Shoe Review: Brooks Ghost 15

 

Brooks Ghost 15 'Alloy/Oyster/Black' 

Retail Price - $140

Best Price - $109.95 from Brooks

Originally Released - November 2022

Specs of the Brooks Ghost 15

Type of Shoe - Daily Trainer with Medium Cushion

Surface Designed For - Road

Cushioning - DNA Loft V2

Stack Height - 35mm / 23mm

Midsole Drop - 12mm

Weight (per shoe) - 10.1 ounces 

Review

    About a year ago I bought the Brooks Ghost 14s, and the year before that I bought the Ghost 13s. I really enjoyed running in these shoes, as the cushioning felt nice when broken in, and the upper of the shoe was really durable and well cushioned. These were my go-to trainers for longer runs on the road or grass, and they held up decently well in rainy and muddy conditions. The Brooks Ghost 15s seem to be more of the same, with a very similar design to its predecessors, with an improved version of the already comfortable DNA Loft foam. The uppers are very similar, along with similar traction too. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

    Brooks markets this shoe as a mid-cushioned every day trainer, which is a description that I pretty much agree with, because they put a good amount of foam underfoot in this shoe, with 35mm of foam under the heel, and 23mm under the forefoot. The large difference in foam distribution underfoot gives this shoe a midsole drop of 12 mm, compared to most running shoes, which have a drop of only 10 mm. I understand why this drop is there, as large drop is great for walking and jogging where the jogger wants to land on the heel and quickly transition to the forefoot for pushing off. As I had mentioned in an earlier blog, I used to be a heel striker runner back when I wore the previous models of this shoe, and I really did enjoy the large amounts of cushioning in the rear half of this shoe. Now, as a fore-foot striker, I prefer less of a foam difference between the forefoot and midfoot so I can strike the ground more naturally.

     Although this shoe may not be perfect, I still find the Ghost line a great pair of running shoes for any type of runner, whether it be someone looking to get into running or walking, or a serious distance runner whos been running for years. I tried my new pair of Ghost 15s a few days ago during a 7 mile run. I ran on an outdoor track for a little over a mile before switching to grass. The shoes felt a little stiff underfoot during the mile on the track, but broke in nicely during the run on the grass. The drop is definitely more noticeable on these shoes than on any of my other brooks, and I could feel my arches hurting during the mile on the track. The pain cleared up as I got used to the shoe, and the remaining miles were pain free. I had ran after a pretty significant rain, and the traction still felt grippy on the track, and held up well on the wet grass. After running 6 miles on a track in these earlier today, I have to say the cushioning felt pretty good underfoot, and my run was pain free.  

    Overall I think this shoe is a great shoe for all types of runners walkers and joggers. I could see this being a great everyday shoe for a variety of workouts and runs for most people. I feel like Brooks has better cushioned long distance shoes (Such as the Glycerin line) to offer, and they make better shoes for speed, but for a one size fits all shoe to tackle a variety of runs, the Brooks Ghost 15 is a great pick. I'm excited to see what the Ghost line has in store with the release of the Ghost 16 on May 1st.