Discontinued · road · Daily / Recovery · $200
Brooks' experimental DNA Loft v3 nitrogen shoe with a wild rocker.
Built for daily, recovery, at a target pace of 8:00–11:00 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Brooks Glycerin Max 2.
Brooks tuned this midsole very soft (5/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 38 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as lively at 3/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 350 miles from the outsole, about $0.57 per mile at $200.
For the foams and plates Brooks uses across its line, read the Brooks brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
255 g / 9.0 oz
20 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
38 mm
2 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$200
40 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
5 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~350 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Brooks line it is lighter than the brand's median (283 g / 10.0 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Mount to Coast R2(2025)
250 g / 8.8 oz · 40 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $190
Softer, higher-stack road-ultra trainer with pressure-free lacing.
Saucony Hurricane 26
262 g / 9.2 oz · 41 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $170
Plush max-stack stability trainer on incrediLUX foam.
Mizuno Neo Zen
240 g / 8.5 oz · 40 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $165
Soft, flexible Enerzy Lite+ ride with a natural, low-drop feel.
New Balance Fresh Foam X Ellipse
272 g / 9.6 oz · 40 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Soft, rounded easy-day cruiser built for relaxed cruising miles.