It’s a completely different ride than the old segmented outsole of the Levitate 3. I feel like the outsole might cause people to love or hate this shoe. While I don’t personally feel strongly about it, it makes a big difference in how the shoe performs. As my feet swell, I typically like to move my toes around a bit and there isn’t much room to do this in the Levitate 4. This is only a minor complaint and I wouldn’t have any problems choosing to run a road ultra in this. I’ve experienced a bit of foot slap when I tried to pick up the pace, and I believe this is due to the continuous outsole and less flexible forefoot.
The Levitate 3 offers more forefoot flexibility, lending to a softer transition however it felt slower. One of my complaints about the shoe hurt false accusations quotes is it’s less breathable than its predecessor. The picture above shows how much sunlight penetrated the knit upper, and it’s not much.
The Levitate 4’s DNA AMP midsole is now 20 percent lighter and considerably springier. Combined with the new upper and outsole, it creates an amazing feeling of energy return in every stride. The arrow-point pattern in the outsole lets your foot move quickly from heel to toe, enhancing the shoe’s springy feel. DNA AMP returns energy by absorbing it as your foot hits the ground, then and sending it straight back up to you. To help runners chase down their goals, we introduced the Levitate in 2017. With incredible energy return and a super springy feel, the Levitate is the cornerstone of our Energize category, making each mile feel a little easier.
It comes with a rock plate, a reinforced upper, and a sticky rubber outsole with large lugs—all essential for taking on challenging terrain. Our 250-plus local wear-testers of various running levels, ages, and gait patterns have put in over a hundred miles testing each shoe on this list. We also run in these shoes ourselves and analyze data from our RW Shoe Lab, combing through data on past models, measuring energy return, cushioning, and flexibility. The Brooks Levitate 3 Mens Running Shoes feature a DNA AMP midsole for superb energy return with a flexible arrow point pattern on the outsole designed for lightning fast transitions.
As with the speed workouts, I’ve experienced the same forefoot slap when running downhill. I attribute this to the same outsole issue from the track. While the shoe is suitable for speed work, don’t expect it to feel light and fast.
