I race in Racer ST 5. Unfortunately Brooks no longer makes them and my stockpile is running low. If you add it to the poll, do you think Brooks will bring it back :-) ?

i have no idea. i stopped inquiring of brooks after it failed to return my 4th or 5th consecutive email. that was some years ago.

brooks has taken a nosedive in triathlon. i suspect that habit of not talking to the media that could help explain its themes and goals, and explain its shoes, may be a reason. i don't know. this was some years ago that brooks and i went our very separate ways. i'd be happy to talk to brooks at any time, and maybe then i could answer your question.

like paulo, brooks knows where to find me. (inside joke)

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I use the T7 for racing the pure-line for daily training. WIth that said, I'm open to suggestions to a new shoe. Brooks has consistently put out a worse shoe every year. The first/second generation of the pure line was amazing. Now? They are giving me foot problems. I'm over giving them my business. I need something soft with small drop and a wide toebox.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Went through 4 pairs of Pure Cadence for all around running but they seemed to get worse with every update.
Short tris I use to wear the T5 or T7.

Moved on to Nike Distance with my latest shoe purchase though.

How does the Nike compare to the early gen pure-line? I'm forever on a path to find a similar shoe.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Not comparable. These nikes are very roomy as compared to the Cadence which are tight in the middle. Also the Nikes are very cushy. Almost too much for me. Feels like they are going to wear out quickly.

They work though, just different from what I'm use to. Got about 50 miles on them up to 7 at a time.

I race in the Pure Connect which they no longer make. I still see a lot of folks wearing the still at races.

 

Defyance. Spectacular model for all kinds of on-road, off-road, training, and long-distance racing.

I can't run in Brooks anymore. Not since switching to Hokas. I used to run in Ghost. Now every step in Ghosts feels like I'm running in wooden clogs.

My daily shoe is a black Pureflow. It can almost pass for a dress shoe and is a hell of a more comfortable than a dress shoe.

I'm on my last two pairs of Pure Connect, which they no longer make. I'm going to have to figure out what to do when these are done for (probably in the next two months or so)...

Brooks Defyance is missing from the list. It my mind, one of their greatly underappreciated shoes.

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@GrizzlyBaird | Strava | Website
My Supporters: QT2 Systems | The Olympic Club | First Endurance | Rudy Project | BlueSeventy | NormaTec

The Defyance - an Adrenaline without a post! It sells like you would expect...which is to say, not well at all. That's why they have the Ghost.

They used to make this shoe called the Radius...which was the same basic concept. Always seems to disappear.

Really, I think the strongest shoe in their line-up right now is the Launch. Which was originally put in the line-up by a guy from Nike...who then went to Mizuno...and is now at Under Armour.

Brooks caters very well to the intro crowd and has spectacular try-on feel, and the best returns game in the business for stores. Hence why they're number one.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

I run in Brooks Adrenaline's. I don't have the latest version, but I've had 1,2 or 3 pairs of every version from 1 to 13, except number 8. I hate to think how much I've spent on Brooks over the years and I was only ever an average runner with average purchases.

A buddy of mine is a reasonable marathoner and his shoes get changed every 6-7 weeks!

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Yeah, I run in the pure flow and am lucky to get 2 months out of them at 25 - 30 mow. I weigh in at 175 - 180 lbs and burn right through the tread after only a few long runs.

Fortunately, I buy them on close out prices and don't feel too bad cycling through them. I don't like the 5's so when I cannot find anymore 4's I will need to find a new shoe.

Do you burn through the tread overall or just in one main place? I used to burn through the heels super quick (and became a "shoe goo" fan because of it), then I got orthotics and it's a complete non-issue now. In fact, I replace my shoes about every 1500km now and they look new when I rotate them to lawn mowing duty.

Now I use shoe goo for fixing stuff that duct tape can't fix!

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Brooks Ravenna - although at 10.2 oz too heavy for most STers. Similar to other posts, the second to last model out (7) was terrible, stiff upper that hurt, but they fixed it with current version (8).

Been using Pureflows since they first came out, super comfy, 4mm drop.

I'm tempted to try the Nike Distance just for fun, but will probably continue with Pureflows.

I use the launch for longer runs, training runs etc. Its my go to shoe for everything but racing.
Racing I use the Pureflow.

Although im keen to branch out from these.

Anyone have any recommendations for a softish race shoe with similar drop (4mm) to the pureflow? I once tried an early version Kinvara but it felt so hard underfoot, not sure if they have softened up over the years?

I wear the Brooks T7 for anything over 5km including marathon. I quite fancy trying the Hyperion when my T7s are ready for the bin. I tried the pure_ line of trainers but just didn't like the fit.

I've been thinking about orthotics. The tread on the outside of the heel is where it wears the quickest. With the pure flow you start eating into the foam shortly thereafter.

Did you go custom or did off the shelf orthotics do the trick?

Kinvara would definitely be in the mix. Particularly in the forefoot, I think you'll be happier with how they've evolved over the years.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

I train in PureFlows (2s and now 3s). I tried racing in them barefoot last year and it was one of the worst mistakes I ever made in triathlon. The corner of the shoe (inside near the top eyelet) started digging into my foot beginning at mile 1. Lucky for me, the 10k was reduced to a 5k due to severe weather because I was in a world of hurt by the end of 3.1 miles.

Absolutely no problems up to 13.1 with socks though.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

Amen. What a shoe - haven't met a runner who didn't get along with the Launch. The ultimate to-go shoe, it just feels right.

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ZONE3 - We Last Longer

I missed the poll. I've been a PureConnect fan for years. But they stopped making them along with similar type models from other shoe makers. Still have a couple more pairs until I have to figure out what to wear with the market now inundated with mega soled shoes which have zero appeal to me.