The Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 is a running shoe that wants to be on your feet when it’s race day, whether that’s for a 5k or a marathon.
While previous Elites haven’t exactly blown us away, Brooks hopes that’ll change with number 4, as it makes changes to the upper, adds in more of its DNA Flash cushioning and re-designs the carbon plate to help make it more race-ready.
Testers Nick, Mike and Kieran have all been putting the Hyperion Elite 4 to the test to find out if this is a marathon super shoe you need to take notice of in 2024, or it’s one that will struggle to compete with the stiff carbon racing shoe competition.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:10 – Price and what’s new?
01:25 – How does it fit?
04:03 – The Run Test
12:42 – Initial verdict
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Hey this is mik for the Run testers and This is our multitester review of the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 so here's the key details for the Brooks hyperian Elite 4 it's priced at £220 in the UK or $250 in the US putting It below other carbon Racing shoes like The Nike alphafly 3 New Balance SC Elite V4 Hawker cell X1 and it's closer to Shoes like the S endorphin Pro 4 Weightwise our UK men size eight Elite 4 Weighed in at 216 gram compared to 237 Gram on the Elite 3 it's got an 8 mm Drop Like The Elite 3 Though the stack Heights have changed it Measures in at 40 mm at the hill and 32 Mm at the 4 foot there is more of Brooks's Eva and nitrogen infused DNA Flash V2 cushioning Tech that Brooks Says is now lighter than a DNA flash Inside of the3 and Promises a boost in Energy return that joined by a Redesigned full length speed volt race Plus carbon plate that along with a Rapid roll rocker is there to give you That more propulsive feeling for fast Days and race days while the upper Remains a knitted style one it's been Revamped to be lighter and more Breathable than the upper on the Elite 3 With internal padding at the heel to Help keep things locked down at the back Pattern has changed showing off that Redesign complate a little more than its
Predecessor so in testing I ran in my Regular Brooks running shoe side which Is a UK 8 and 1/2 us 9 and A2 and I got On well with these true to size I had to Pay some attention to how I Lac down to Avoid heel slipping but generally for me They have a pretty simple unfussy fit I Really like the airiness of the uppers And the toe box that's enhanced by these Kind of really heavily sort of Perforated ERS that feel really sort of Light and roomy uh I did have some heel Rubbing when I did the marathon test Until I got that lacing locked in but Overall I think I'd recommend going true To sizing these so I'd say the fit has Been one of the highlights for me in my Time with the Brooks hyper in Elite 4 Now I've had mine in a UK size eight8 That is my typical running shoe size I've got pretty skinny narrow feet so When it comes to getting into these kind Of racing shoes which are generally more Narrow it's been absolutely fine for me But I would say that the general nature The design and particularly the upper Material does make it a little bit more Accommodating I think if you have got Slightly wider feet I think you Shouldn't have a problem compared to Some other kind of racing shoes where You really have to kind of squeeze into Well I think it's definitely a different Story here on the Hyperion Elite 4 very
Happy with the space up front in the Toes in terms of distance I wanted to do In this shoe in terms of the midfoot the Hold is generally pretty good I said it Naturally does feel a little bit more Roomy compared to some other Racing Shoes and then you've got a good level Of padding at the hill here particularly In the inside of the Hill collar which You know helps get improve that kind of Lock down make sure there's no slipping And I haven't really had any slippage or Issues from that point of view terms of The tongue and the laces generally fine In terms of getting a good lock down There I have had an occasion where I Have had a little bit of lace bite on The top of my feet but generally I've Played around with the lacing it's been Fine so based on my testing I would say Go true to size I found it okay in my UK Size eight and I do think naturally is a Little bit more accommodating compared To some other kind of narrow fitting um Racing Super Shoes so I actually went Half size down with the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 is a UK 8.5 which is a US 9.5 Now I'm generally us 9.5 or us 10 uh in Most running shoes it varies between Brands a little bit and with Brooks I Tend to find if I get a US 10 sometimes Can come up a little bit long and in a Racing shoe you definitely don't want That that's what happened with the
