The GTS or ‘Go To Support’ models in the Brooks range offer additional stability through the use of GuideRails technology. GuideRails is a holistic support system that allows your body to embrace its natural motion path while limiting excess motion. The Transcend 3’s Guide rail rim and the lower midsole are now co-molded instead of being glued together. So all that saved glue seemed to find its way in form of smudges over the shoe. Unlike most traditional support shoes which depend on a dual density midsole design, the original Transcend aimed to deliver a supportive ride by means of an ultra wide midsole topped off with ‘Guide Rails’. This was the name of a firmer EVA rim which sat over the midsole periphery. The care and attention devoted to running shoe development carries across to all other Brooks products. Brooks clothing and Brooks run bras are made with distraction-free comfort in mind, using fabrics and technologies which are chafe free, creep free and constriction free – to keep you moving in comfort. The Brooks Run Visible collection is a family of high-contrast reflective gear that makes it easier for drivers to see you when you are running in the dark.

The Guide rails cups the rearfoot and flares out under the midfoot as supportive structure, and hence the name – guiding the foot through transitions. The midsole is the Brooks SuperDNA midsole foam compound – incidentally the 2014 Transcend was the first to feature it. It looks and feels like an EVA variant with some other compound blended in.Hence on the Transcend 3, you get the sensation that the Guide Rail is right under the arch, as opposed to the subtler feel of the Transcend 1 and 2’s rearfoot biased Guide rail. As your foot strikes the ground, the segments work together to customize your individual lay down to provide the right amount of cushion and seamless heel-to-toe transition for you – making the most of all that effort you put into each stride. Guide Rails A lot has changed on the Transcend 3. The upper is much more spacious, and we suspect that Brooks has used a different last than of the T1 and T2. Besides the evidently more relaxed upper fit, the reverse side of the insole has a different marking. It now says BP-104 instead of the BP-106 of the T1 and T2 insoles. We could be wrong, but usually these are numbers identifying the last (fit profile) of the shoe.

Launched in 2008, BioMoGo is the material found in virtually all Brooks midsoles. Due to its formulation, BioMoGo is completely bio-degradable. While a standard EVA foam will take approximately 1,000 years to fully degrade in a landfill, BioMoGo can biodegrade in roughly 20 years when placed in the same environment. A 3D Fit-Print saddle over the midfoot applies stretch and structure to the stretch-bootie-lined Double Jacquard Mesh body of the shoe.In comparison, the Transcend 3 feels very lumpy. Brooks has replaced the flat midfoot outsole design with raised lugs, and ditto for the forefoot. And this is partly why we said that the shoe loses its ‘Transcend-ness’. The hallmark of the T1 and T2 was its smooth ride, and Brooks has messed with that this year for no good reason. When I run, I compress the inside (medial) part of the midsole. Holding my foot firmly in place, on top of the midsole doesn’t change that – it doesn’t stop my weight being biased to the medial side? Brooks’ signature shoe cushioning technologies include DNA Loft, Brooks softest midsole material and DNA Amp, Brooks springiest midsole material. With their new nitrogen-infused DNA Loftv3 foam (found in the Glycerin franchise), Brooks were able to develop something that’s softer, lighter and more responsive - delivering on all fronts.

Another excellent, in-depth review, exploring all elements – you really know what you are talking about (except the ‘medial post is rubbish’ thing!). Isaac Newton is the 17th century English scientists that brought to us the laws of motion, universal gravitation and coincidentally is the name of a competing running shoe company.

Key Features

Singular in their pursuit since the turn of the millennium, Brooks has developed into a brand that’s known and loved for helping runners to ‘Run Happy’. A mantra that goes against the grain of competitive, faster, further – to celebrate the joy of running and champion diversity and inclusivity in the running community. At 10.7oz/303g, the Brooks Transcend 7 offers solid support but it is a bit heavier compared to most support shoes (weigh 10.3oz/293g on average).

Brooks maintained support in this upper while stripping away the overlay stripes that made Transcend 4 so unbreak-in-able, for me, which were partially maintained into the 5. Brooks claims that DNA is the first cushioning technology that dynamically adapts with each foot strike to the ever-changing amount of force placed on the foot during the run. No matter what the age, weight, gender, gait… DNA adapts itself to deliver the right amount of cushioning. Since the Transcend (still) does not offer an optional sizing width, a spacious upper might actually be a good thing. This is a reason for wide-footed runners to be happy about. On the flip side, Transcend loyalists who loved its ultra snug and supportive upper will find the T3 wanting in that aspect.Brooks might argue that is how it’s supposed to be (to ‘minimize stress on joints’, they say) but to us it felt like the under heel area is missing a chunk of foam. The Transcend 1 and 2’s heel was curved enough; the Transcend 3 is overdoing it. Transcend is Brooks’ attempt to build a shoe focused beyond the feet: to the knees, and 2019 bring us a new and improved model, now with a 10mm drop, up from 8mm in past models. I jumped right in with the shoe but they really didn't feel fluid and comfortable until after about 20 miles. They are very stiff at first but free up after some break-in time. All that said, here comes the downer – the Brooks Transcend 3 is our least favorite of all Transcend models so far.