Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 Review
By Matthew Klein
Brooks Hyperion Elite 5Price: $274.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 7.1 oz, 201 g (men's size 9), oz, g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 38 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot
Drop: 8 mm
Shoe Purpose: Super Racing Shoe
Pros: Great Bouncy Foam, Responsive Heel, Great for Longer Efforts
Cons: Heel Slippage, Excessive Toe Spring, Poor Midfoot Stability, Overpriced, Limited Shorter Distance Capabilities
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 is a super racing shoe for those who want a snugger fit, a highly rockered ride and a classic, bouncier PEBA midsole. The full-length DNA Gold provides a bouncy and responsive heel ride while a highly rockered forefoot makes for a quick transition off the toes. A light upper provides a snug fit in the forefoot with a normal width heel that does have a little slippage. A narrowed midfoot makes this shoe surprisingly neutral, which is a surprise from the typically stable inclined company. Best for longer and faster efforts, especially 10k to the half-marathon, the Hyperion Elite 5 is an efficient, rolling super shoe that signals some steps forward in the performance game for Brooks.
SIMILAR SHOES: Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4, New Balance SC Elite v5
PAST MODEL: Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 fits me mostly true to size in my normal Men's US size 10. The fit is on the snug side, especially in the forefoot. The upper is a thin, see-through mesh with a lower volume fit. The toe box is somewhat tapered and continues into a snug, narrow and lower volume forefoot. While the upper did stretch on the run, it is a narrower fit up front. This continues into a slightly snug to normal-width midfoot. The tongue is thin with a little padding right in the middle. It is gusseted and attached to the upper on the medial side and free floating on the lateral side. The laces lock down really well, but cannot be tied too tightly as they place excessive pressure on the top of the foot. The heel fits normal in width with a large amount of padding surrounding the collar. There is a thin heel counter that is fairly flexible in the rearmost portion of the heel. It is still exposed, so those with heel sensitivities may still struggle with this shoe. It bothered my heel a little, but this may also be due to the heel slippage.
While the forefoot and midfoot are secure, I experienced a decent amount of heel slippage. I was unable to further lock the heel in as the laces bit into the top of my feet. This did not stop me from wearing the shoes but the slippage did cause some chaffing on my heel. The inner aspect of the upper is also scratchy, so socks are an absolute must with this shoe. Although the forefoot is tapered, I would highly encourage some thicker socks to protect against the heel slippage. The faster I went, the less I noticed the slippage. However, those with wider heels wanting snug toe box/forefoot will do best in this shoe.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Average to Above Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 is a super racing shoe. The midsole is full-length DNA Gold, an excellent PEBA foam that is bouncy and reminiscent of some of the softer and more responsive original PEBA foams. The shoe is fairly light and in line with most super racers but not the super light ones coming out. It feels easy on the legs and turns over decently. The softer cushioning is more present in the heel, which transitions to a firmer and strongly rockered forefoot. The heel features a great and large posterolateral heel bevel. Combined with the softer cushioning, this makes for an easy, smooth and quick heel transition. There is an 8mm drop listed and it feels at or slightly below that level thanks to the midsole compression. Outside of being medially biased, the midfoot transitions well. This continues into a stiff, sharply rockered and high toe spring forefoot. With the SpeedVault+ plate, there is no flexibility in this shoe and the forefoot does not have any flex. Those with toe mobility issues will have to approach with caution as this shoe holds the toes in quite a bit of extension. The rocker and toe spring are so massive that this shoe rolls through the front but it feels difficult to land or push off from that area. This makes the Hyperion Elite 5 great for heel and midfoot landings, but awkward trying to land farther forward.
As such, sprinting in this shoe feels a bit weird, but going at uptempo and tempo efforts feel incredibly smooth and efficient. As such, I have struggled to use this shoe on the track but found that road intervals and tempo runs have felt best. The Hyperion Elite 5 feels at home going at 10k pace (~5:40-5:50), half marathon pace (5:50-6:10) and marathon pace (6:15-6:30). It has felt smoothest at the half and full marathon type paces, ie tempo run efforts as it feels easy to get into a rhythm in this shoe. The heel is bouncy and rolls you forward efficiently off the toes.
The traction is fairly good on road and I have had no major slippage issues even on wet pavement. I would not use this on trail, although there is still some grip with the outsole on smoother surfaces. The durability has been quite good as I have not seen any major wear despite 30 miles of hard use. I am still really concerned about tearing off the rearfoot outsole patches but thus far they have stayed out. The PEBA foam has also stayed just as bouncy as it did originally, so I expect an above-average number of miles out of these but will try to continue to test them for a long-term review.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 is a neutral racing shoe. There are no traditional methods of stability in this shoe. The width of the shoe is quite narrow and there is only minimal sole flare that is mostly on the lateral side. The midfoot is incredibly narrow with a small medial midfoot sidewall that collapses easily. This makes the midfoot highly medially biased and it was difficult for me to run longer distances in this shoe as someone who needs stability. The slightly lateral biased heel bevel did help a little at the rearfoot but the softer foam negates any true guidance in the rear and midfoot. The stiff forefoot has a bit more guidance but the narrower shape still makes it fairly neutral. Overall, the Hyperion Elite 5 is neutral from heel to toe and will not work for those wanting a more stable shoe especially for longer distance racing racing. However, those who are sensitive to guidance methods will do well here, as there is little to interfere with the foot's natural motion.
