Six Minute Mile Gear Review: Brooks Glycerin 19

Brooks Glycerin 19

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Specifications (according to Brooks)

Weight: (10.2oz/9.0oz) (Men’s/Women’s)

Stack Height: 31mm/21mm

Drop: 10 mm

Category: Neutral/Everyday Trainer

($150)

Available Now

What’s New:

• More DNA LOFT than ever for extreme underfoot softness.

• Updated materials in the mesh upper provide a better fit.

What You’ll Love:

• Ultra cloud-like comfy midsole

• Versatility for distance or tempo runs

• Perfect fit right of the box

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In a recent reader survey we asked “What shoe brand do you run in primarily?” and out of 5,219 responses over 25% said they go with Brooks, far and away the leader. Year after year they combine cutting-edge tech while maintaining the stuff that worked to keep their loyal followers coming back for more. Perhaps no shoe in their lineup exemplifies their consistent excellence more so than the Glycerin. The whole Six Minute Mile team was able to get our hands on the latest edition, the Glycerin 19, and we certainly weren’t disappointed.

Fresh out of the box the 19’s have the feeling of a shoe that has contoured to the shape of your foot over hundreds of miles. From run number one these shoes felt broken in and ready to rock. I went with their wide model so there was a little wiggle room around the toe box but the soft upper was certainly snug enough to keep my foot in place. The heel sock liner and lightweight tongue also did a great job of keeping the back of my foot nice and sturdy. Once I started to get going it was easy to see why there was so much hype surrounding the DNA LOFT midsole. A lot of shoes claim to have that running on a cloud feeling but it was really apparent to me in this Glycerin. The shoe does a solid job of balancing that plush pillowy feeling while still being able to generate some bouncy take-off after each stride. Personally, I was a big fan of the big drop, it effortlessly guides a natural heel-to-toe strike transition. After a few distance and tempo runs the DNA LOFT midsole, reinforced by a durable rubber outsole, has stood strong and maintained its cushion. The fit and feel stayed the same from the first test run which I especially appreciated.

One of our testers (167-pound man in his 50s) added that he was a longtime Glycerin fan who strayed from the model in recent years. He reported that running in the Glycerin 19 shoes was like returning home from a long trip and sleeping in his own bed again. The DNA LOFT foam provided a ride that was just as cushy as some of the other competing brand’s neutral cushion models, but he felt these were more responsive on both roads and trails. Times on three training runs were among the fastest of the last two years on the same routes.

Looks-wise, the shoe is sleek and comes in a color for just about everyone. They tinkered with the Brooks logo and hollowed it out which I thought gave it a cool minimalist feel to it.

In summary, if you’re looking for a simple supportive shoe loaded with decades of tons of tech and thought to log a lot of summer miles you really can’t go wrong with this edition of the Glycerin.

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Bonus Review!

Atmosphere Short Sleeve Shirt

($48)

Sherpa 7” Running Short

($58)

In addition to the Glycerin’s the Brooks team also threw in a few of the Atmosphere Short Sleeve Shirt and Sherpa 7” Running Short into the SMM care package. The Atmosphere Shirt was an especially welcome surprise for our team. A shirt so light it’s hard to tell it’s even on. The Atmosphere is the perfect shirt for when it’s so hot you want to pop the shirt off but want to be courteous to the neighbors on your route. For the fellas, the Sherpa Short has a liner built into the short to keep everything secure when your run starts to hit third and fourth gear. These two items are perfect with a pair of the Glycerin.