Putting your next trainers through their paces
BROOKS Ghost Max £140|brooksrunning.com|Tester Esther
The fit For my running and for my feet, Brooks shoes always feel like coming home. The straight-in-shoe feel is second to none, nice and snug around the midfoot, with room to breathe around the toes (but crucially, not too much).
The comfort A-Maze-Ing. I love the feel and comfort of Glycerins, but I’m also a big fan of the much firmer Hyperions – what I think you get here is the best of both worlds.
What I’ve struggled to love in recent years is the feel of shoes like the Glycerins against the peppier shoes I’ve run in from competitor brands, largely because in neutral road offerings they’ve felt a little bit too clumpy in comparison. These do not. These are ace.
Who and what are they for? These are neutral road shoes for runners looking to plod through the miles, or equally train for something a bit longer. This Brooks / Asics / HOKA / On bunfight is getting seriously spicy, the result of which is pretty good for anyone looking for a do-it-all road warrior.
On the run
These are glorious shoes. All the best bits of Brooks with a bonkers big sole packed with cushioning AND rebound. In a way, that ‘Ghost’ moniker is a bit misleading, because what these don’t feel like is a pair of Ghosts. With a slighter drop (6mm instead of 12mm), and masses of cushion, I instantly loved these, and took them on some very long runs from the off. Honestly, I loved every mile in them. Okay, they’re not really for super fast runners, perhaps, but that said, if you love the feel of Brooks but find Ghosts and Glycerin too pedestrian, and Hyperions too close to the ground, then these will make your day.
Should you buy them? Yep.
Scarpa Spin Ultra £140|scarpa.co.uk|Tester SabrinaThe fit I had a pair of Scarpa Spin Planets which I tested earlier this year, and I loved the fit so much from the moment I tried them on. They had a decent toe box and did not squash my wide feet. When I tried these Spin Ultras on I was worried what a different model would feel like, but I needn’t have worried. The toe box is wide, the upper features a SOCK-FIT lightweight construction system which basically avoids the creation of pressure points.
The comfort
I have tested these trainers over a lot of miles, in all conditions, and they are super comfortable and responsive to the mixed trail terrain I have been running on. The style of the sole insert really fits the contours of my feet, supp