Hyperion Elite 3 so going down half a Size was right for me with this shoe I'd Say if you're in between sizes maybe the Smaller one might be the one to go for But I had a really good fit all around In this half size down nice hold around The heel and midfoot enough room in the Toe box even for longer distances so I Think it'll probably be around your Normal running shoe size especially in The US but if you're right in between Two sizes I would lean to go into the Smaller One so I've run about 55 60k in the Hyperion Elite for using it for a mix of Marathon training runs I've done a Couple of progression runs in the shoe Moving from Easy swiftly through the Gears towards my marathon pace by the End and I've done a tough track session In the shoe where I did three sets of 2K Then 5times 400 met reps so a longer rep At around 10K half marathon pace and Then some shorter reps 400 meter reps at More like 5K pace I've also tested each Generation of the shoe up to this point And it's you never been the most Outstanding option on the market and I Think that does Remain the case here With the Hyperion Elite 4 there are some Improvements here it's a higher stack Shoe it's softer I think it is better All around than Hyperion Elite 3 which I Didn't really rate as a very good shoe
At all because it was very heavy for one The upper was very heavy on that shoe Had quite an awkward fit and it was a Downgrade I think on Ian Elite 2 which Itself wasn't the most amazing shoe but When I heard that Brooks updated the Midell foam on the Elite 4 I was excited I was hoping that basically they were Going to follow the trend of Market put In a peber based foam or some kind of Foam that's soft and springy and it Delivers that propulsive feeling you Expect from a super shoe the DNA flash V2 you know isn't really that it is a Bit lighter and bouncier than the Previous version of the phone but it Still doesn't really give you that punch That you expect from a car super shoe at This kind of price and that's really the Problem I think the shoe has is the Price because it does have a fast ride Like I was really impressed actually on That track session where I went into What was a long session in the afternoon After a busy morning I wasn't really Feeling it but hit the pace really well It's got a nice turnover and actually on A track it feels a little bit bouncier And a bit softer it was more on the road I think where you really felt the lack Of punch compared to other shoes like Doing those progression runs moving Through the gears it just doesn't feel As easy and enjoyable as with a super
Shoe from another brand like it's just a Bit harder to put the work in in the Shoe it's hard to sustain good Paces I Find because you're not getting the Punch from the foam turns over quite Nicely it's got a firm feel which is Quite nice running quick I think it's Quite stable when you're rounding Corners and that kind of thing but it Just doesn't give you that feeling Underf foot that you expect from a super Shoe and also I think it can ER on the Harsh slightly firm side when you start To run longer distances by the end of Even just kind of 10 miles in the shoe I'm starting to feel it a little bit Under the 4 foot compared to again other Super Shoes and really the comparison is The problem here like on its own I quite Enjoyed running in the Hyperion Elite 4 It's a far shoe turns over well you get A bit of punch from the foam and the Plate here it's just right now we've Testing so many other carb lots of Brands are releasing them and they're Just delivering more effective rides That are bouncier more fun more Explosive and their lighter shoes and Things like that and it just all adds up To the feeling that Brooks is just a Little bit behind the phone just isn't There yet and on the run test like I Enjoyed using the shoe it was okay but It wasn't one that delivered the feeling
Under the foot that I expected or really Hoped for when I saw that Brooks had Made some big changes to the shoe so in That run test I've done just 50k in the Brooks Hyperion Elite for that includes The half marathon Race test that myself And Kier did out in Barcelona I did some Mileage before I went out came back Wanted to try do some speed work with it See if it worked for kind of short Sharper stuff but also mainly see if it Was a shoe that I wanted or would want To run a marathon or longer kind of Marathon training runs in It ultimately Now I'll start with the good stuff and The first thing I think really Point Kind of stood out for me really in my Time is the fact that it is a nice light Shoe and it's exactly what you want from A racing shoe now it doesn't you don't Forget about it but it definitely does Disappear a lot more than some other Kind of marathon Focus Racing shoes that Tested so Brooks definitely has that in Its favor I think and that's something To definitely take through into the next Shoe the outo is great I like the fact That the outo there's good grip here I've been you know I've run mainly dry Conditions but I have had one rainy run In it and it's been fine in terms of Grip and traction it feels like it's Going to be durable as well and I think It's a shoe you're going to be able to
