Brooks Glycerin 20

Name: Brooks Glycerin 20
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.5 (23 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10.6 oz · 10mm drop · 38/28mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Glycerin 21 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Glycerin 20 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Durability and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 50 runner reviews and 12 other rated shoes in the Glycerin product line.

Exceptional

97/100

Overall

Exceptional 97

Durability

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Cushioning

Exceptional 98

Value

Good 83

Appearance

Decent 75

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

97/100

Very high 97

What runners say

“Stopped chronic knee pain.”

4/5 Full review 23 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 25

“Wide version has only more fabric for the upper, not a wider base.”

3/5 Full review 10 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 14

“Won't run fast, but will run far.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw 500 miles in this shoe training for 5K and 10K would buy again

“Legs and feet feel less beat up, enabling better training the next day.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the On Cloudswift 3

“It's the Buick Park Avenue of shoes.”

4/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 26

“Heavy and runs small—go half size up.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 9

“Generally lasts around 500 miles.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the On Cloudswift 3

“3 pairs over a year for half-marathon/base training with no injury issues.”

5/5 Full review 18 mpw training for a half marathon

“Post tib pain shows up less frequently and severely.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 19

“The bumps have never felt smoother.”

4/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 26

Prefer this shoe over another

52% 14/27

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers rate durability 4.5 out of 5, and two report 500 miles or more per pair.
Reviewers praise the soft cushioning on easy and long runs.
Three reviewers say it eases chronic knee, shin or Achilles pain they have in other shoes.

Cons

It weighs 10.6 oz, and six reviewers call it heavy or unsuited to fast running.
It lists at $160, above the $150 median for daily trainers on sale. Three reviewers call it expensive.
Reviewers rate appearance 4.1 out of 5, its lowest dimension, and one calls the colorways bright and ugly.

Glycerin 20 rates 97. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Glycerin

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

87 2014 93 96 2016 95 89 2017 96 98 2019 79 96 97 2022 97 94 93 2026

Release year

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

Glycerin 23

2026 · 4 reviews

93 Excellent

79 Confidence
Glycerin 22

2025 · 4 reviews

94 Excellent

84 Confidence
Glycerin 21

2023 · 19 reviews

97 Excellent

92 Confidence
Glycerin 20 This shoe

2022 · 50 reviews

97 Exceptional

97 Confidence
Glycerin 19

2021 · 4 reviews

96 Excellent

85 Confidence
Glycerin 18

2020 · 2 reviews

79 Decent

49 Confidence
Glycerin 17

2019 · 21 reviews

98 Exceptional

96 Confidence
Glycerin 16

2018 · 21 reviews

96 Excellent

94 Confidence
Glycerin 15

2017 · 17 reviews

89 Good

91 Confidence
Glycerin 14

2017 · 3 reviews

95 Excellent

85 Confidence
Glycerin 13

2016 · 3 reviews

96 Excellent

82 Confidence
Glycerin 12

2014 · 27 reviews

93 Very good

93 Confidence
Glycerin 11

2014 · 16 reviews

87 Good

86 Confidence

Reader Ratings

50 ratings

5/5 32

4/5 17

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: 10.6 oz
Release: 2022 Q3
MSRP: $160
Stack Height: 38mm heel - 28mm toe
Drop Height: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Too small of a base for the Wide, turned my ankle too many times

3/5

Overall

I have a wide flat foot so I wear an orthotic. The wide version of this shoe does not have a wider base, it only has more fabric for the upper. This caused me to turn my ankle when I ran on uneven surfaces. Add on that they have a higher stack height like a lot of other shoes these days and my ankle did not feel good. I like the shoe a lot otherwise, I would get it again if I had a normal width foot and ran on roads.

Daniel · Sep 20, 2023

10 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 14

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Sep 19, 2023

training for a marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 2/5
Value: 3/5

So helps with Achilles pain.

5/5

Overall

I have wore both the Brooks Ghost and the Glycerin. I like both. Both help with my Achilles issues. Glycerin has more cushion the entire shoe. Both come in wide which is good for both Achilles and Hagland Deformity issues.

Robert Murray · Aug 16, 2023

training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 14

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

No need to try the rest

5/5

Overall

Nike Pegasus is Awful..

Hoka was like runing in a Lincoln town car.. Heavy and slow..

Ghost or Glycerin... Brooks.. Enough said.. Lace em up

Emerson · Aug 12, 2023

training for 5K and 10K came from the HOKA Clifton 6

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

Eat up the miles

5/5

Overall

Excellent shoe for putting in the long miles day to day. Heavy but wouldn't say that's a bad thing for this type of shoe. I'm a light weight and still enjoy the plush cushion for the slow days.

Al Rich · Aug 5, 2023

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Ride 16

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

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Analyses

Brooks Glycerin 20

Exceptional