Thoughts as a DPT: Toe Spring and Forefoot Function
By Matthew Klein
The Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 has one of the more aggressive toe springs I have seen in a while. Toe spring refers to the upward curve of the sole at the toes. This is slightly different but can be part of a forefoot rocker, which refers to the upward curve at the front of the shoe. A greater toe spring can hold the toes in an extended position, which tensions the plantar fascia and foot flexor muscles. This can be efficient for some people as it allows for a forward roll with less resistance from the toe flexors. Pre-tensioning the plantar fascia may also help lock the foot up more and allow for a better transition off the toes, when the foot needs to be in a more supinated and rigid position. However, the problem with this is that the foot is meant to move into AND out of this.
Keeping it in one position, especially one where the plantar fascia and toe flexors are in a constantly lengthened/stretched position, may not be the best option for everyone. These tissues need to be able to stay in a neutral (middle position) most of the time and go to their extremes only when necessary. The other challenge with being kept in a lengthened position all the time is that it makes it more difficult to generate higher levels of force. Outside of the hip extensors and calf muscles, most muscles generate the most force in the neutral or middle length. Most muscle groups, when placed in a lengthened position, generate less force. This is related to how the basic units of muscles, called sarcomeres, work. Sarcomeres are structures within the muscle that contain actin and myosin filaments that connect to each other and allow for contraction. If a muscle is too shortened, the filaments do not overlap optimally, they cannot create links to slide past each other and therefore cannot generate adequate force due to an inadequate contraction. If a muscle is too lengthened, there are not (usually) enough actin and myosin connections to create an adequate contraction in the first place, so a similar loss of force production occurs but for different reasons. This is called the length-tension relationship of musculotendinous structures, which describes how much force a muscle generally produces changes based on its length. It is for this reason that it may be harder to push off quickly in the Hyperion Elite 5, making it a better long distance shoe than shorter one.
Of course, there is great variability in human muscle function, with certain muscles actually producing more force in lengthened positions. The toe flexors have not been found to do this to my knowledge, so only those with good toe mobility, toe flexor length and end range strength will really benefit from the design of the Hyperion Elite 5's forefoot.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: I did not try the Hyperion Elite 4 PB, so cannot make direct comparisons to that shoe. I am happy the Brooks has a true super shoe but still have some suggestions. The first is to reduce the amount of toe spring. While that can make the shoe more efficient for some people, holding the toes in that amount of end range motion over long miles may not be great for foot health. I would love to see a good forefoot rocker with the toes in a more neutral position. I would also like to see that midfoot not be so narrow. I love DNA gold, but both shoes I have experienced it in (Hyperion Max 3) have a narrowed midfoot that cause quite a bit of medial bias.
I would expect Brooks to be a bit more stable, so I challenge them to widen that midfoot while still keeping the weight low. In fact, I challenge them to make the Hyperion Elite 6 stable neutral and an addition to this rare category. Finally, I would like to see the upper redone to have a bit more room in the forefoot while locking in the heel better. The Hyperion Elite 5 will still be good if you have neutral mechanics and want a longer distance racing shoe, but for $275 I am expecting a little more refinement that I hope will come in future versions.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 is a super racing shoe for those with neutral mechanics and more narrow feet. The upper will do best for those who want a narrow forefoot and don't mind a slightly wider heel that may slip. The midsole will do well for those who want a great midsole foam with a softer, bouncier, and easy transitioning heel that goes into an aggressively rockered forefoot. The ride works best for longer distances and those with neutral mechanics may find this an excellent, cushioning option front 10k distances and up. Most people will not be able to take this for a full marathon, so 10k to half marathon will be where it shines.
While I am happy Brooks has a true super shoe, it isn't quite in the $275 range yet ($225 would be better). I would hope for a far lighter weight or a far more stable ride, neither of which are there. This is challenging for Brooks as they are still a few years behind from the current competition. However, they are clearly making strides forward. Although far better, like prior versions, the Hyperion Elite series continues to be fairly niche due to its nature. For those who want a shoe really made for a solid rearfoot strike and good roll forward, this may be a solid choice.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B- (Snug/Narrow forefoot with normal width heel. Thin upper locks the front down well but heel slippage occurs in the rearfoot at slower speeds)
Performance: A- (Bouncy heel with highly rockered forefoot transition. Best for heel/midfoot strikers going at 10k pace and up. Excellent at half to full marathon pace)
Stability: C+ [Neutral] (Narrow midfoot creates significant midfoot medial bias. Highly neutral with no major guidance)
Value: B- (Shoe is not in the $275 price range. Lacks speed versatility and upper needs work. Glad that Brooks does finally have a legit super racing shoe though and durability is good so far)
Personal: B (I appreciate that this is a true super shoe, but the heel slippage, midfoot medial bias and excessive toe spring make this a shoe I can only use for moderate distances. Brooks is getting better, but this shoe isn't quite there yet for me personally)
Overall Design: B-
SHOP | SUPPORT DORBrooks Hyperion Elite 5Price: $274.95 at Running Warehouse
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