The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is a solid stability trainer with dedicated support features for over-pronators. Raised sidewalls extending from the heel to the midfoot act as guide rails to prevent excessive pronation, and the midsole is sculpted to be relatively soft and cushioned toward the interior of your foot, but much firmer on both the lateral and medial sides, in order to guide your foot into a neutral position. In both fit and feel, the Adrenaline GTS 25 is quite similar to the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24, and it maintains the Adrenaline GTS line's character as a beginner-friendly shoe, offering a consistent and secure ride, but with very little bounce. It's the Honda Civic of running shoes: a popular, dependable model that offers few surprises and little excitement, but gets the job done.
Our Verdict
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is a poor choice for marathon racing. The already mediocre cushioning becomes even less protective over long distances, and the limited energy return from the midsole will make each step feel even more labored as your legs fatigue.
Bulky and heavy.
Cushioning bottoms out too quickly.
Limited energy return.
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is a sub-par shoe for shorter races. It's heavy for a running shoe, and its relatively rigid structure is designed to neutralize problematic strike patterns rather than add any spring to your step.
Bulky and heavy.
Limited energy return.
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 has very bad energy return. The DNA Loft midsole has little bounce, so the ride feels flat but controlled. The firmness of the posts pushing your foot from the medial side also contributes to a sensation of being bounced sideways rather than forward.
Limited energy return.
Landings feel dull and flat.
The cushioning in the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 isn't bad, but this isn't the softest shoe. The heel is decently cushioned, but the comparatively steep heel-to-toe drop leaves much less stack, and thus much less protection, in the forefoot.
Decent protection under the heel.
Cushioning bottoms out too quickly.
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is a very stable shoe. The flared midsole helps accentuate an already wide base, creating a broad landing platform, especially under the heel. Rising up from this platform are guide rails that wrap from heel to midfoot to counter any side-to-side movement. The exceptionally firm forefoot also ensures a solid, planted feel when pushing off.
Very wide outsole platform.
Very firm forefoot.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We purchased and tested this shoe in a men's US size 9, as shown here on the label of our pair. The pair shown here is the White/Black/White colorway, and the shoe is available in a variety of other colorways depending on your region. This shoe is available in a variety of widths, ranging from 2A (Women's Narrow), B (Women's Medium) to D (Women's Wide; Men's Medium), 2E (Men's Wide; Women's Extra Wide), and 4E (Men's Extra Wide). The design section applies only to the exact model we tested, but we expect other sizes and gender variants to perform similarly.
Popular Running Shoe Comparisons
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is a traditional stability shoe with a combination of dedicated support features like sidewalls and medial post, integrated into an inherently stable midsole platform. It's an incredibly popular shoe among novice runners and those who struggle with overpronation because it manages to ensure a stable and controlled ride, while still feeling reasonably comfortable. That said, it's very much a classic stability shoe, in the same class as the Nike Structure 26 and the ASICS GEL-KAYANO 32; it's designed to correct over-pronation rather than to enhance propulsion. While this is fine for runners who are primarily looking for support from a stability shoe, there are alternatives like the Saucony Hurricane 25 and Saucony Tempus 2 that pair mild stability features with a more performance-oriented design. For runners who don't need overpronation correction, but who still want a shoe with good structural stability, the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 is an example of a shoe that has great inherent stability.
Within Brooks' daily trainer lineup, the Adrenaline GTS is the main stability trainer. The Brooks Ghost 17 is a classic daily trainer that has the same DNA Loft foam as the Adrenaline, but without any medial post. The Brooks Glycerin 22 is a premium daily trainer that has softer DNA Tuned foam in its midsole for a livelier, more forgiving ride. There's also a GTS (Go To Stability) version of the Glycerin, which incorporates the same support features into the softer midsole of the Glycerin.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best running shoes, as well as the best running shoes for men and the best running shoes for women. If you're after shoes well-suited for long runs, check out our recommendations for the best long-distance running shoes.
