Brooks Ghost 12

Name: Brooks Ghost 12
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.7 (49 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 11.1 oz · 12mm drop · 31/19mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Ghost 13 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Ghost 12 ranks above most daily trainers in our data. Durability and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. Most runners who came to it from another shoe preferred it. The rating rests on 50 runner reviews and 13 other rated shoes in the Ghost product line.

Good

82/100

Overall

Good 82

Durability

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Cushioning

Excellent 94

Value

Very good 91

Appearance

Good 81

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

96/100

Very high 96

What runners say

“Fabric ripped at instep in both shoes under 4 months”

3/5 Full review 5 mpw

“Roomy toe box, snug fit, no smashing or slipping on downhills/uphills”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 18

“Higher offset takes stress off calves and achilles”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 1

“Incredibly lightweight without sacrificing cushion”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Excite 7

“Doesn't flex at 1st MTP joint, alleviates toe soreness”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 1

“Every stride feels like nothing on your feet”

5/5 Full review 13 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas Ultraboost 20

“Heel to toe transition smooth, never clunky”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 14

“Responsive, good cushioning, versatile on roads and trails”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Gaviota 2

“Firmer shoes take less lower leg work than super soft ones”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 1

“Only 300 miles before wearing through outer sole”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1080 v8

Prefer this shoe over another

36% 24/67

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers repeatedly call it comfortable, with a smooth heel-to-toe transition.
Many runners report getting 300 to 400 miles per pair.
Reviewers use it for easy days, long runs and marathon training.

Cons

At 11.1 oz, several reviewers find it heavy for speed work.
Three reviewers prefer the fit and transition of the Ghost 11, which scores 98 on seventy-three reviews against its 83.
Two reviewers report the upper fabric tearing at the instep or heel.

Ghost 12 rates 82. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Ghost

Each dot is one version of the Ghost, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

76 2012 71 76 2014 80 97 2016 87 98 82 2019 90 97 99 2022 97 89 2025 90

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Ghost 18

2026 · 6 reviews

90 Good

77 Confidence
Ghost 17

2025 · 8 reviews

89 Good

80 Confidence
Ghost 16

2024 · 38 reviews

97 Exceptional

96 Confidence
Ghost 15

2022 · 94 reviews

99 Exceptional

100 Confidence
Ghost 14

2021 · 66 reviews

97 Exceptional

98 Confidence
Ghost 13

2020 · 13 reviews

90 Good

86 Confidence
Ghost 12 This shoe

2019 · 50 reviews

82 Good

96 Confidence
Ghost 11

2018 · 73 reviews

98 Exceptional

99 Confidence
Ghost 10

2017 · 57 reviews

87 Good

98 Confidence
Ghost 9

2016 · 13 reviews

97 Excellent

94 Confidence
Ghost 8

2015 · 11 reviews

80 Good

88 Confidence
Ghost 7

2014 · 74 reviews

76 Decent

98 Confidence
Ghost 6

2013 · 55 reviews

71 Decent

95 Confidence
Ghost 5

2012 · 4 reviews

76 Decent

82 Confidence

Reader Ratings

50 ratings

5/5 33

4/5 16

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 11.1 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $130
Stack Height: 31mm heel - 19mm toe
Drop Height: 12mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

boring but works

4/5

Overall

Not a lot to complain about - got a lot right (fit, ride, durability), but OMG so boring looking. Do not spark joy when putting on - like buying a 3-yr-old Honda Accord - meh - but you know you're in a good value car.

davidkarkut · Jan 5, 2020

18 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 16

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 2/5
Value: 4/5

Soft Ride for Long Miles

5/5

Overall

My go-to marathon trainer. I bought a pair when I was unexpectedly delayed out of town and had left my Adidas at home. The first impression is that they were WAY too cushioned to be effective for anything other than long slow miles. I was wrong. They're light enough to enable fast workouts on the streets and trails without feeling "clunky," like some of my other stalwart trainers. They felt like Sketchers, but more substantial, and I have been able to get almost twice as many miles out of them than my Sketchers without any adverse effects or breakdown in construction/wear.

Anonymous runner · Jan 5, 2020

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Skechers GOrun MaxRoad 4 Hyper

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Great shoe

5/5

Overall

I’m training for both a half and a full marathon and recently switched to these brooks to get my training done, and HOLY CRAP. They make my 5 mile runs feel like a thing of beauty, every stride is just like nothing on your feet. Highly recommend and will be buying another pair when these are worn out.

Anonymous runner · Jan 3, 2020

13 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas Ultraboost 20

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Loving the Ghost

5/5

Overall

Just an amazing shoe in every way.

Anonymous runner · Jan 1, 2020

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Pearl Izumi EM Road N 1 v2

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Super fun shoe design + functional!

5/5

Overall

These shoes are great for runners who need lots of cushioning and support, but don't want to feel bogged down. The sides are very soft and provide lots of arch support. The ice cream design is impeccable and I couldn't be happier with the print. I get lots of comments out and about and people are enamored with the sprinkles on the sides. As far as speed work, I do not recommend these shoes purely out of their weight. They are great for runners with high mileage consisting of steady long runs rather than speed based tempo work.

Anonymous runner · Dec 31, 2019

35 mpw came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35