Brooks Levitate

Name: Brooks Levitate
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.3 (20 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 11.3 oz · 8mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Levitate 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Levitate trails most daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 20 runner reviews and 3 other rated shoes in the Levitate product line.

Bottom-tier

59/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 59

Durability

Excellent 94

Cushioning

Very good 91

Comfort

Decent 79

Appearance

Decent 73

Value

Bottom-tier 50

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

92/100

High 92

What runners say

“Cushioning lasts and feels good throughout; over 350 miles with barely any wear”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 12

“Top-notch comfort, no itching or rubbing, foot slips in like a glove”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

“Cushioned enough for easy runs; phenomenal response when pounding pavement”

4/5 Full review training for a half marathon came from the adidas Supernova

“Heavier shoe (11 oz) but doesn't feel heavy when running”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 2

“Don't have to exert as much energy to hit target times”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

“Got over 700k miles—a lot of mileage”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 18

“Runs small—wore 11 vs. 11.5 in Nike”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 12

“Much more durable than Ghosts, which kept ripping”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“Had to go up a half size vs. Ghosts”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 9

“Responsive—the more you pick up pace, the more responsive it is”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 2

Prefer this shoe over another

42% 10/24

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Cushioning averages 4.6 out of 5 across the eighteen reviewers who rated it, and durability 4.5 across all twenty.
Several reviewers describe a springy ride with noticeable energy return that rewards picking up the pace.
Three reviewers report the cushioning still feeling good past 350 to 400 miles.

Cons

Averaging 10.5 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale, and many reviewers call it heavy, several of them finding it awkward for speed work or very long runs.
Three reviewers find the outsole slippery on wet surfaces.
Value averages 3.8 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and several reviewers call it pricey at $150.

Levitate rates 59. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Levitate

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

59 2017 96 2018 81 2019 82 2022

Release year

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

Levitate 6

2022 · 5 reviews

82 Good

40 Confidence
Levitate 3

2019 · 1 review

81 Good

32 Confidence
Levitate 2

2018 · 23 reviews

96 Excellent

93 Confidence
Levitate This shoe

2017 · 20 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

92 Confidence

Reader Ratings

20 ratings

5/5 8

4/5 10

3/5 2

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 11.3 oz
Release: 2017 Q3
MSRP: $150
Drop Height: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Levitate 1's better than 2's

5/5

Overall

I ran in the Levitate 1s (rotated with Launch 5s) and had the best season of my life. Huge PRs and no nagging injuries. I decided to get the Levitate 2s next season. The week I got them the lip of the shoe around the ankles started to crease causing a lot of pain. The original Levitates are better.

Anonymous runner · Aug 12, 2019

80 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Levitate 2

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

My favorite shoe

5/5

Overall

I found a pair of the Levitate's on the sale rack of a running store I work at. They quickly became one of my favorite shoes ever. As someone on the bigger end of runner spectrum I really appreciate a trainer that has cushioning that lasts and feels good throughout its life, I am over 350 miles and it is barely showing wear. Although it is on the heavier side I do not mind that all in a trainer, if anything it makes my spikes feel better. Even though it is heavy I would usually wear it for tempos because of the excellent energy return. I also think it is an excellent shoe to long run in, especially if you are stuck on gravel or a paved road. The cushioning and energy return in these shoes is unreal. I wear an 11.5 in Nike and my brooks were an 11, they were a little on the smaller side but I think I would pick the 11 over the 11.5. I wish Brooks didn't mess with the heal cup in the Levitate 2s because this shoe is a near perfect trainer.

goosemaster3000 · Jul 4, 2019

65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Vomero 12

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

Heavy but underrated

4/5

Overall

Got these as a maintenance milage and long run shoe. Fit narrow which I like. The TPU is springy but firm and takes its time to break in. They didn't really feel like my shoes until about 100k. They stay firm but have a nice mid foot or heel to toe transition making them usable for long miles. I suspect the smoothness and springiness make them feel lighter than they actually are; because they are heavyweights. The upper was a bit weird and I had more material on the right shoe making the fabric pucker with the laces closer together on that side. I doubt most pairs suffer this affliction. I got just over 700k out of them which a lot of milage for my shoes. The TPU on the right started to split under the forefoot and I was getting beat up on runs over 10mi so I retired them. Outsole is slippery!

Dubyah · Feb 6, 2019

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Cumulus 18