Men's Brooks Launch

Just a little over 9oz, so about the same as the Nike Lunar Trainer. This was the main reason I bought it, wanted the lightness of the NLTs but with the amazing Brooks fit. The Nikes had a sloppy fit up front, gave me blisters on my toes and made me supinate on runs over 10 miles. Out of the box, found it too stiff as is often the case with Brooks shoes before break-in. So I walked around in it for several days. 50 miles of running later, it's now a good bit more flexible. I'm thinking that at 100-150 miles it'll be perfect. The laces are EXTREMELY long for some reason. I tuck the loops under the laces, so it's not a big problem but I wonder why Brooks made them so long. Was thinking that maybe the upper has too much give, so that I had to pull the laces pretty tightly together in order to get a snug fit across the top of my fore/mid foot. Am very ambivalent about the cushioning in this shoe, though. Very little road feel, though it's not as squishy as the NLTs. Yet somehow it doesn't feel like there's much energy return happening. It held up well for a 17 miler on asphalt and concrete though, legs and feet felt fine afterwards. Although it's a "neutral" trainer, the wide outsole and forefoot naturally allows for a good bit of stability. So I could definitely see running a marathon in this, and expect very decent longevity out of it, probably on par with say an Adrenaline. The shoe that I keep comparing this to is my Brooks Ghost (1), which despite being a good 2-3 oz heavier, somehow FEELS "faster" especially on soft surfaces---could that be due to the Ghost having firmer cushioning and the sprung toe, plus the tighter/narrower fit? As usual, I wish Brooks would make a shoe with a low heel for midfoot strikers like myself, at least on par with the New Balance 790. The Launch still feels flatter than say an Adrenaline of course, and I appreciate its absence of excessive arch support unlike the NLT. I don't hate this shoe, but am wondering if I should've gone with the Nike Lunar Racer instead...

Chose the Launch after trying on almost a dozen different pairs of shoes. I didn't intend to buy a pair of 'competition' shoes when I walked in, but they were the most comfortable of the bunch, and came highly, highly recommended by the owner of a local specialty running shop (second generation owner, and three decades worth of experience). I wore them out of the box for a 5K the next day, and they were absolutely perfect. Amazingly comfortable; It was like they were made for me. I can't blame the shoes for my failure to PR (came close)! This is my first pair of Brooks' shoes, but it won't be my last!

I am 5'11" / 165#, neutral gait, midfoot striker and so far (1 month) this shoe is the best for my running style that I've ever had. My previous shoe was a Saucony ProGrid Ride, which I really enjoyed also. It's likely that I would have just bought the new Saucony ProGrid Ride 2 or 3, but both those models have turned into pontoon boats... i.e. way too much cushioning! These Brooks Launch are a nice sporty "ride" b/c they are lightweight, have just the right amount of cushion, and don't have too much bulk in the heel. I should say that I have a somewhat narrow heel and moderate to deeper instep and moderate to somewhat wide midfoot / forefoot and they fit like a glove. Nice amount of room in the toe box, but certainly not too much for my tastes. I run mostly road and a little bit of trail, usually around 5K. I also run sprint intervals in these shoes on the track as well as the stadium stairs. Brooks, please continue to make this shoe UNADULTERATED. Cheers!!

I had been running in Newtons until I had a calf problem and needed a shoe that supported a mid foot strike better. I was able to go to these without having the feeling of heavy, over supportive shoe. I am on my 2nd pair and they have been very comfortable even without socks when I have used them in triathlons. They are very light and breath better then most shoes I have run in here in South Texas. A great shoe if you are looking for what feels like a training flat with more cushioning.

Possibly the best road running shoe I ever got, I simply love them. Comfortable like no other, soft cushioning, great dynamic sensations, enough support and a perfectly smooth ride always and in many different terrains. I'm mostly a trail runner and use them for purposes they were not designed for, and even out there on the trails, when not overly technical or rocky, they're also perfect.