BROOKS LEVITATE 2

£140 Will the Levitates lift your running to new levels?

If comfort is a measure of a run shoe, these are one of the finest pairs we’ve ever strode out in. Let’s start with foot entry and one of the upgrades from edition one, the Achilles guard, which is a soft foam composition and wrapped in fauxsuede. It cradles your tendon with care but seems durable enough to maintain its integrity through a solid winter. That cosy feel edges down to both the soft ‘Fit Knit’ heel-collar wrap and the woven upper that, unlike many of its contemporaries, is thick enough to not tear through if you haven’t cut your toenails for a week or two.

But it’s the comfort factor on-thefly where the Levitate really excel thanks to what Brooks term its ‘super-springy DNA AMP cushioning’. That awkward moniker describes the midsole that’s essentially a foam construction. Arguably, cushioning comfort’s the easy win. What’s more impressive is its impressive energy return that projects you forward with each and every stride. It feels efficient, which is exactly what you need over longer winter runs. For a shoe expected to rack up the miles it’s not the lightest (317g), but it still feels quick enough for intervals and fartleks. We can only attribute the pogo-like cushioning for that one.

The outsole features an arrow formation, purportedly to ensure a swifter landing to toe-off. Only the labs can corroborate or deny the claims but it grips well – important on wetter days. The only moot point is the colourway but even that grew on us through the test period. brooksrunning.com