is often minimal, I find that there is a decent amount of rubber on the bottom of this shoe which provides me with ample grip in less than ideal conditions. There are key places where rubber has been left out including a spider-web like design in the forefoot and this definitely helps save weight, which is traditionally a very important feature in racing shoes, but you’ve got plenty of coverage so that no matter where your foot lands in the stride cycle, you’ll have good purchase and secure in your foot placement. I think that the rubber combined with the nitrogen infused supercritical eva in the midsole will result in a very long lasting and durable racing flat.
The Midsole
A majority of the midsole is built using Brooks nitrogen infused supercritical DNA Flash v2. This is supposed to be lighter and more durable than the previous version of the DNA Flash, and I find that it feels cushioned and yet responsive underfoot. This updated foam is combined with one of the most unique plate designs that I have ever seen.
The plate is a carbon composite referred to as the Arris Speedvault Race+ Plate. Like the rubber on the outsole, this full length plate is built with a spider-web design and each plate is tuned to work for the specific shoe size that it is placed in. As far as I know this is the first carbon shoe that is available to the masses with this type of plate “tuning” built into the design.
When people think about racing shoes they generally associate Peba midsoles with the racing feel. This midsole is made entirely from supercritical EVA, which is very durable but does give more of a traditional racing flat feel.
The Upper
I love everything about the upper except for one thing! This upper is lightweight, breathable and minimal to create the lightest shoe possible. The laces have those teeth on them to grip nicely when tied and while I generally double knot my laces from muscle memory habit, I think they would stay knotted nicely with a single knot.
While the upper is minimally designed, it has a really nice structure to hug the foot, keeping everything in place while you run. My one big complaint about the upper is the heel counter. I think that this is more than likely my anatomy versus the shoe and that this won’t be an issue for everyone, but I do need to put a little KT tape on my heel when I wear this shoe to keep it from rubbing blisters in my heel. As the shoe breaks in it has become less an issue and I have done one shorter run in the shoe without blisters but I did still feel it rubbing a hot spot into the heel, however, the for me a bit of KT tape is a solid trade off for a shoe of this caliber.
Running and Walking
This shoe is made for speed. I recommend saving it for your speed workouts and racing. For me this shoe is likely topping out at a 5k/10k racing shoe, though I would be willing to go out for the half marathon as well. With my size, the half marathon will be a stretch for this shoe and I don’t see myself taking this out for a full marathon, but I think that for smaller runners this could be an excellent choice for any distance including the marathon.
If you grew up running and miss the feel of a traditional racing flat, this is a shoe that should be high on your list to consider. It is super light weight and has that more traditional ground feel with the pop that comes from the plate.
On my speed days, I really felt that I had a good connection with the ground and with my pacing. The nitrogen infused supercritical foam they use in this shoe has excellent bounce and a very nicely responsive feel. The plate doesn’t feel as aggressively propulsive as some other carbon plated shoes but I think that it provides a very nice balance since the foam isn’t as spongy as the foams used in other super shoes. The ultra light nature of the shoe also felt like it was easy to maintain turnover in the later intervals during my sessions, and while I was tired and it took a little more focus, I felt like I wasn’t using the plate to make up for diminishing form.
When it comes to general runs and workouts, this is a very aggressive shoe and I would not recommend using it for daily training. Save this for speed workouts during your training block and then a few longer tempo sessions in the final build before the race. The faster I pushed in this shoe the better it felt. I felt fine running slower, but that was also when I noticed that there was a bit more rubbing on the back of my heal. It could definitely have been in my head, and it could also be unique to my stride and anatomy, but that was what I noticed while moving at my easier pace.
Walkers, I’m not sure this is a shoe that I would recommend for walking. It might work for some speed walkers, but for the general population, I think there are better options out there, including the little sibling to this shoe, the Hyperion Max.
The Cooldown
I think that over the last few years, the shoe industry has painted a very clear picture of what a racing shoe is and isn’t supposed to be, and many brands have been in a race to do the same thing their competitors but to try to make it different. I think Brooks and most notably Puma are deserving of applause for trying to provide the users with other options. In the end is this my favorite shoe to race in? I love it at the 5k and 10k, but I’m not gonna use it for the half or full, so yes and no? Is it different from every other racing shoe out there and going to be the perfect shoe for someone who doesn’t like all the squish underfoot? I think most definitely so!