Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 Review: Tamer Racer not Quite a Race Tamer

Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price

The Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 stack height comes in at 40mm in the heel and 32mm in the forefoot for an 8mm drop. That’s the same profile as the Nike Alpahfly 3.

It weighs in at 7.9oz in a US Men’s 9.5 test shoe. So it’s not the lightest carbon racer but also not the heaviest. About the same weight as HOKA Carbon Rocket X2 or the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4.

Price wise at launch the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 will set you back $250. Again that’s not as pricey as Nike’s top carbon shoe. But it’s still up there with the New Balance SC Elite V4, HOKA Rocket X2 and the Nike Vaporfly 3 – all of which are also $250. 

Design

The Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 follows your classic carbon shoe profile, combining minimal uppers with a big stack of nitrogen-infused DNA FLASH v2 cushioning and a full length carbon-composite plate.

The midsole has the same stack and drop as the Nike AlphaFly 3 but somehow feels less stacked overall. Maybe because it’s narrower. There’s a forefoot rocker here too for smoother transitions.

Up top you’ve incredible light, highly perforated mesh uppers that are about as breathable as it gets for a racy, barely-there feel.

That minimalism extends into the heel collars where a couple of small pads aim hold the foot securely and offer some cushioning. Likewise, the tongues are very thin but wrap the midfoot well. The laces are the excellent lace-lock style.

Flip them over and the outsole rubber is quite minimal. Not the most sparse you’ll find on carbon race shoes but strategically placed to provide the grip and protect the midsole in the higher impact areas.

Fit

In testing I ran in my regular Brooks running shoe size which is a US 9.5. I had some heel rubbing during my solo marathon test until I got the lacing locked in using top eyelets. So you may need to pay some attention to how you lace the Hyperion Elite 4, to avoid heel slipping but generally for me they have a pretty simple unfussy fit.

I like the airiness of the toe box that’s enhanced by the heavily perforated uppers, they held well across the top of the midfoot and I’d recommend going true to size in these.

Performance

In testing I clocked more than 50 miles in the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4. That included a half marathon race test at the Barcelona Half Marathon where I ran my third fastest half ever – a 1:25 a few days after recovering from a cold. I also did a 4-hour solo marathon test around London to see how these held up on the long haul runs. Plus I ran various interval and speed work sessions.

The Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 has come in for some criticism for the lack of energy from the midsole-carbon plate combination. I’d have to agree the ride isn’t as lively as the big hitters in this space – the Alphafly, Adios Pro 3 and the New Balance SC Elite V4. It doesn’t pack the all-out punchiness of those popular carbon racers.

If you’re looking for your carbon running shoe to provide that all-out springy, energetic, bounce-down-the-road feel, the Hyperion Elite 4 isn’t your shoe.

However, there are things I enjoyed about this shoe. I like that it feels controlled and less wild underfoot. It’s less aggressive than some racers and I enjoyed the accommodating consistency to the ride. You know what you’re getting from mile 1 to mile 26 and there’s a balance and reliability to the landings that might suit some runners.

It’s certainly good when you’re running a bit more tired, as I found out deep into my marathon test. It won’t provide extra propulsion like some shoes but while some it also won’t hang you out to dry when you’re struggling to run in good form. This is a shoe takes a little more care of you.

If you’re a runner who likes to feel like you’re working your legs in training, the Elite 4 responds better when you put more in. Where some carbon shoes do a lot of the work, it demands you bring some of the juice.

During the half marathon in Barcelona, when I worked the shoe, it responded well when I did exactly that and certainly helped me to that 1:25 with a light, fast clipover. It was also good in the corners and by the end of my marathon test, it wasn’t one of those carbon racers I couldn’t wait to get off my feet.

In fact I commuted home across London with them on. I probably wouldn’t want to do that in an Alphafly. That says a lot about how aggressive the Hyperion Elite 4 is. Or isn’t as the case may be.

My Verdict

Brooks is still searching for a killer carbon racer and this is definitely a case of nearly but not quite. There’s some real positives: the uppers are great and add to what’s a good light, racy shoe on the foot. It’s 100% one of the better Brooks shoes I’ve run in.

The overall fit, feel and geometry of the shoe is good and if you’ve been searching for a shoe with a slightly narrower platform than some of the bigger carbon racers, this is worth a look.

It just doesn’t quite deliver on that all out super shoe feel. The midsole lacks that real punch. It’s almost more of a super trainer with a stripped-back race fit than it is an out-and-out carbon monster.

But when you consider the price, it makes it really hard to recommend against the rival carbon shoes and the faster daily trainers. For faster training, you can get a similar energy out of daily shoes like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 for much less. Maybe even the HOKA Mach 6. For guns-blazing, PR chasing race days, there are better performers at this price – the New Balance SC Elite V4 and the ASICS Metasped Sky Paris to name two.