#teamtrailsisters

DISCLAIMER: This is my first ever gear review so please bear with me. I have NO AFFILIATION with Brooks Running and make no pretenses as such. This review is by me and is my own personal opinion based on running over 200 miles on these shoes.

I have been running in Brooks since I became serious about running and at that time I had gone through about 3 pairs of the Adrenaline GTS’ so, naturally, when I heard Brooks had created a trail running version, I knew I had to give them a try.

These shoes are everything you love about the GTS but burlier. They have the stability and cushion that the GTS is known for but they gave it the off-roading package with bigger treads and a reinforced toe-box (which they have gotten rid of on the most recent versions of the GTS). The wonderful thing is you get all of that without sacrificing weight. At 8.8 oz they are slightly lighter than their road-running cousin, and about 2 oz lighter than the Brooks Cascadia 12, a favorite of trail runners. All in all, they allow the wearer to transition between road and trails with ease.

That being said there are a few caveats. While the treads grip better than the GTS’ would, they are not nearly as grippy as a dedicated trail runner would be. Additionally, the massive amount of cushion in the sole that contributes to comfort and stability make it nearly impossible to get any feel for the trail surface and can make any sort of countering or compensation for unstable surfaces tricky. This is one place the stability can come in handy though, as it does keep you from rolling your ankles too horribly in those instances.

Another point to note is the medium-low arch height as it can present problems for people (like me) with foot/arch issues during long distances. However, I am a big proponent for getting insoles for any running shoe, regardless of how good the stock foot-beds may be.

Overall I would give these shoes an A-. They are light-weight, comfy, stable, and perfect for someone who wants to transition between road and trails without buying multiple different pairs of shoes (also me, until about a week ago). If you’re looking for something more trail technical with good feel, you should probably look elsewhere, though these perform exactly as advertised: a hybrid road and trail runner, and at that they are perfect. 👟🏃🏼‍♀️⛰🌆