Seen by some as a worthy Nike Vaporfly Competitor - cushier and even more responsive than it’s predecessor 

Although watch out, it appears that Brooks has an upgrade in the works, possibly the Hyperion Elite 3. Just this week, Des Linden broke the Women 50k world record by a massive 7 minutes wearing a Brooks prototype shoe that looked very similar to the HPE2 but a different colour way.

The Hyperion Elite 1 was a false start, a harsh firm ride of a racing flat with none  of the Vaporfly bounce  and Brooks said it would only perform at its best for 80-160km. Combining the best features of the Hyperion Elite and the Hyperion Tempo, the HE1’s carbon-fiber plate and Tempo’s more responsive DNA Flash midsole—to release Brook’s fastest trainer.

• DNA Zero is replaced with Tempo’s DNA Flash, a nitrogen-infused midsole - softer & more rebound

• The stack height is 2mm higher

• Rapid Roll Technology - curvature of heel and toe for faster turnover

• More durable 320 km to 440 km

This is a compilation of extracts of my Insta running blog for when I started running with the Brooks Hyperion Elite 2s. I was coming back from injury - as you can see the first two weeks went well and I commented less in my daily blog as I got comfortable in them. They are definitely more responsive than the super stable Asics Kayano 27 - a definite upgrade when it came to meeting my needs for a race shoe. I ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 11 April 2021 and they felt great, I broke my previous PB by 3 minutes (although I made a few mistakes!) - it was more my level of speed endurance that let me down. I can’t wait to try them in shorter races!

9 March 

My first run in the Brooks Hyperion Elite 2, which arrived last night. I had wanted to run easy, but wound up picking up the pace really easily. 

Initial impressions on the Hyperion Elite 2s are positive, much more stable and solid feeling than the Nike Invincibles and not as heavy impact as my regular Asics Kayano 27s. Early days yet, so I will phase them in. Grip wasn’t great on the cobble stones around the canal in Camden Town though, but encouraging. 

11 March 

Time to put the Brooks Hyperion Elite 2  (and me!)through it’s paces and me through the paces with an interval session.

I’m beat, but the Brooks HE2 could have kept on going!

Have to say it felt pretty good. I need to play around with the laces and lockdown a little to feel super comfortable. The impact seems pretty stable, I guess the proof will be how my legs feel tomorrow. So far so good - they felt pretty stable. 

I love Nike design and innovation, but my experience with running for a week with the Nike ZoomX Invincibles were a bust, flared up a foot and calf injury which has put me on a treatment course with a sports physio. The rehab is going well and my running is improving. 

Despite the knowledge and painful experience the desire for excitement and uplift in performance is highly seductive. There is a dearth of decent content on options for people with wide feet and those who suffer from overpronation. After the disaster with the Invincibles, I will phase these shoes in - not use them for all my runs yet. Actually, now is see the benefits of a running shoe rotation (learning a lot!!)>

12 March 

I seem to be settling into the Brooks Hyperion Elite2. This was the perfect excuse to take the Brooks HE2 to the track, well the brutal inclined path around the Parliament Hill track. Can’t wait till it reopens.

The stability I would have expected with the Invincibles is what I got with the Hyperions. The question I have to resolve is how responsive do they feel, I think they are more springy and my legs felt pretty free (although my hips were a little tight from the golf lesson earlier in the day). 

I had quite a pace session, NikeRunClub app Speed 90s session and I felt awesome in them.

16 March 

Session fail! Brutal intervals with 93m elevation 5 x 5:00 min at 10k pace.

That was the plan! Poor planning and as a result poor execution. The first two intervals felt okay and my legs felt free and were turning over well. No foot pain, but the last three intervals were a killer and the first time ever I had to stop or least slow down during an interval. It was too pacey a session for sloping roads.Note to self don’t do race pace intervals in hilly Hampstead! Run in the Brooks Hyperion Elite2 which still seem to agree with me. Legs were a little tired & off yesterday, but I think a lot of that is varied intensity in the schedule of runs I am doing. Let’s see, back to physio next week.

17 March So far so good with carbon plated Brooks Hyperion Elite 2

I have been wanting a bit of variety in my running shoes, have being using the Asics Kayanos from version 24 to 27. So you can’t really call it a rotation as there was only one shoe.

I struggled with the much hyped Nike ZoomX Invincible Runs. I was intrigued by the Nike Project Fearless claims of reducing injury - turns out it actually caused me injury leading to a course of sports physio which I am currently on. After limping home at the end of what should have been an easy ten miler.

I overpronate and have hyper mobility, so have been using stability shoes ever since I started running. With the innovations led by the Nike Vaporflys and the subsequent new products from other brands my head had been turned. 

So it was with trepidation that I approached from being unfaithful to my trusty Kayanos again! Have to say the Hyperion Elites feel surprisingly good so far for a shoe not marketed as a stability shoe. Fast, light & stable. Almost 100g lighter than my KayanosI have used them for easy runs, temp and speed work across 5 different runs.  I am happy to report that I haven’t had a recurrence of the foot pain from a couple of weeks ago. I think I am finally feeling comfortable with lacing it up to get a comfortable lockdown that will not give rise to any doubts during a longer run

The impact seems pretty stable, the base of the shoe feels as wide as the Nike ZoomX Invincibles, but with the stability I would have expected with the Invincibles is what I got with the Hyperions. The question I have to resolve is how responsive do they feel, I think they are more springy and my legs felt pretty free. They are definitely more responsive than the Kayanos, but I have read that they are nothing like as springy as the Vaporflys (not that I will ever know).

Do the Brooks HE2 make my faster? Only time will tell as having been a distance sightseeing junkie last year and I am only just introducing some discipline around speedwork. The initial signs are good & I would recommend you try them!

Read more about carbon plated shoes.