It’s no secret that Brooks is a favorite brand among NBC Select staffers. Its sneakers have been helping us cross finish lines and log leisurely miles long before they earned Wellness Awards or were featured in our guides to the best men’s and women’s running shoes. That’s why we were excited to try Brooks’ latest style, the Ghost Max running shoe, which is available to purchase today. We’ve worn many Brooks sneakers, so we wondered what makes this new shoe different. Does it really stand out among the dozens of other Brooks sneakers we’ve been lacing up for years?
To find out, we tried the men’s and women’s versions of the Brooks Ghost Max for three weeks ahead of their launch. Below, NBC Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin and NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz share their experiences with the shoes and what you should know before buying a pair.
SKIP AHEAD How we tried the Brooks Ghost Max | What we love about the Brooks Ghost Max | Brooks’ return policy
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What to know about the Brooks Ghost Max
The Ghost Max is a new road running shoe from Brooks. It takes the neutral and roomy fit of the popular Ghost sneaker and adds more cushioning, making it similar to the brand’s other “max” shoes. It also has a more substantial rocker — meaning a sole that curves upward to a high degree under the toes and forefoot — compared to the standard Ghost model.
The Ghost Max reflects a greater trend in running shoes: more foam. At a media preview event for the new shoe, members of the Brooks development team told Malin and Rabinowitz that foam adds important comfort and impact-absorption to any running shoe, but historically also adds significant weight.
In the past few years, however, foam has gotten lighter, so brands have thickened their running shoes without the penalty of added weight. Take the Asics Cloud Nimbus 25, for example. It has 20% more foam underfoot and a taller stack height compared to the Nimbus 24, but both models weigh the same at 10.2 ounces. You can see similar changes between the Brooks Glycerin 19 and 20 (a decrease of 0.2 ounces between models), as well as the Hoka Clifton 8 and 9 (a decrease of 0.2 ounces between models) — newer iterations of the sneakers have more foam but not more weight.
Like the Brooks’ Ghost, the Ghost Max earned the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Seal of Acceptance, meaning the shoes were determined to promote quality foot health by the Podiatric Seals Committee. They come with round laces, which stay tied while Rabinowitz and Malin are running, even in a single knot.
You can purchase the Ghost Max in a range of sizes and colors, like black, white, pink and gray and more. The sneakers come in medium, wide and extra wide models, but the later two come in less color options.
Brooks Ghost Max (Men’s)
Sizes: 7 to 15 | Widths: Medium, wide and extra wide | Heel drop: 6 mm | Weight: 10.0 oz (283 g)
Brooks Ghost Max (Women’s)
Sizes: 6 to 12 | Widths: Medium, wide and extra wide | Heel drop: 6 mm | Weight: 9.0 oz (255.1 g)
How we tried the Brooks Ghost Max
Malin and Rabinowitz tried the Brooks Ghost Max running shoes for three weeks.
Malin wore the women’s version of the shoe and ran indoors on a treadmill and outdoors on pavement in New York City. To date, she’s logged about 63 miles in the sneakers. Most of Malin’s runs are between four and six miles in weather between 60 and 80 degrees. She typically prefers cushioned, sturdy running sneakers that offer bounce and stability. Malin has previously run in Brooks sneakers, including the Adrenaline, Revel, Glycerin, Catamount, Ghost and Levitate models.
Rabinowitz wore the men’s version of the shoe, running outdoors on the paved streets and sidewalks of New York. About half of that time was spent on gentle hills. Most of his runs were between three and six miles in weather between 60 and 80 degrees. Rabinowitz typically prefers cushioned running sneakers with ample traction and support. He’s previously run in Brooks sneakers, including the Adrenaline GTS, Glycerin, Catamount, Ghost, Revel and Levitate models.
What we love about the Brooks Ghost Max
Cushioned feel
Malin: In my experience, it’s hard for a running shoe to add cushioning without adding height. I don’t want to feel like I’m running in platform boots, and ultra cushioned sneakers tend to be too thick and heavy for me to find comfortable. I also don’t want my running sneakers to be too flat — the Brooks Revel, for example, does not have enough cushioning for me to feel a spring in my step.
The Brooks Ghost Max manages to give me just the right amount of height and bounce with its thick layer foam, but it doesn’t lift me off the ground so much that I feel unsteady. The foam is well distributed across the shoe, and I’m easily able to find my center of balance while wearing them. I don’t feel like I’m leaning forward or sinking backward as I’m standing still. I’m impressed by how stable I feel in the shoe even with how much cushioning it has. My ankles usually feel very wobbly in highly cushioned shoes, but I feel secure in these because they have a wide base.
Rabinowitz: I have had basically the same experience. I’ve noticed that running shoes generally have gotten taller and chunkier, leading to a high platform that makes me more wary of rolling my ankle. The Ghost Max are taller than the Ghost, but maintain a similar form-factor to the Glycerin, one of my favorite running shoes. After about a week of running in the Ghost Max, I started to prefer them over all of my other shoes. The even, relatively-flat, cushioned support led to a steady stride that absorbed the impact of running on pavement well.
Gentle rocker
Rabinowitz: I’ve run in the Brooks Ghost, Adrenaline and Glycerin for years — I wouldn’t call any of them fast shoes. To be fair, they are everyday trainers, not race shoes. But the Brooks Ghost Max feels slightly faster than those other models because of its subtle rocker, which helps propel my steps. It’s slight — nowhere near the forward-leaning roll of something like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 — but it makes these shoes feel faster than the original Ghost. My mile times weren’t dramatically different wearing these shoes, but the comfortable, rolling feeling was notable.
Malin: The first time I wore the Ghost Max on the treadmill, I ran the fastest 5K pace I have in a long time and it was 100% due to the gentle rocker. It propelled me forward and helped me keep a consistent pace. The rocker aids in rolling through the heel to toe motion and I found that my legs didn’t have to work as hard as they do when I’m running on flatter shoes, so they did not get tired as quickly. Like Harry, the Glycerin is also one of my favorite running shoes, but the Ghost Max’s rocker won me over the moment I put them on.
Roomy Interior
Rabinowitz: Something I’ve always appreciated about the Ghost shoe is its roomy interior — the shoe doesn’t feel overly tight or restrictive. The Ghost Max maintains this design. Having reasonable space around my toes is especially useful for longer runs, when my feet naturally start to swell.
Malin: I also like the shoe’s roomy interior because I can wear thicker socks, which is very important to me as we’re going into cold weather months. I’m also prone to blisters, and having a roomy interior to spread my toes out helps prevent them.
What’s Brooks’ return policy?
Brooks offers a 90-day trial with all its shoes — you can return a new pair in any condition online if you aren’t satisfied, according to the brand. Gently worn gear is resold on Brook’s ReStart resale storefront.
Why trust NBC Select?
Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor at NBC Select who covers fitness, fitness apparel and fitness equipment including workout apps, sports bras and pilates rings. For this piece, she tried the Brooks Ghost Max shoes for three weeks after the brand sent her a pair ahead of the launch date.
Harry Rabinowitz is a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including running shoes, fitness trackers and workout earbuds. For this piece, he tried the Brooks Ghost Max shoes for three weeks after the brand sent him a pair ahead of the launch date.
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