Brooks Levitate 2

Name: Brooks Levitate 2
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.7 (23 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10.6 oz · 26/18mm stack · 8mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Levitate 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Levitate 2 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 23 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the Levitate product line.

Good

Overall

Good 87

Comfort

Excellent 95

Cushioning

Very good 90

Durability

Good 89

Appearance

Good 85

Value

Decent 70

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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

95 Very high

Very high 95

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“Rubber outsole, especially in the back, wore out and started burning through the AMP foam quicker than any shoe ever owned”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride ISO 2

“Felt warm, and in downpours the shoes felt like cement blocks”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“Springy feel, lightweight, responsive”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

“Solid. Almost bulky. And yet I loved it from the minute I slipped it on”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO 2

“Only got through 150-200 miles before the integrity of the shoe was compromised”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride ISO 2

“My foot doesn't move at all”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

“Responsive and a nice ride but not too soft”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 23

“Lasted over 300 miles without any type of structural damage”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for middle distance came from the HOKA Arahi 2

“Bottom of the shoe seems to wear through rather quickly”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for middle distance came from the HOKA Arahi 2

“Tread is not great and can be slippery”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

“Held up great for all different terrain”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

“A bit clunky for faster paced running”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 16

“Very smooth heel to toe transition”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 16

“Good amount of traction but a little bit slippery on trail runs”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 17

“Wiggle room in the toe box”

5/5 Full review 26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18

“Have lost their "spring"”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

“Combo of shoe and orthotic has been optimal”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO 2

“Deceivingly stable”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 16

“Stick to a lighter less cushioned shoe for speedwork”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35

“Not the most nimble for track workouts”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“Silver sole is very unattractive”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

60% 15/25

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Runners report heavy cushioning that keeps legs fresh on long, easy miles.
Reviewers find the knit upper comfortable and secure without break-in.
Reviewers report 450 to 600 miles from a pair.

Cons

Several reviewers call it heavy at 11.2 oz and clunky at faster paces.
Three runners find traction slippery on wet roads and dirt.
Two reviewers have the outsole wear through fast, one at 150 to 200 miles.

Levitate 2 rates 87. This shoe has very high confidence. 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

62 2017 87 2018 79 2019 74 2020 78 2021 84 2022

Release year

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

Levitate 6

2022 · 5 reviews

84 Good

78 Confidence
Levitate 5

2021 · 0 reviews

78 Decent

74 Confidence
Levitate 4

2020 · 0 reviews

74 Decent

65 Confidence
Levitate 3

2019 · 1 review

79 Decent

73 Confidence
Levitate 2 This shoe

2018 · 23 reviews

87 Good

95 Confidence
Levitate

2017 · 20 reviews

62 Below average

95 Confidence

Runner Ratings

23 ratings

5/5 16

4/5 7

3/5 0

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
Men's / women's: Men's 11.2 oz · Women's 9.9 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $150
Stack: 26/18mm
Drop: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 10, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Grid 8000

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

Great shoe I will buy another

5/5

Overall

I tried on a number of shoes in the running store and instantly preferred the levitate 2. I'm from Ireland and they cost €170 so I was a bit worried about spending this much money. But I'm glad I did. The toe box is narrow but I have narrow feet and prefer a tight toe box so it suits me nicely. They are incredibly comfortable. After you tie your laces the anlke area looks like it isn't fitting your foot properly but my foot doesn't move AT All. I give the laces an extra tight pull anyway. There is a lot of lace so I tie about 4 knots. They were my only shoes for a long time so I used them for long runs as well as tempos, track work and even 5km races. I found they worked well but have since bought a more flat shoe for speed sessions and races and I can notice the difference in speed. I've owned them for under a year and have put around 600km on them and I do feel they have lost their "spring". Having said this I love the shoe and will be buying another pair.

Anonymous runner · Aug 6, 2019

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

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

Heavy But nice to run in

4/5

Overall

I really like this shoe cause it has a lot of bounce and is very comfy, however it is well known that this shoe is also very heavy.

Anonymous runner · Jul 30, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Levitate

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

Brooks levitate 2 review

4/5

Overall

I’ve only run a little bit over 100 miles in these shoes but they have been great. They have a good amount of traction but are a little bit slippery on trail runs, overall appearance is good, and they are very comfortable.

Anonymous runner · Jul 30, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 17