This week, Brooks flew Canadian Running down to the Big Apple for a first look at their new Brooks Glycerin Max. With maximalist shoes filling the shelves at running retailers, Brooks Running wanted to take the next step away from their usual supportive and stable models to create a shoe that screams ultimate luxury and endless energy. The Glycerin Max is their first-ever max-stack-height shoe, and uses a supercritical foam to revolutionize running footwear.
Shoe specs
Men’s: 298 g (10.5 oz.)
Women’s: 269 g (9.5 oz.)
Stack: 45.25 mm (heel), 39.25 mm (forefoot)
Offset/drop: 6 mm
Price: CAD $250
The brand’s primary goal was to combine properties from existing shoes to create a single masterpiece. Models with small-cell technology, such as the Hyperion, are lightweight and optimize responsiveness. Large-cell foam, like that used in the Glycerin or the Aurora, focuses on offering a plush cushion for your foot.
The breakthrough came with the development of a supercritical foam that could be formed into two different cell sizes in a single process. This new generation of nitrogen-infused foam, called DNA Tuned, was used to create what Bryan Bhark, senior developer of footwear innovation at Brooks Running, calls the “smoothest ride, most premium comfort and best cushioning we’ve ever delivered.”
The unique dual-injection process allowed precise tuning of where the small and large cells should be placed to seamlessly create one midsole. “Typically you don’t put the more resilient foam closer to the foot; you put the softer, plusher foam to give that soft step-in feel,” Carson Caprara, senior VP of footwear, says. “You still get that with the small cells, but you also get an enhanced energy return as well.”
High amounts of foam in a shoe can cause the body to stiffen up, because you can’t anticipate how you’re going to land–which increases the impact forces on your joints. “We didn’t want to jump too quickly into throwing a bunch of foam into a shoe,” Caprara says. With years of research and development and dozens of prototypes, and using the fined-tuned foam and the Glideroll Rocker, the team created a shoe that harnessed energy and prioritized responsiveness while simultaneously providing that maximal-cushioned, balanced and supportive experience. Even with just a few steps wearing the Glycerin Max, I could feel that consistent, smooth transition from heel strike through toe-off–a snappy feeling that is hard to miss.
“The Glycerin Max elevates the power of a shoe for everyday runners–not just elite or marathon runners,” Caprara says. “This shoe belongs on anyone’s foot who puts one foot in front of the other.”
Caprara says that the shoes give a feeling of longevity. “We want people to be able to run forever,” he says. The new frontier of maximalism and cushioning isn’t something Brooks had pursued in the past five to 10 years, but since maximalism will not be going away anytime soon, it was time for the brand to continue innovating and developing a shoe that people would be able to love for the rest of their lives.
First thoughts
As an elite track runner, shoes with a maxed-out height often scare me away–won’t that extra foam just throw me off balance? Will the softness make it difficult to power forward quickly? Although the plushness of the Glycerin Max’s foam is evident, it feels bouncy, rather than squishy. Maybe it’s just the Glideroll Rocker doing its magic by helping me smoothly roll onto my toes, but either way–it works. Try out the Brooks Glycerin Max at your local running store on Oct. 5.
