Brooks Hyperion Elite 6

** The product reviewed was provided as part of an internal team lottery **

I’ve been running in a number of Brooks shoes this season, the Caldera 8 and Cascadia Elite for trail runs and a pair of Hyperion Max 3 for my road days. While I have enjoyed their trail shoes for a few seasons now (great for training in the snow), the Hyperion Max 3 were a definite surprise. I haven’t really gotten along well with their road shoes, as I often found them heavy or just not fitting the way I wanted. With the Hyperion Max 3, I wholly enjoyed the aggressive rocker and response from the foam and nylon plate, much more than I had thought I would.

With our team lottery, I had a chance to get some Brooks product and I opted for the Brooks Hyperion Elite 6 in the tigerlily/red/white colourway and as I was looking for a fast fall-season racing shoe, I was hoping that they would be at least as exciting as the Hyperion Max 3!

Fresh and ready to go

Design: The design of the Brooks Hyperion Elite 6, I am excited to say, follows other brands “super” racing shoes, with a thin, ultra light and mesh-like upper, with a squishy DNA Gold (PEBA) midsole, a snappy SpeedVault+ plate, heels bevel and forefoot rocker. This is not a heavy shoe or bulky like some of the prior Brooks shoes I’ve tried. This is their high-stacked racing shoe, with 40mm heel and dropping 7mm to a 33mm forefoot. It is also the lightest Brooks shoe I’ve ever felt (excluding spikes), coming in at 6.9oz / 198g for a size 9m. The outsole has good amount of rubber on the forefoot, with minimal strips on the rear and a gap of only painted foam in the midfoot (plus the SpeedVault+ cut out).
The upper mesh is incredibly light, with large enough gaps to see through (those ugly trail feet of mine) and the tongue is equally thin and non-gusseted. The heel has a collar around the sides and back to help secure the foot in place, which I enjoy, though I could see this padding being a hotspot for some.
Fit: I actually went up half a size to 11.5 from my normal, as I did find that the Hyperion Max 3 was a little tight in the tox box after longer distances and didn’t want to experience the same issue. The fit is snug on the sides and the extra length only gave a little extra for the toes. Getting a good and secure lockdown with the laces was simple and comfortable.

Feel: I’ve run in a fair number of recent carbon plated race shoes and I think this is most comparable to the Adidas Adios Pro 4 when at pace. There is a good degree of bounce and spring underfoot form the foam, while the plate and overall grip of the upper, makes the shoe feel fairly stable at speed. The rocker is aggressive enough to push you forward and the mid/fore foot strike will reward you for keeping the pace high. I think the Adios Pro may give slightly more energy back in comparison to the Elite 6, however stability in the Adios Pro is something that I certainly fought to find in that shoe. The comparison back to the Hyperion Max 3 is there as well, as the fit is very similar (especially with the heel collar), though I felt that the rocker may be a little more aggressive in the Max 3 compared to the Elite 6. The major difference comes through in the ability to pick up however, as the weight and rebound in the Elite 6 is significantly easier to execute at pace.

Extra: Bonus points for the ribbed laces (much like the Cascadia Elites), as they have fantastic grip and really help to secure the lockdown.

Negatives: The rubber outsole is great on flat and dry surfaces, but as soon as there is any water or mud, this shoe suffers the same as many others with the minimal depth tread. Similarly, while the upper is fantastic for a race in the hot sun, in the cold fall air or wet conditions, the moisture goes right into your socks (and shakes off as you go). This is not the shoe for a wet race in my opinion, which is likely a uniquely Canadian (or northern) take on the effective use of the shoe. Additionally, the fit is race-tight in the midfoot, with the thin upper providing a good hold for me but may not be as accommodating for those with wider feet.

Overall: I had a chance to wear these at a local 5km run (Schomberg Mug Run), where I ran with my son Zachary. While I believe these are intended more for longer distances, they felt great underfoot for the entire race, giving back a good amount of spring in each step, as it was a fast race on varying surfaces. Only once in a downhill corkscrew did I feel any stability issues, and to be fair, I’ve felt that with every shoe I’ve taken the same route with, including my old favourites, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3s. The pace was fast and I had my fastest finish at the distance this season (19:34) on what I consider to be a difficult course, with a lot of hills and road-to-trail-to road transitions. In this race, the Brooks Hyperion Elite 6 held well at pace on asphalt, concrete, dirt, pea-stone and gravel too, giving back as much force as I was putting into them.

Going Forward: I’ve definitely found my new fall race shoe and hopefully can do some damage lining up for some shorter road races before the season ends. These were a blast to run in and Brooks has definitely found the right balance in crafting a high-performing road-racer. This is the 3rd time I’ve been hugely impressed by a Brooks shoe this year (first the Cascadia Elite, then the Hyperion Max 3) and I really can’t wait to see what they come out with in the next generation!