Brooks spent a lot of time promoting the brand new shoe: The Brooks Levitate. They built the social media hype, grabbed people’s attention, and drew people in. It has been one of the most highly anticipated shoes of 2017.
We brought it into my work, and when we first got them, it didn’t wow me. I tried it on, and it felt good, but not like the greatest shoe ever. I knew I wanted to purchase a pair at some point but had to work through a couple of other pairs first.
Fit:
Typically I wear between a size 10-10.5 (wide) in running shoes. I found the size 10 to fit the best, but I would love to see the Levitate come in wide. Like the Brooks Launch, the regular width fits comfortably, but the wide would fit better.
The upper is seamless, which I’ve mentioned in several shoe reviews. It allows for those with a wider foot to fit more comfortably, and less irritation all around. Many running shoes are now designed to fit more like a slipper. 
Ride:
When I first tried the Brooks Levivate on, I noticed how heavy it is compared to other models of Brooks shoes. I was not expecting the firm sole or just the overall weight. If you are usually Brooks fan, you will notice the difference of cushioning. The Levitate is much firmer than both the Brooks Ghost and Brooks Glycerin. It’s also much heavier than the Brooks Launch. For women, it comes in at a dense 9.7 ounces.
Thinking out loud, A big draw to the Brooks Levitate is that it’s an 8 mm drop. Most Brooks Running shoes are between 10-12 mm, and they haven’t had a good 8 mm shoe. It’s similar to the Saucony Ride, albeit much heavier.
For me, it took about 5 runs for me to like the shoe. I bought the shoe, so at $150 my wallet says: “I’ll like it”, but at first it wasn’t my favorite shoe. A good shoe? Yes, but I like both the Brooks Ghost and Glycerin better. After about 5 runs, I grew to like it much more. It is much more responsive, and I feel the ground more. It cushions well.
In all, I do like the Brooks Levitate. It’s not my favorite, nor least favorite shoe but it’s been a solid trainer so far. I’ve run about 100 miles on the shoe, with my longest being about 10 and it’s held up well.
My Current Rotation:
Brooks Ghost 10 (easy runs, daily runs)
Saucony Freedom (easy runs, long runs)
Nike Zoom Fly (workouts) Review to come
Saucony Type A/Endorphin (Races)
Questions for you:
Have you tried a brand new shoe recently?
What is your favorite running shoe?
That is actually similar to how I felt about these. I REALLY wanted to like them, but I found them to be a bit narrow/snug for my foot and almost squeeze it. The bounce was good, but not enough for me to keep them. I ended up ordering the new Saucony Triumph ISO 4’s…we will see how those fare out.
My friend Larry has the Brooks Levitate. He wore them last night on the track, which I can’t imagine doing any faster runs in them because they do seem a bit heavier. He really likes them though and says they are pretty responsive. I do agree that the price tag is a little steep and if I try them, I will wait for them to go on sale.
Nice honest review. My podiatrist (I’m a 24 years old who’s had bilateral bunionectomies done) recommends Hoka,which are one of my favorites. Saucony is a close second!