Glycerin GTS 22

Soft is the headline. The Glycerin GTS 22 gives you a deep, forgiving ride that soaks up impact and rewards easy mileage, the kind of shoe you reach for when your legs are tired and you just want to float through the miles. It is not springy or snappy, and it will not push you to run faster. Try to pick up the pace and it feels a little vague and slappy underfoot, because all that soft foam wants to be pressed slowly, not turned over quickly. Keep it at conversational effort and it comes into its own. Fatigue over distance is where it shines: 90 minutes in, the cushioning is still doing its job and your legs feel fresher than they would in a firmer trainer. Think comfort cruiser, not tempo tool.

This is a max-cushion stability shoe, and the cushioning is the whole story. Underfoot you get a tall, soft, energy-returning bed of foam that feels genuinely plush from the first step, no break-in required. It leans clearly to the soft end of the scale, closer to a pillowy Sunday-long-run feel than a firm, connected-to-the-road one. That plushness is fantastic for recovery days, big weekly volume and runners who feel every mile in their joints. The trade-off is ground feel: you sit up high and insulated, so you lose a little precision and road connection. For the runner who wants their easy miles to feel like a treat rather than a grind, that is a trade worth making. Just do not expect it to feel firm or fast.

The GTS in the name is GuideRails, Brooks' support system, and it is a mild, modern approach to stability. Rather than a hard medial post that forces your foot into position, GuideRails sit on both sides of the heel and only engage when your knee or ankle drifts too far out of line. The result is support you barely notice until you need it. This makes the Glycerin GTS 22 a great choice for mild to moderate overpronators, and for neutral runners who like a bit of extra late-run guidance without feeling corrected. Serious overpronators who need firm, aggressive support may find the guardrails too gentle and should look at a more structured shoe. For most runners who roll in a little, this is stability done the comfortable way.

The engineered mesh upper is one of the nicer parts of the shoe. It is soft, breathable and plush around the ankle, with a well-padded tongue and heel collar that make the whole shoe feel premium the moment you slip it on. There are no hot spots or seams to break in, so you can run out of the box. Breathability is solid for UK conditions, keeping your feet comfortable across seasons without feeling either stifling or draughty. The lacing holds securely and the padded collar gives that plush, foot-hugging feel Brooks is known for. It matches the cushioning: comfort first, no drama. This is an upper built for long, easy miles rather than lightweight racing, and it delivers exactly that.