Paul takes Brooks' Hyperion Elite and Hyperion Tempo out for a spin...
One positive thing that's come out of the pandemic is that I've actually had some time to do some actual running.
In the interest of full disclosure, for the last several years, I've had nagging issues with both of my Achilles tendons, which has hampered any thoughts of consistent running. In fact, I'm slowly recovering with another bout of Achilles tendinosis.
Shortly before the end of February, when the big story before the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta was the arms race between Nike and everyone else on whose carbon plated shoes were going to make an impact at the Trials, I had an opportunity to stop by Brooks' world headquarters just past the north end of Seattle's Lake Union and picked up a pair of their Hyperion Elite racing shoe, as well as their tempo training shoe, the Hyperion Tempo to try out.
With my Achilles issues, I was hesitant to try any racing flat, but the talk about how carbon plated running shoes were taking over the world of road racing was enough to see for myself what all the fuss was about.
HYPERION ELITE
The first thing I noticed when slipping on the Hyperion Elite (left/photo courtesy Brooks Running) was how smooth the upper felt on my foot, even wearing ordinary run-of-the-mill cotton blend low cut socks that you buy in bags. Quite frankly, this was one of the best feeling uppers in a running shoe, period!
First couple of runs in the Elite were about 3-4 miles, and I felt like I was going faster with less effort.
I took the shoes on a couple of runs on the track, first doing some strides on the FieldTurf football field at Franklin High School, then some 200s and 300s on the track. I really felt the "pop" of the shoe the faster that I ran, and could feel the effects of the carbon plate embedded in the shoe's DNA Zero midsole compound, which is a light EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate, the common foam used in the majority of athletic shoes).
The slightly longer but faster road runs of 4-7 miles is where the Hyperion Elite lost me. Whatever benefits the carbon plate gave me was almost neutralized by the DNA Zero foam, as I felt that my legs were taking a bit more beating than the shoes itself. For running a road race, that's no bueno if you're thinking of running more than a 10k in this shoe.
HYPERION TEMPO
The Hyperion Tempo (above/photo courtesy Brooks Running) is a fast paced tempo training shoe that has a DNA Flash midsole, which is essentially a nitrogen infused EVA compound that combines light weight and energy return.
Like the Hyperion Elite, I was impressed by the fit of the upper of the Tempo, though it is a little bit more padded than the Elite around the ankle collar.
Despite not having a carbon plate in the midsole (thus the $150.00 retail price, versus the $250.00 retail for the Elite), I was impressed by the ride of the Tempo, particularly in fast runs of 4-6 miles. I also liked the fact that I used that shoe for several easy recovery runs as well.
The more I ran in the Tempo, the more I thought to myself, 'why couldn't Brooks take the upper and carbon plate of the Hyperion Elite, and combine it with the midsole and outsole of the Hyperion Tempo?'
After the push to get the Hyperion Elite on the feet of runners at the Olympic Trials at the end of February, Brooks will release the Hyperion Elite 2 in September, according to both Runner's World and roadtrailrun.com.
With the Olympics delayed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all the major shoe manufacturers were given a lifeline from World Athletics, so they didn't have to rush shoes out to market that weren't compliant with the new regulations regarding stack height and availability for all competitors (the no prototypes rule).
The Hyperion Elite 2 essentially takes elements of the the Hyperion Elite, and combines it with the DNA Flash midsole.
Bottom line--I'd hang on to your $250 and wait for the Hyperion Elite 2 in September. If you're looking for a great lightweight tempo training shoe in the meantime, the Hyperion Tempo is a solid purchase at $150.00.
NOTE: Brooks Sports contributed to this report. Special thanks to Carly Rebecchi of Brooks media relations for her assistance. paulmerca.blogspot.com did not receive any compensation for this post.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support our sponsors by clicking on the links.
In the interest of full disclosure, for the last several years, I've had nagging issues with both of my Achilles tendons, which has hampered any thoughts of consistent running. In fact, I'm slowly recovering with another bout of Achilles tendinosis.
Shortly before the end of February, when the big story before the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta was the arms race between Nike and everyone else on whose carbon plated shoes were going to make an impact at the Trials, I had an opportunity to stop by Brooks' world headquarters just past the north end of Seattle's Lake Union and picked up a pair of their Hyperion Elite racing shoe, as well as their tempo training shoe, the Hyperion Tempo to try out.
With my Achilles issues, I was hesitant to try any racing flat, but the talk about how carbon plated running shoes were taking over the world of road racing was enough to see for myself what all the fuss was about.
HYPERION ELITE
First couple of runs in the Elite were about 3-4 miles, and I felt like I was going faster with less effort.
I took the shoes on a couple of runs on the track, first doing some strides on the FieldTurf football field at Franklin High School, then some 200s and 300s on the track. I really felt the "pop" of the shoe the faster that I ran, and could feel the effects of the carbon plate embedded in the shoe's DNA Zero midsole compound, which is a light EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate, the common foam used in the majority of athletic shoes).
The slightly longer but faster road runs of 4-7 miles is where the Hyperion Elite lost me. Whatever benefits the carbon plate gave me was almost neutralized by the DNA Zero foam, as I felt that my legs were taking a bit more beating than the shoes itself. For running a road race, that's no bueno if you're thinking of running more than a 10k in this shoe.
HYPERION TEMPO
Like the Hyperion Elite, I was impressed by the fit of the upper of the Tempo, though it is a little bit more padded than the Elite around the ankle collar.
Despite not having a carbon plate in the midsole (thus the $150.00 retail price, versus the $250.00 retail for the Elite), I was impressed by the ride of the Tempo, particularly in fast runs of 4-6 miles. I also liked the fact that I used that shoe for several easy recovery runs as well.
The more I ran in the Tempo, the more I thought to myself, 'why couldn't Brooks take the upper and carbon plate of the Hyperion Elite, and combine it with the midsole and outsole of the Hyperion Tempo?'
After the push to get the Hyperion Elite on the feet of runners at the Olympic Trials at the end of February, Brooks will release the Hyperion Elite 2 in September, according to both Runner's World and roadtrailrun.com.
With the Olympics delayed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, all the major shoe manufacturers were given a lifeline from World Athletics, so they didn't have to rush shoes out to market that weren't compliant with the new regulations regarding stack height and availability for all competitors (the no prototypes rule).
The Hyperion Elite 2 essentially takes elements of the the Hyperion Elite, and combines it with the DNA Flash midsole.
Bottom line--I'd hang on to your $250 and wait for the Hyperion Elite 2 in September. If you're looking for a great lightweight tempo training shoe in the meantime, the Hyperion Tempo is a solid purchase at $150.00.
NOTE: Brooks Sports contributed to this report. Special thanks to Carly Rebecchi of Brooks media relations for her assistance. paulmerca.blogspot.com did not receive any compensation for this post.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support our sponsors by clicking on the links.
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