Discontinued · road · Daily / Tempo · $100
The Pure Project's flexible, low-drop natural trainer.
Built for daily, tempo, at a target pace of 7:30–10:00 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is Altra Experience Flow.
Brooks tuned this midsole balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is moderate — comfortable and predictable rather than bouncy. 24 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. 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 low 4 mm drop encourages a midfoot landing and keeps the ankle working through a fuller range. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. The forefoot flexes easily, so the shoe adapts to slower, shorter strides. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.33 per mile at $100.
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
235 g / 8.3 oz
40 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
24 mm
12 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
4 mm
2 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$100
60 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
3 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~300 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Brooks line it is lighter than the brand's median (283 g / 10.0 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 6
210 g / 7.4 oz · 23 mm · 3 mm drop · — · $110
Low, nimble shoe balancing ground feel with a touch of cushion.
Altra Escalante 5(2025)
275 g / 9.7 oz · 24 mm · 0 mm drop · — · $140
Knit, flexible and natural — Altra's springy minimalist-leaning daily.
Hoka Solimar 2
227 g / 8.0 oz · 29 mm · 5 mm drop · — · $110
Simple, light and affordable — a lower-stack entry point to Hoka.
Altra Motiv FLX
302 g / 10.7 oz · 28 mm · 4 mm drop · — · $125
Entry-price low-drop trainer on Altra's new SmoothStride foam.