Train and race in the distance you're Going to race in that is kind of where I Get into they're not so great stuff About the Hyperion Elite 4 and I think In terms of experience of running in Issue I think there's some good elements So from the ride point of view I think There's you know a little bit of Bounce There enough bounce I think to keep you Kind of going through a run um I think The rocker is a real kind of nice kind Of quality here it kind of smoothly gets You from that kind of heel to toe and Those transitions so I think from that Point of view that is definitely a nice Hallmark of my time running in the Hyperian elite for I think ultimately it Still does feel a little bit too firm For me I do think it needs a little bit More cushion I think they cushioning System and I think Brooks will be honest And and say this it probably does still Need a little bit of work to make it More suitable for running distance or Feeling good to run longer distance Because ultimately when I got to kind I Think the 10 Mile Point did I want to go Further in the shoe did I feel like I Wanted a little bit more out the yearo In that mid soole I definitely did and It kind of put me off wanting to run a Little bit longer in this shoe and I do Feel like it maxes out kind of that half M and distance based on my time but
There are elements I do think work from The the ride as I said there's a there's A bit of Bounce there the rebound is Generally good the rocket is very nice There as well it's stable as a shoe as Well I just think it's not got that Aggressive propulsive feel for the mids So that you know other shoes Particularly around this price range Kind of really do give you and I just Think you know as I said the cushioning Needs the Mido needs a bit of work I Think to make it more suitable for Running longer distance because I don't Think it would be the shoe that I would Grab over other shoes if I had to go run Kind of 15 20 miles In this shoe and I think that's really Kind of being the the biggest thing That's come away from my experience with The Hyper Elite Force there's definitely Some positives here I think it's a nice Light shoe I think it's a stable shoe It's a smooth uh ride in general as well And the outsole is great in it as well Too I just think in terms of what you're Getting from that midell and the overall Kind of experience of running in it I Don't think it really kind of holds up Just yet against those kind of top tier Even just below the top tier kind of you Know Marathon shoes kind of super carbon Racing shoes the carbon plate I mean I Don't really notice it in the shoe my
Time in it I mean is that a good thing Or a bad thing I think you know you want To kind of feel the impact of these of These components and I'm not sure you Really feel that in the hyan elite for At least I haven't in my experience so Definitely some good qualities here Definitely some qualities not so good That I think Ultimately leaves me wondering and Thinking that maybe Brooks needs a Little bit of work to do but it's Definitely the foundations of a good Shoe that you know there's some areas That need tweaking I think going forward Now in testing I've done more than 50 Miles in the hyper in Elite Four with The big highlights of that I did a half Marathon Race test at the Barcelona half Marathon when I ran my third fastest Half at 125 a few days after recovering From a cold as well so go me uh I also Did a 4-Hour solo Marathon test around The Streets of London you can find that Video on the channel to see how I found This shoe for that go find it and watch That one beyond that I've done interval Sessions and some speed work in this Shoe as well now I know this shoe has Comeing for a lot of criticism for Having a midsole that's just not as Lively as the competitors in this space And I'd have to say overall I agree with That kind of um verdict on the shoe it's
Definitely not as all out Punchy as the Other top Racers like the alphafly the Adios Pro 3 or even the aex metas speed Sky Paris that we've been testing Recently another video on the channel You should watch and if you're looking For that allout springy energetic Bounce Down the Road feel it doesn't have it However there are things that I like About this shoe I like like that it Feels controlled and less wild underf Foot I enjoyed that there's an Accommodating kind of consistency to the Ride overall it's a shoe where you sort Of know what you're getting from mile 1 To mile 26 there's a balance to it that Might suit some Runners who are going Into a marathon for that reason it's Certainly good if you're running a bit More tired when some of the Super Shoes Kind of hang you out to dry unless You're running in good form I think this Shoe takes a little bit more care of you So it's a bit more accommodating in that Sense now if you also like to feel like Your legs are work working a bit harder In training then I find this shoe is one Is a kind of shoe that responds when you Put more in it's a shoe that you have to Work a bit it doesn't really work for You like some carbon shoes in the same Way and on that half that I did in Barcelona it did exactly that it Certainly helped me to the 125 but it's
