Over the last 18 months I have been dealing with an Achilles injury. Through some ups and downs, I have been able to get back to normal training but it has made me super cautious when trying new shoes out. It feels like not all that long ago I could slip on any pair, no matter the drop, stack height, plate or midsole and hit the road. Now, I am much more thoughtful and careful as to what makes the cut in my rotation or even to try out. One of the consistent characteristics in whatever I wore, was higher drop and limited rocker. I do believe my injury stemmed from wearing too aggressive of rocker shoes with too low a drop. So, most of 2025 was in pretty dull shoes when you look at where and how brands are now making models. In my mix of shoes there was one model that stood out from the rest, the Brooks Hyperion Max 3.
On paper, it should not have worked for me. It had a 6mm drop, which is the absolute lowest I tend to go these days, it had a nylon speedboard, it was fast, rolled you along and was quicker than any other shoes I was wearing. For whatever reason, it just worked for me. In fact, I was two weeks out from a marathon in the fall (before another injury setback) and I had planned on racing in the Hyperion Max. I would gladly run with the extra weight and lack of carbon plate that I was used to racing in for the confidence I had in them.
Over the last few years, Brooks tended to be one of the brands I feel in love with a model, than hated the update. On our YoutTube channel, I have named several Brooks shoes my favorite shoe of the year. From the Ghost Max to even the Glycerin Max I had amazing runs, great energy return, good durability and overall great experiences in these models. But when their updates came along, I hated them. They moved too far from where they had been, or they changed too little and other brands passed them in technology and innovation. So, needless to say, I was ready but dubious for version 4.
When I pulled my shiny new Brooks Hyperion Max 4’s out of the box and compared them to my 3’s, I really did not see too much change. The upper looked pretty similar, the midsole stats looked identical in the catalog, even the plate positioning and components did not update. I thought this was going to be a pretty tame update.
When I got them on and to the track, I actually was kind of disappointed. They immediately felt heavier. When examining them closer, the extra weight seemed to be from the added cushion around the heel. In fact, the shoe is listed 1mm lower to the ground but just putting the on it felt a bit heavier and even clunkier. Never a good adjective in shoes. Even during my first mile I felt a tad of a letdown in them. However, as the run progressed, so did my appreciation of them. My first mile was faster than it felt and my last mile was my fastest so far this year. Once I settled into the shoe, and not so much on top of the shoe, it felt extremely smooth. That was always how I found version 3 as well, smooth. Smooth through all paces, which can be a challenge. I have shoes that I can plod in that are smooth but they are a mess when the pace picks up. I have shoes that feel so fast and efficient on short stuff but are too light, low cushion or even have the ability to run at daily paces. The Hyperion Max 3 is a real gem in it’s ability to be there for every speed in your repertoire. Especially if you’re looking for a shoe for marathon season. I think this shoe truly shines on a ten plus mile road run with some quicker miles in the middle. It can be a your best shoe for your fall races for anything 10k and over and it will certainly be in heavy rotation and I get ready for some fall races.
One note on the fit. I was glad they still had the same upper concept with it’s unique stretchy band that locks the top of your shoe in place when you slip it on. It feels like a Nascar driver getting secured into their car. You are strapped in and the shoe feels like its part of your foot. Shoes with different step ins are always vulnerable to the masses hating it but Brooks did a great job of having a unique fit that is universally liked. I was glad that stayed. It also fits very true to size and never bothers my bunions, which is rare.
Overall, I am a happy camper in version 4. It’s not crazy different from version 3 from a lot of metrics. I would have liked to have seen a new midsole introduced or even a different outsole pattern just to feel like a $200 investment was justified instead of hunting down cheaper version3’s. That said, I had one of my best runs in awhile in the Brooks Hyperion Max 4. I am glad I settled into them and happy to have a new pair of 4’s to take over their rightful spot in my rotation.
