Review on Enhanced Brooks Hyperion Elite II by Charlie Wilson

I love or hate these shoes. First off, it's important to understand that these are true long-distance running shoes and are NOT designed for everyday training. Of course, you can use these shoes for any purpose, but racing shoes are usually not as durable as running shoes. Strength usually equals weight, which isn't ideal when running a half marathon or a full marathon. If you are looking for a good running shoe, the Hyperion Tempo is a good choice. Anyway, I recently bought them and tested them in to see how they feel and work. I am a runner and wear a size 12 on Ghost and Hyperion Tempo and 11.5 on Launch. I have medium to slightly wide feet and a low arch. As the Elite 2 is a men's unisex size I chose the 10.5 which fits perfectly. After testing them, here's a rundown of what I liked and disliked about these shoes: My first run in them was just a quick 2-mile run to get a general first impression. The cushioning felt great under my feet and I definitely felt like they propelled me forward and helped me run faster. I finished my run a full minute faster than in regular running shoes. That's a lot of time for just a 2-mile run. So it's definitely a speed shoe. Unfortunately, this is where love ends. My main concerns with the Hyperion Elite 2 are overall comfort. Yes, the cushioning is fantastic, but I did feel a lot of chafing at the back of the heel. And this despite the fact that I was wearing high-quality ankle-length running socks and the shoes were the right size (not too big and not too small). I could feel her almost chafing as soon as I walked out the door. The inside of the shoe is very flat, which makes sense for a racing shoe, but at the same time cannot accommodate orthotics. At least not the Superfeet Green, which I wear with all my shoes because I need extra support. I definitely felt like my deep arches were screaming for help walking in these shoes and couldn't imagine my feet would last long distances in them. Finally, I absolutely hated the laces. They are very light which is great but also very stretchy, thin and stretchy. On the one hand, they give the shoe lightness and protect the feet. They definitely don't come loose while running. But I found them difficult to untie, sometimes I had to work very hard on them because the thin elastic material created a knot that was too tight. And once those shoes are tied, they don't go out until they're untied. I couldn't slip them in place or take them off once they were tied. Every foot is different and the shoe experience is very subjective. They fit my feet like a glove and performed as expected, but ultimately lack of arch support and heel chafing were two issues I just couldn't solve.