Brooks Levitate

A Review by J McLelland

Have you ever dreamed of flying – of saying, “Take that, gravity! As you gently float into the atmosphere?”

I know I have. Truthfully, it’s one of those childhood dreams that never went away. But alas, gravity remains as insurmountable as when I was a young hobbit, as I still spend the overwhelming majority of my time cozied up to the ground.

But let me tell you – I found the next best thing to flying. It’s called the Brooks Levitate 3. (Because levitating is like flying’s third cousin, right?)

My family owns a shoe store, so you might say I’ve owned a pair or two of quality shoes. I’m also something of a fitness junkie, with multiple marathons under my belt and an Ironman Competition on the near horizon.

I’ve worn through more shoes than whole villages in some parts of the world (horribly sad, but true. Click here if you’d like to help change this). I’ve tried Brooks, Asics, Altra, Hoka’s… you name it. If it has laces and provides a layer of material between foot and earth – I’ve probably worn it.

What’s my point? That I know shoes, and that I need great shoes to support my active lifestyle. So when I tell you that a shoe is worth the investment – trust me. My sensitive feet don’t lie.

Today I want to tell you about the Brooks Levitate 3. This shoe doesn’t quite satisfy my childhood dream of flying, but let me tell you, it’s pretty close.

Its dynamic. It’s springy. It’s fashionable enough for a Victoria Secret Fashion Show (seriously, I get compliments every time I wear it). It feels good. I feel good while wearing it.... Truly truly, this shoe is the bomb.com. 

Now enough with my ravings. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Performance – 4.2/5

I’ve put 118.19 miles on this shoe over the previous 8 weeks (that’s ~15 miles per week, for those keeping score). And – as with any Brooks running shoe – the Levitate feels substantially better today than it did 72 miles ago.

Isn’t that fun – you know – that your shoes become increasingly comfortable the more you wear them? (This is a trademark of quality shoes).

Brooks claims this shoe will “energize” your run. Honestly, I was initially skeptical about this, which is partially why I wanted to try the Levitate in the first place.

After 72 miles, I can confirm that Brooks was telling the truth. The Levitate is highly springy. It gives zest to your longer aerobic runs; it performs well during speed training sessions, and it has gotten more and more comfortable along the way. I fully anticipate this trend to continue for the next 300-400 miles.

All in all, I’m highly impressed with this shoe’s performance. I give it 4.2 out of 5 stars.

Bear in mind I very, VERY seldom award 5 stars on anything.

3.0 is my norm.

So 4.2 – that’s pretty doggone high.

Fashion – 4.8/5

For men, Brooks offers the Levitate in five different colors (but only three for women…. How does that make sense?). The color-offering ranges from boringly-neutral to wildly-colorful. And since I fancy myself the colorful sort – I naturally opted for the most colorful option.

The results have been incredible. The Levitate buys compliments like some people bought toilet paper before the pandemic. Three times I was asked out. Twice was I called an inspiration. More than once did I catch someone’s lingering eye.

Ok.

Maybe I’m exaggerating. But for real --- these shoes are compliment machines. Perhaps a story is in order.

On my second run, I was running around Troutman when I passed a little boy riding his bicycle. He was a cute little fella – reminded me of Opie Taylor.

Anyway. As I was running by, the little boy – who was about 20 feet away – yelled at me, “Your shoes look so cool!”

I promptly told him “thank you” and proceeded on with the rest of my run – feeling like superman the whole time.

Overall – 9/10

All in all, I give this shoe a 9/10. Its springy. Its stylish. I wouldn’t bat an eye before wearing it to a party, and it has held up well with my ironman training.

All in all, if you are in the market for a new pair of running shoes, the Levitate is a great option.

And besides… any shoe that inspires a little boy to complement a complete stranger is probably pretty special.

Until next time, my friends.