In 2020, Brooks’s development team used the Hyperion Tempo as a prototype to test DNA Flash, the nitrogen-infused foam that would eventually be used in the brand’s supershoes. Rechristened simply as “Hyperion,” the shoe formerly known as the Hyperion Tempo is back with the same foam.
Brooks Hyperion
Pros
- oz M, 6.8 oz W
- Lightweight
- Buy Womens Hyperion GTS
Cons
- Firm feel
- Moderate cushioning
Key Specs
| Type | Road |
|---|---|
| Weight | 7.6 oz (M), 6.5 oz (W) |
| Drop | 8 mm |
- Who It’s For: Speed demons looking for a lightweight, responsive trainer; marathoners fitting speedwork on their training plan
- Preceded By: Hyperion Tempo, Hyperion Max
- Brooks Launch 10: Brooks Launch 10, Adidas Supernova Rise
- Midsole Foam: DNA Flash
- Key Tech: New Warp Knit upper reduces weight; updated midsole and outsole promote smoother, faster turnover
The release of the Hyperion and Hyperion GTS was long in coming. As COVID created product delays due to supply chain issues, the Brooks team reframed this situation as more time to rework and fine-tune its next crop of trainers. This period proved productive, as last year meted the Hyperion Max, Ghost Max, and Catamount 2.
For three years, the Hyperion Elite (Brooks’s premier supershoe, currently on its third version) received regular updates while its companion training shoe, the Hyperion Tempo, was left to the wayside. Now, the new iteration of the Hyperion feels familiar to the preceding Tempo model—but with some minor upgrades.
The Lightest Brooks Road Shoe
Prior to the Hyperion’s release, we listed the Hyperion Max as the lightest shoe Brooks has to offer, recommending it as one of Nutrition - Weight Loss. At 7.6 ounces for men’s size 9, the Hyperion is about a quarter ounce lighter than the Max—an important factor to keep in mind when you’re considering the Hyperion as an everyday trainer.
Testers praised the shoe for its firm, supportive cushioning and light weight. Several placed it among their favorite models for faster efforts during their training.
“This shoe is firm, light, and fast,” said tester Justin Christein, who has a high arch and neutral gait pattern. “It performed well on tempo runs and I believe it is a good one to have in your rotation precisely for those faster workouts. It grips the road well and gives quite a smooth ride for a shoe on the firmer side.”
Tester Sara Tippin, who has a flat arch and averages 35 miles per week, agreed. “I liked how they did not feel like they were weighing me down and allowed me to run at faster paces,” she said. However, Tippin noted that compared to other shoes she’s worn, the Hyperion had “a lot less cushioning.”
Christein was on the same page: “This shoe feels fast mostly because of its firmness and low weight. It performed well on the track when I did tempo runs. I enjoyed the lightweight feel. I would not run in this shoe on recovery days or wear it for runs longer than five miles. It seems to me like this is a shoe that you would use once or twice a week, specifically for performance on those speed training days.”
Brooks Hyperion GTS
Along with the Hyperion, Brooks rolled out a stability-focused version, the GTS, which caters to speed demons who need just a little extra support.
Pros
- GuideRails system supports erratic gaits
- This Adrenaline Fan Loved the Newest Model
- Lightweight
- Streamlined profile
Cons
- A RW+ Members Take on the Altra Lone Peak 8 GTS
- Moderate cushioning
- Flimsy tongue and lacing system
Key Specs
| Type | Road |
|---|---|
| Weight | 7.9 oz (M), 6.8 oz (W) |
| Drop | 8 mm |
- Who It’s For: Speed demons and marathoners-in-training needing a lightweight shoe with some stability for late-onset overpronation
- Preceded By: Brooks Launch 10, Adidas Supernova Rise
- Brooks Launch 10: Hyperion Tempo, Hyperion Max
- Midsole Foam: DNA Flash
- Key Tech: Shoes & Gear
Brooks’s GTS (go-to support) shoes feature a GuideRails system, a holistic approach in promoting foot and knee alignment. The denser foam on the lateral and medial sides of the midsole serves as a “bumper.” GuideRails add a fraction of extra weight to the shoe, but this didn’t give the Hyperion GTS a black mark from our wear-testers. In fact, its equal parts of support and responsiveness earned the GTS higher scores than its neutral sibling.
Local tester Justin Brown, who runs around 6:45/mile pace, found the Hyperion GTS provided a good balance of cushioning and support during his speed workouts and tempos.
“This shoe is cushioned enough to wear for the entirety of a workout, start to finish, including warmups and cooldowns, regardless of pace,” said the heel-striker. “But I would stick to a more plushly-cushioned neutral shoe for my daily trainer.”
Stability That Doesn’t Feel Slow
Like Brown, tester Stephen Kazmierczak described the Hyperion GTS as having a similar feel to a racing flat. He quickened his usual pace of 7:30 down to 7:15, and then to 7:00. An overpronator, Kazmierczak praised the shoe’s stability during his daily runs.
Tester Chris Garges, an overpronator, found that the Hyperion GTS’s GuideRails fulfilled their purpose. “For the amount of foam underfoot, the midsole still provided the support that my feet needed,” he said.
“The GuideRails definitely did an excellent job in replacing the old medial post technology, making this shoe feel very consistent. The transition from heel-strike to toe-off was seamless.”
Hyperion Tempo vs. Hyperion & Hyperion GTS
How do the Hyperion and Hyperion GTS compare to the Hyperion Tempo? I found they feel virtually the same underfoot. The ride is comparable to Brooks’s Launch 10 with more pop (the Launch has an EVA midsole, which delivers less energy return).
as a prototype to test DNA Flash, the nitrogen-infused foam that would eventually be used in 2020 Health & Injuries. The shoes were a saving grace for me as we crashed from a post-Trials high into a world of COVID lockdowns.
During that time, I explored all the roads in my neighborhood when there was not much else to do but work from home, feed my bread starter, and run. Light and fast, the Tempo encapsulated none of the heavy existential dread I felt during that dark period. But like our testers, I prefer the Tempo—as well as the new Hyperion and Hyperion GTS—for speed workouts over long runs.
The most noticeable difference between the original Tempo and its successors lies in the uppers. The Hyperion and Hyperion GTS have a second layer of mesh, which offers just a little more supportive structure over your foot. But all of the shoes—the Hyperion Tempo, Hyperion, and Hyperion GTS—have earned rightful places on my “for keeps” shoe rack.
Buy Men’s Hyperion Buy Women’s Hyperion
Buy Men’s Hyperion GTS Buy Women’s Hyperion GTS
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