Not kind of like a springy bouncy cruise Control kind of carbon shoe you have to Put something in to get something back I Did find it was good in the corners That's another tick no problem there and By the end of the marathon test it Wasn't one of those carbon Racers I Couldn't wait to get off my feet in fact I actually commuted home on the train With them on and that might tell you all You need to know about this midsole and How it performs I probably really Wouldn't want to do that in a kind of in An alpha fly for Example says this is the best P perite Yet it's Brooks's best racing shoe ever It's certainly the shoe to op for if You're sticking within Brooks's range And want a fast shoe which actually I Don't think was the case with Hyperion Elite 3 I kind of thought Hyperion Max Was a better racing shoe Hyperion Elite Is clearly the fastest shoe Brooks has It's solid shoe it is just outgun by the Other shoes on the market I think and That really does come down to the midell Phone like this is a perfectly fine Phone it's okay like when they first Launched the nitri infused DNA flash in The Hyperion Elite uh 2 actually well it Was probably in the Hyperion Tempo it Was pretty exciting fo it was really Lightweight had a bit of Bounce to it it Was novel the idea of all this kind of
Super critical Foams and all that but It's not novel anymore and every brand Has moved on and they're delivering more Impressive Foams usually using peba or Some other impressive TPU or something And it just gives you a bit more bounce Bit more punch and just the feeling on The fit you expect from Super Sho also Gives you more Comfort over long Distances because you have that softer Spring of your foam this is a bit more Stable this foam than those Foams but Other than that there's no real benefit To sticking with it and the fact that Brooks is sticking with it means that I Just don't think this is a carbon shoe Of the standard of the other ones out There when pretty much every other major Brand now has launched what I would Consider you know a top tier or very Close to top tier Super Shoe you know Lots of very comparable shoes Brooks is A little bit of an outlier here and Maybe that's good maybe some people Prefer this firm ride and it'll work Better for them but even if you do find It more stable and all that and it works Well for racing as a result you are Still I think losing something in terms Of performance uh with this shoe just a Little bit it's you know it's not a huge Difference here but I think it is enough To make it clearly rank a little bit Lower than the other carbon Sho shoes
Now be a problem if Brooks came in and Priced this really competitively and Whacked it in as a 150 pound shoe or Something like that but it's priced at The same level as those shoes like Things like the vaporfly The Meta speed Sky Paris the S and dorphin Pro 4 I Think those are just simply better shoes And those are shoes I would use ahead of It for every kind of race even the pro 40 is great good shoe to use lots of Rate training as well I think so while The shoe is better than past version of The Ian Elite 4 I wouldn't even really Say it's trending in the right direction Because if Brooke sticks with this phone I think it's going be very hard to Deliver a shoe that's competitive you Know they maxed out the stack I now They've got to comp play everything in There but the Pham just doesn't deliver In the same way the phones on the best Shoes do so maybe we'll see a more Drastic overhaul in the future for now Jooy running a shoe this is undoubtedly A fast shoe but you're in a market now With amazing shoes from loads of loads Of Brands and I would just consider them Better than the hyper and Elite 4 and That means it's hard to recommend the Shoe verdict then well this is a case of Nearly not quite but there's some really Positive things about this shoe the Uppers are great and light I like the
