Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 Review

Having become an ASICS fan over the past year i haven’t felt the need to try any other brand, following the old cliche “if it ain’t broke, why fix it”. So trying the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 would be interesting to see if it could cope with my over pronation. Brooks describe the construction elements of the shoe as follows:

Midsole
• Anatomical Brooks DNA
• Full-length BioMoGo
• Progressive Diagonal Rollbar (PDRB®)
• DRB® Accel
• Combination Last
• Heel Caterpillar Tech
• Flextra
• Universal Platform

Outsole
• HPR Plus
• Forefoot Stable Pod Construction
• Blown Rubber Forefoot

Upper
• Profile Sockliner
• Adjustable Saddle Construction
• Moisture-managing Element Mesh
• Synthetic Overlay Materials
• Moisture-managing Element Linings
• Internal Support Saddle

Green Features:
• BioMoGo, the world’s first-ever biodegradable midsole for running shoes

First impressions straight out of the box were that they were a very smart and stylish looking running shoe. On handling them and giving them a flex they felt quite stiff as to be expected from a support shoe. The only addition this time around i could find from the old shoe is Omega Flex Grooves which make the sole more flexible, so i can only presume the older model was slightly stiffer. The sole is very well gripped with a nice depth of lug which is good for heading on to trail runs. Brooks has these shoes at 342g but my mens UK size 9 weighed in at 320g which is a very good weight for a support shoe. They have a plush soft tongue which makes them really comfortable over the top of the foot. The side walls and toe box are fairly thin and offer good ventilation with enough room for your toes to feel comfortable. They also have a nice snug heel cup that holds your heel making them feel very supportive before you even start running. A removable inner sole that is anatomically shaped to offer arch support and over pronation control. On putting them on they were a snug and supportive fit. They are a little narrower than what i usually wear being a D width rather than my usual E width. That said they are not uncomfortably narrow or restrictive. The arch support could be felt immediately gently pressing against that area of the foot. The heel of the sole was very solid and felt quite hard without much give. the shoe continued to feel very firm through the arch and only softened into the toe area. With the initial feel of all this stiffness in the shoe it would be good to see how they perform. Since starting running i have moved from a heel strike to a mid foot strike in a bid to run a little quicker, but with this firmness i wasn’t sure how well they would flex through the foots natural transition. Although the laces have some stretch in them the were fairly short. I usually double tie them to prevent them coming undone but could only tie these once due to how short they are.

On starting out on soft ground the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13’s felt very solid and quite heavy. There is no doubt they gripped the foot firmly and were very supportive. Over grassy ground i didn’t really feel i was getting the best out of the shoe and felt i was carrying them instead of them carrying me. I would say over this soft recreation type ground i was only getting about 60% out of the shoe. I then moved on to some local trails. These have firmed up nicely in the current period of warm weather. The shoes really started to wake up on this terrain. Every impact of loose stone or uneven ground was swallowed up by the shoe. The shoe was holding my feet very firmly and comfortably but the sole construction was good enough to dissipate any shocks from uneven ground. Although on soft ground the shoe felt solid throughout on firmer ground the support throughout the arch area was evident and gave a comfy ride. I would say the shoe ramped up to 80%-90% performance over this ground and i was really happy with the protection they offered. Now up to 4 miles and no hot spots had started anywhere on my feet so the support and control was perfect across the whole foot. Moving of trail and on to the pavement the shoes were really singing. I ran with a heel strike to see how they felt and the transition from heel to toe was firm, comfy and controlled. Not feeling at any moment that my foot was collapsing and over pronating. Trying a more mid foot strike it felt slightly abrupt as it is firm and supportive in the arch but quickly softens in to the toe area. This is a positive in my book as it helps quicken the pace as you would expect from a more mid foot strike running style. It is as if you are getting a little kick back from the support with the mid foot strike style. I would say the shoes were right up at 90%-100% of what they have to offer out on the road. With 6 miles run in them and no hot spots, soreness or blisters i could very easily run on for much longer and see these as a real distance option for overpronators.

I have since run a further 11 miles over road a and trails before writing this review and the shoes have reconfirmed everything written above that they are a great road shoe that you easily take onto the local trails. The only down side being that they wouldn’t be at their best on very soft ground. All in all i think these are a really great shoe and give them 5 out of 5. They cope with over pronation perfectly, are a good weight and feel they would perform well over long distance runs.