Brooks Ghost Amp Reviews

One tester logged about 20 miles over four runs, including an all-out 5K, and another about 60 km of easy, steady and long runs. One found a comfortable, stable, lively-enough ride with a durable-looking outsole but little bounce at 5K pace; another found it firmer than average, a little thin under the forefoot and short on punch when pushing the pace. They see a dependable daily trainer rather than a standout.

Great feel, soft and comfortable without being too cushy.

One run of roughly six miles. They found it fine but unexciting: a decently balanced, smooth ride with good cushion that feels taller than its stack and a comfortable padded upper, but neither soft nor especially peppy, and heavier than expected. They would not run workouts in it and see a solid, middle-of-the-road daily trainer for a one-shoe rotation or a first half marathon.

5-mile first run: comfortable performance fit, soft and springy DNA Hype foam with forefoot pop; fun from easy to tempo.

A month in: a nice surprise with a very comfortable fit; wishes the upper were thinner.

Brooks' only lightweight daily model, with moderate cushioning, a nice bounce and the familiar Ghost fit, at the same price as the Ghost 18. Underwhelming as a tempo-up shoe.

Well done, Brooks: DNA HYPE foam plus the new rocker give a supportive, responsive and secure ride. Comfortable and capable on easy runs and faster efforts alike, it quickly earned a place in his regular rotation.

A good daily trainer and his pick of the Brooks lineup (he'd buy it over the Ghost 18) unless you want max cushion. In this competitive category, though, he'd buy the bouncier Novablast 6 or the lighter Deviate Pure Nitro first.

Scores 9.6/9.3/8.35. One tester: 'my kind of shoe', a big leap over traditional Brooks trainers. Easy runs are comfortable, steady runs natural, and it responds to strides. A potential workhorse. Several testers would prefer 8 mm over 6 mm drop, and it's not a dedicated long-run cruiser.