Overall shape geometry the feel of the Shoe on the foot you know I like the Upper design I like the fact that it Feels lighter and it feel has a race Feel to it I like the slightly narrower Platform that you've got here and I Think this is definitely one of Brook's Better shoes that I've run in but it Just doesn't quite deliver on that Allout super shoe feel the midsole lacks That punch that a lot of people are Going to be looking for I think it's Almost got more like a super trainer Feel than a carbon racer and then let's Be honest the price for that makes this Really hard to recommend when you line It up against the kind of Rivals out There as a much less aggressive carbon Shoe it almost drops into that super Trainer Silo but at £220 that's too much To pay when you can get a similar energy Out of shoes like the socony Endorphin Speed 4 so for me I think Brooks is Still searching for that killer carbon Racer but I'd say that this one the Hyper Elite Four gets closer than many Of the previous attempts there's a lot To like here I think if they can nail The foam Keep the shape of the shoe it would be a Winner so my V is on the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 now this is definitely a better Shoe than a Hyperion Elite 3 so let's Start with the positives I like the fact
That it's nice and light I think the Upper changes are definitely highlight Here I think the mids is going in the Right direction and I think that's Really important here and you know There's other elements here that I think Really work well and Hyperion Elite for I think if you like a firmer feeling Shoe racing Focus shoe then I think There are things to like here the Problem I have with it is when you look At the price and I think a lot of times Onone as out running I couldn't get away From how much this shoe cost because It's sitting at 220 when you look at the shoes that are Around that you know it's not that top Tier carbon racing shoe price but when You look at what it's up against or Other things it's up against it's up Against things like So dorphin Pro for For me these two shoes don't really Compare in terms of my experience I Think it's kind of night and day when You look at what that money can get you Elsewhere it's hard to justify what You're getting here in the high appear In Elite 4 I think you know you know Something like the Endorphin profile is Just giving you a little bit more in Terms of that feeding experience that Kind of propulsive feel you know giving You that versatility also giving you a Lot of the qualities here maybe isn't as
Light as the Hyper Elite 4 but it's just Giving you a lot more in terms of that Feel of running in that shoe and running Quick in that shoe I still do think it's Stuck in that kind of daily trainer kind Of category here which is not really What you know the price reflects here And when you look at what else those Speedy up temp daily trainers there's Definitely better uptempo daily Trainers For me that you could potentially race In things like the soorin speed range The Haw ma as well you know whether it's The five I haven't tested the six but You know the five I definitely think can Work probably half marathon distance as Well but it and it may be a push to go Marathon but it just gives you a little Bit more I think over those longer runs And then things like the New Balance Rebel V4 which I've just got in I've Just started testing that is even less Than kind of those shoes and I feel like It's got a lot more and already I feel Like I'm going to get more out of that Shoe over distance as well so this is The problem with the hyper for I think There are definitely some some elements Here that I think really work but I Think when you look at the price and What it's up against it's hard to kind Of justify over other kind of marathon Super Shoes I think that are out there Around that price then you drop down to
Those kind of daily trainer shoes which I think is where it generally sits I Think again I think there are options That will you can train in and race in And will just give you a nicer feeling Overall so I think and Brooks would Probably be open to in this is that They've got a bit of work to do with Their Racing shoes they kind of nail it On the kind of daily trainer cushion Shoes but I think in terms of Performance shoes there's things that Need to be refined I think there's Hallmarks of a good shoe here but I Think you know it's not quite there for Me it's not a shoe if I had a half Marathon again or or look into a Marathon would this be a shoe that would Be in consideration I don't think it Would based on my testing so definitely Some good bits here about the hyperian Elite 4 But ultimately I think it Slightly misses the mark in terms of What you're getting for your money and You know when you compare it to what Else is out there okay so there you have It that is our multitest to take on the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 now if you got Any questions about this shoe do let us Know in the comments there are other Shoes you want to see compared to let us Know about that as well too as always Like And subscribe hit that little bell To find out about our latest videos and
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