Back to their Best? The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16 Review
What can I say about the Brooks Adrenaline GTS range and the new GTS 16s? Brooks were my GO TO SHOE (GTS, get it?) for the second and more progressive phase of my running life. I started with Nike (Lunarglide and Pegasus) and, after developing a quite memorable case of Morton’s Neuroma, decided to change my shoe. As we all know I have flat, wide Hobbit feet and I land on the outside of my foot and over pronate. So the new shoes I researched. Numerous magazines were scoured, the internet was searched, people were asked (what? Real people?) and the consensus was to give Brooks a go.
Now, having wide, stupid feet I did make the initial mistake of purchasing the Brooks “The Beast” as they sounded like the kind of monstrous supportive, structured shoe I needed to control my foot roll and protect my poor toe. This was a mistake, and the shoes were a disaster. Wore them once and they were not for me. But I thought I would persevere and downsized the shoe to the popular Adrenaline GTS 12. I ran in the GTS12s and then 13s for the next two years that included my races in London, Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, Paris, and the US and all was good until I got injured and in the time off decided to try something new in the whole footwear area.
Fast forward to a month ago and Brooks brought out the GTS16s, the latest and greatest offering from the range, and aren’t they beauties?
Now, as I have said I have had a few alternative pairs of shoes in the meantime and was eager to run with them to see how they have improved. Here is the low down:
- Structured support. Maybe it is because I have gone minimal in the past year but these guys seemed very firm and structured. They are a control shoe and really do position your feet for you. Great for those who need that level of support. Very stiff in the heel. Which is good if you like that kinda thing.
- Toe box. I need a large toe box (you know what I mean, ladies!) and Adrenalines always provide what I need. And the GTS 16s are no exception to the rule. Loads of space in there.
- Width. I wear wide shoes ordinarily. For running shoes I normally go up half a size to fit the width or buy the 2E option. For the GTS 16s though I got normal width, normal size and they fitted fine.
- The Sole. The BioMoGo DNA midsole and structure makes for a supremely cushioned landing for those enjoying a hell to toe transition.
In Summary: A very cushioned ride, smooth, structured and controlling. For those of you who love the Adrenalines these are an upgrade to the 15s. You will love the added support and the chunkiest |V-grove sole you have seen. If these had come out two years ago I may have even stayed with Brooks.
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