Light and Plush: Brooks PureFlow 2 Make for a Cushy and Fast Run

Light-weight WITH cushioning? You’ve outdone yourself, Brooks Running.

Lightweight or cushy. Quick or plush. Barely there or soft and springy. In years past, it seems that you either pick one camp or another for your running shoes: minimalist OR comfortable. Kind of like whether you want to drive a Fiesta or a Lincoln Town Car. After all, it’s kind of hard to have a fully plush experience when you’re just looking to stay light and get in as many miles as you can. But that’s the crazy thing about Brooks Running’s PureFlow 2; it’s both. It’s light! It’s plush! It’s springy! And it’s flexible with plenty of push-off from your toes and a mid-sole that lets your natural gait shine.

Per our Brooks Running blog ambassador relationship (objective, non-paid review here though!), we were sent a pair of PureFlow 2s to try (in the purple color shown above — sooo cute!), and we were seriously smitten. The company says that its “BioMoGo DNA” midsole is how they provide runners with that cushy feel without added materials. We’re not exactly sure what that means, but we dig it. Because just after a few strides in these, we were, like, “WOW.” They seriously feel so light and fast and yet luxuriously plush — the best of both running-shoe worlds. And like the other shoes from the PureProject line, they’re lightweight but will hold up for about 250 to 300 miles.

Which is good. Because we plan to run the sh*t out of them.

For $100, you can’t go wrong with these shoes. If you’ve been wanting to try a lighter, more “minimalist” running shoe but don’t want to compromise a cushy ride, we dare you to not fall in love with them. Double-dog dare ya.

Anyone else running in the PureFlow 2? As amazed as we are? —Jenn