The Brooks Ghost 17 and the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 share more similarities than differences: they both have a rather firm DNA Loft midsole, and thus similar levels of cushioning and energy return (or lack thereof). Both are built on a broad, stable platform, but the Adrenaline GTS goes further with dedicated support features, including a medial post, to correct overpronation. The Adrenaline also has a more pronounced heel-to-toe drop, so while both shoes are more suited to heel-strikers, the GTS 25 gives you practically no choice but to land on the backfoot.
The Brooks Glycerin 22 and the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 are two of the brand's best-selling shoes, each targeting slightly different runners. The Adrenaline GTS 25 is a dedicated stability shoe with multiple support features, including a medial post and guide rails, to combat over-pronation. Its firmer midsole further reduces any unsteadiness. The Glycerin 22, meanwhile, is a neutral daily trainer with better cushioning and an overall livelier midsole. The Adrenaline GTS 25 remains a solid choice for beginner runners who feel unsteady in their stride, while the Glycerin 22 is a more comfortable shoe, especially for heel strikers.
The ASICS GEL-KAYANO 32 and the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 are two classic stability trainers that incorporate a variety of support features to correct over-pronation. The Brooks shoe has a higher heel-to-toe drop and a much greater disparity in the levels of cushioning, with a heel that's slightly more protective than the ASICS shoe, but a forefoot that's much harsher. Neither shoe is very lively, as both are focused on a stable, controlled ride, but the Adrenaline GTS 25 does return energy slightly better.
The ASICS GT-2000 14 and the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 present two different approaches for a stability trainer to correct stride patterns. The Brooks shoe is a bit more intrusive in its approach, with a firm medial post that guides your foot back into a neutral position if you over-pronate. The GT-2000 14 takes a softer approach, with a pod of springier foam on the medial side that is meant to bounce your foot back to neutral if it rolls inward. Neither shoe does much to bounce your foot forward, although the ASICS shoe does have better energy return.
We've recently started buying and testing running shoes with a very data-oriented approach. While we're just getting started, our methodology already has dozens of tests to help you make the right purchasing decision for your needs. Not only do we use high-end equipment to gather objective data, but we also order multiple sizes of the same shoes for team members to be able to log in miles. This real-world testing is done at various paces and conditions, and with different types of workouts, to cover all the bases. This allows us to verify our results and ensure they align with what you might feel with a specific pair.
Test Results
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 weighs almost exactly the same as the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24. It's in the same weight class as other stability trainers, like the Nike Structure 26 or ASICS GEL-KAYANO 32, although much heavier than the Saucony Tempus 2, a more performance-oriented stability trainer.
While Brooks has reduced the heel-to-toe drop in their other daily trainers, the Adrenaline GTS 25 maintains a very steep drop. This is fine for heel strikers, but it will likely get in the way of mid to forefoot strikers.
The heel of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 doesn't give much energy back. The midsole is sculpted to pop your foot back into a neutral position if you over-pronate rather than to propel you forward onto your toes.
The forefoot of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 has similarly awful energy return. If you're expecting a springy push-off, you'll be disappointed.
The cushioning in the heel of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is satisfactory for most heel strikers, as it absorbs shock well, even under heavier loads. It sits solidly among other stability shoes like the Nike Structure 26, the Saucony Tempus 2, and the ASICS GEL-KAYANO 32 in its ability to protect your heel from impact.
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 has disappointing forefoot cushioning. It's not bad at easy paces, but turns harsh and brick-like if you apply more force.
The heel of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 isn't excessively firm, and under lighter loads, it's more malleable than its predecessor, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24, but as the applied force increases, the 25 is actually much firmer than the 24.
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25's forefoot is exceptionally firm, even for a stability shoe. This firmness helps keep your foot stable as you plant and push off, but it can quickly start to feel harsh.
The cushioning in the forefoot of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 doesn't start out impressive, and it quickly deteriorates, becoming much less protective after the first 10 kilometers. Runners wanting to do long runs but needing some stability features would be much better served by the ASICS GEL-KAYANO 32 or the Saucony Hurricane 25.