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

awesome shoe!!!!

5/5

Overall

i absolutely love the brooks levitate 2’s...i’m a d1 college runner and they are awesome for me because running in only nike shoes just doesn’t quite work for me. i’m a big cushioning girl and so these have a ton of cushion- if you don’t like that, you might not like these as much. on my shorter runs when i get a new pair, i do feel the turbo boost/efficiency boost thing they talk about, but besides that i don’t notice it much. have not had a serious injury (or even really much of a minor one) since i’ve been in these shoes - highly recommend!!

Anonymous runner · Jul 10, 2019

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 880v8

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

Comfortable out of the box

5/5

Overall

Was having serious top of the foot pain leading up to a half marathon. Bought these shoes from a running store one week before my race. Wore them on two short runs before the half and they saved me. No idea on the durability yet, but otherwise they are fabulous.

Anonymous runner · Jul 7, 2019

15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

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

Good cushion

5/5

Overall

Very good cushioning for knee pain.

Anonymous runner · Jul 7, 2019

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

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

Brooks levitate 2, 3rd pair

5/5

Overall

After spending years in a brooks stability shoe, I tried the brooks levitate 1 at a sponsored run. Loved the springy feel, lightweight, responsive so I was sold! I had been wearing heavy shoe for pronaters but guess who hasn’t had a single knee issue in this neutral shoe! By the time I needed my next pair, the brooks levitate 2 had been launched. I was a little ambivalent about the knitted sock-like opening as I have a narrower foot and I wondered if it could be tied and fit comfortably without a traditional padded tongue and heel opening but it was fine. The seemless shoe body is great and doesn’t buckle around a narrower foot as others will do and I like the wiggle room in the toe box. I am a total offender in the “kick off shoes from the heel without untying” department but no can do in this shoe ! I will say it is best for road and side of the path dirt trail as the tread is not great and can be slippery. I train and run in full and half marathons and it’s been great.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18