The Brooks Ghost 17. All images: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
[Editor’s Note: Guest writer Keith Yanov is from Mammoth Lakes, California. His backyard is the Eastern Sierra Nevada in which he plays on seemingly endless singletrack and can be spotted occasionally careening downhill.]
The Brooks Ghost 17 ($150) continues the legacy of its predecessors as a shoe that exceeds the sum of its components. This dependable shoe’s refined design doesn’t have big frills, however its steadiness between high quality, consolation, efficiency, and sturdiness yields excessive marks. Whereas costlier than the earlier model, the Ghost 17’s worth level continues to be definitely worth the funding for highway runners coaching for any distance.
What I like most about this mannequin is that every side of the shoe falls into the Goldilocks zone — neither an excessive amount of nor too little of something, with a few minor exceptions. The outsole is sturdy and gives common grip that works as anticipated on pavement and performs superb on compact filth roads. The 36.5-millimeter stack top on the heel and 26.5-millimeter stack on the toe is a mean improve of two millimeters in comparison with the Ghost 16, and the 10-millimeter drop could also be a bit a lot for some forefoot strikers. The precise weight of 10.2 ounces (290 grams) for a U.S. males’s 9 places it in the midst of the pack for each day trainers, however it’s by some means nonetheless nimble and never clunky. The shoe doesn’t lose stability with the elevated stack top.
On the finish of the day, the Brooks Ghost 17 will get the job executed proper for a impartial, each day highway coach.
Store the Males’s Brooks Ghost 17Store the Ladies’s Brooks Ghost 17
Brooks Ghost 17 Higher
A lateral view of the Brooks Ghost 17.
The Brooks Ghost 17 higher is made from engineered double-jacquard mesh and overlaid with supplies consisting of 59% recycled supplies. General, the foot is comfortably comfortable inside, and the shoe runs true to measurement. There may be not a lot to criticize about this shoe, but when I’m nitpicking, the shoe may use extra breathable mesh on its higher and features a bit an excessive amount of cushion within the collar and tongue. These features carry out simply superb, however some extra breathability and shaving off a little bit of weight within the over-cushioned areas could be welcomed. As a counterpoint, these traits add to the shoe’s consolation and sturdiness.
The toebox permits for a pure toe splay and is spacious sufficient for many runners. It must be famous, nonetheless, that the Ghost 17 toebox is narrower than the Ghost 16, so don’t anticipate a boxy really feel this time round.
Whereas usually a throwaway matter, Brooks’ consideration to element comes by way of even within the laces, that are first-rate. They’re easy but grippy sufficient to keep away from coming untied. Shoe laces are like referees: If you don’t discover them, they’re doing their job effectively. You possible won’t discover these laces, apart from them being highlighted right here!
Brooks Ghost 17 Midsole and Outsole
A medial view of the Brooks Ghost 17.
The Brooks Ghost 17 midsole options the model’s DNA LOFT v3 cushioning. This nitrogen-injected foam, which mixes EVA foam, rubber, and air, is lighter and softer than earlier iterations, guaranteeing each stride is bouncy and responsive on all surfaces, with out sacrificing stability.
The Ghost 17 additionally elevated its stack top by three millimeters within the forefoot and one millimeter within the heel, nevertheless it retains the power to carry out on different terrain with out elevated fear of rolling an ankle. With the average cushion, your ft really feel the bottom on each step, and you may management your subsequent foot placement.
The outsole of the Brooks Ghost 17.
Transferring all the way down to the outsole, Brooks employs a typical design for dry roads. The high-quality rubber tread is skinny however akin to most highway trainers, and also you possible will get some pebbles caught in there. It’s additionally price noting that the minimal-tread outsole will not be supposed for slick surfaces. General, the outsole materials is sturdy and carried out adequately on exhausting, semi-technical filth, nevertheless it was one of many first areas of the shoe to point out some put on.
Brooks Ghost 17 General Impressions
A prime view of the Brooks Ghost 17.
In a vacuum, any single side of the Brooks Ghost 17 won’t blow you away. However placing all of it collectively, it harmoniously creates a high-performing each day coach that’s advisable for runners of all skills and on all surfaces, apart from technical trails or slick roads. The shoe will not be meant for tempo exercises, however it’s versatile sufficient to carry out in case you are saving your quick sneakers for race day as an alternative of your exercise. Its light-weight building strikes a stable steadiness between sensible and efficiency options. And with a variety of shade choices, from understated to vibrant, the Ghost 17 is a prime contender for a each day shoe that simply will get the job executed effectively.
Store the Males’s Brooks Ghost 17Store the Ladies’s Brooks Ghost 17
Name for Feedback
- Have you ever run within the Brooks Ghost 17? What did you suppose?
- What options do you search for in an on a regular basis highway shoe?
The creator placing the Brooks Ghost 17 by way of its paces within the Japanese Sierra Nevada. Photograph: iRunFar/Daniel Castillo Oropeza
