Brooks Hyperion Max Introduction

The Brooks Hyperion Max is part of the Hyperion line at Brooks aimed at faster running.

All of these shoes are infused with DNA Flash foam, which is ultra-lightweight and meant to rebound quickly to help you transition from stride to stride.

The Hyperion Max has the higher stack height when compared to the Hyperion or Hyperion Tempo.

For those who like the Hyperion Tempo but felt like they needed a different shoe for longer efforts, the Hyperion Max falls in place there.

The Hyperion Elite 3 is the carbon-plated shoe in this line and has a very slightly higher stack height as a result.

This shoe uses Rapid Roll technology to help “rock” your foot from heel-to-toe, theoretically helping to make that transition smoother and faster.

The higher stack height helps make this shoe more comfortable for longer efforts. Because of the light weight and the DNA Flash foam, this shoe is also marketed to be able to handle faster, interval work as well.

It currently retails for $169.95, which is $30 and $40 more than the Hyperion and Hyperion Tempo. For a shoe that can handle most any workout, that extra bit might be worth it if you’re not trying to rotate shoes.

Brooks Hyperion Max First Impressions

When I first pulled this shoe out of the box, my eyes immediately went to the heel area of the sole unit. It makes this shoe look so fast.

At 7.5 oz for my size 9 shoes, I was very impressed by the lack of weight as this looked like it would be heavier because of the midsole height.

Slipping on the shoe was fine and the laces were normal. I took the shoe out for intervals for the first workout.

A few simple 800s followed by some 200s on the track. The shoe felt good overall but it didn’t feel fast. The rocker technology took me a little bit to get used to on that first run.

Overall, the shoe was fine but I didn’t necessarily love it for those intervals.

Brooks Hyperion Max Upper

The upper is made of mesh and other engineered woven materials. It is very breathable and handled the North Carolina summer heat very well.

The fit overall is true to size in terms of length and width. The tongue is not attached and is made of lightweight materials.

There were no obvious rubbing spots for me. The laces were great and held together as a single knot for all of my runs. The opening of the shoe is fine although some with slightly wider feet might have some difficulty quickly slipping it on.

The only weird part of the fit is that this shoe is not the easiest to slip off.

Those of us that use our other foot to help slip off a shoe won’t be able to do that here because there’s very little to grasp at the heel. Not a huge deal, just something that takes an adjustment.

Brooks Hyperion Max Sole Unit

The sole unit of this shoe is what makes this shoe unique. The DNA Flash foam is generously spread throughout the midsole, but it’s not the softest foam out there.

There’s very little bounce to it and very little cushion to it. You definitely know right away that it’s a firmer midsole yet very gentle on the ride. As mentioned above, the Rapid Roll technology that is used gives this a rocker shape to help promote faster transitions.

It takes a little getting used to. If you want to take full advantage of the ride, you really need to adjust some of your stride to land more in the midfoot so that the shoe can help you roll to the toe-off.

The outsole is made of green rubber and had plenty of traction even on wet pavements. After 55 miles, there was very little wear on the outsole which would suggest that this shoe will last like most daily trainers would.

Brooks Hyperion Max Conclusions

The Brooks Hyperion Max was a great daily trainer for me but it lacked severely when it came to doing more speedier sessions. I found myself wanting more bounce from the midsole.

At $170, I would want more bounce and speed. I do think that it feels comfortable on daily runs and longer efforts.

I did like the shoe for longer tempo or threshold efforts as well because there’s more comfort and it’s lighter than your typical daily trainer.

I’m probably only reaching for this shoe for those longer runs where I’m going to pick up the pace for a portion of it or longer tempo efforts.

I do think that there are people who will use this shoe for everything: daily trainers, speed work, tempo runs, and races. For those folks, this shoe is worth every penny.