The Brooks Anthem 8 is a budget daily trainer that delivers a firm, predictable ride. It has a significantly higher stack and more cushioning than its predecessor, the Brooks Anthem 7, but the Anthem 8 is still far from a lively or plush ride. It has enough stability to be a reliable daily trainer, but it doesn't have the energy return or responsiveness to answer the call of faster paces. Runners looking for one shoe for gym sessions, errands, and easy miles without breaking the bank will find the Anthem 8 a capable companion.
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Our Verdict
The Brooks Anthem 8 is a bad shoe for marathon racing. Its sub-par cushioning offers inadequate protection for the legs, and its heft underfoot, combined with its lifeless midsole and lack of plate, means it's incapable of going the distance.
EVA midsole is lifeless, making the ride feel dull.
Much too heavy for marathon distance.
The Brooks Anthem 8 is an unremarkable shoe for 5K/10K racing. It's much too heavy to be sprightly, and though it boasts an exceptionally firm forefoot, it does little more than make it stable, with the lifeless midsole blunting any pep it could provide.
EVA midsole is lifeless, making the ride feel dull.
Significant bulk makes picking up the pace hard.
The Brooks Anthem 8 may look like a passable long run companion on paper, but that's solely down to its outstanding stability. In practice, the midsole is lifeless and inadequately cushioned, providing sub-par protection for your legs over longer efforts.
Outstanding stability makes the shoe easy to trust.
Midsole offers poor protection over longer distances.
The Brooks Anthem 8 is a good daily trainer overall. Its fantastic stability provides a trustworthy ride and keeps the foot planted remarkably well. That said, it's not a propulsive shoe by any stretch, and its protection is sub-par, so it really only suits runners who like an old-school, firm ride for their daily miles.
Outstanding stability makes the shoe easy to trust.
Old-school ride might be too harsh for some runners.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 27, 2026: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.14, which adds new lace-specific results. We've included a close-up photo of the laces, as well as details including lace type, width, thickness, and stretch. To read more about the changes, see the changelog.
- Updated Aug 26, 2026: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.13, which identifies the different foams used in the shoe's midsole. We've included a microscopic image of the foam cells to give you an idea of what the microstructure looks like. To read more about the changes, see the changelog.
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Updated Aug 07, 2026:
We've updated this review to add a link to the newly reviewed Brooks Revel 9 in the Forefoot Compression Energy Return box.
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Updated Aug 04, 2026:
We've updated the Forefoot Compression Energy Return box to add a comparison to the newly reviewed Brooks Trace 4.
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Updated Jul 30, 2026:
We've updated the Popular Comparisons section to tweak the wording and add a link to the newly reviewed HOKA Rincon 5.
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Updated Jul 21, 2026:
We've added a table to the introduction to help you easily determine if this shoe matches your needs.
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Updated Jul 08, 2026:
We updated the pros and cons in this article to provide more clarity on the shoe's main usages.
- Updated Jul 02, 2026: Review published.
- Updated Jun 29, 2026: Early access published.
- Updated Jun 15, 2026: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jun 11, 2026: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated May 26, 2026: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
We've bought and tested more than 250 running shoes. Every pair purchased with our own money, never supplied or sponsored by brands. Our data-driven tests are designed to go beyond marketing claims, and since every shoe goes through the exact same methodology, you can directly compare results to find the right pair for your needs.
Test Results
Energy Return
The Brooks Anthem 8 offers awful energy return across the midsole. The DNA Loft v2 midsole is flat and dull and returns next to nothing when compressed.
Midsole gives back hardly any energy when loaded, making the ride flat and dull.
Shoe offers terrible rebound.
Midsole doesn't reward the effort you put in.
Much like the heel, the forefoot has truly terrible energy return, making toe-off feel sluggish and the ride muted. It returns much less than other Brooks lifestyle shoes, like the Brooks Trace 4 and Brooks Revel 9.
The heel rebound in this shoe is notably terrible. The foam is lifeless and dull, returning minimal energy under compression. Though common in budget daily trainers like the Nike Downshifter 14, it still lags behind classic daily trainers like the Brooks Ghost 18.
Stability
The Brooks Anthem 8 provides outstanding stability underfoot, and this is where the shoe shines. The firm heel and forefoot, combined with the generous outsole, low stack, and semi-gusseted tongue, make for a planted and predictable ride that is easy to trust.
Firm forefoot keeps toe-off very stable.
Wide outsole offers excellent security underfoot.
The heel is one of the firmest we've tested. This makes the ride harsh, but also provides outstanding stability.
Cushioning
The Brooks Anthem 8 is a disappointingly cushioned shoe overall. Though the heel is significantly more cushioned than the forefoot, it's passable at best, and the EVA-blend foam isn't up to the task, offering sub-par protection.
Thin forefoot offers poor protection overall.
Heel cushioning inadequately absorbs impact.
The cushioning in the heel is mediocre overall. The cheap, EVA-blend midsole offers very little protection compared to shoes like the Brooks Ghost 18, and though it's passable, it still makes this a firmer, ground-feel-first experience.
Responsiveness
The Brooks Anthem 8 provides poor responsiveness overall. Despite its decently stiff forefoot and fairly assistive rocker, the inert midsole means you get very little back from the shoe overall, making for a flat and dull ride that lacks propulsion.
The midsole returns very little of the energy stored when bending.
Midsole gives back hardly any energy when loaded, making the ride flat and dull.
The Brooks Anthem 8 returns a poor amount of stored energy under bend. Because of this, toe-off is wildly inefficient, and the shoe lacks pop.
The forefoot resists load well but doesn't snap back efficiently, meaning it lacks the snappiness found in more performance-focused shoes like the 361 Flame 4, and relies on its rocker profile to drive forward motion.
The forefoot rocker has a similar profile to the heel, providing a gentle roll through toe-off and smoothing out the ride overall.
The rocker is much stiffer than the Brooks Anthem 7, keeping its shape under load to provide a more fluid, assisted experience as you roll over.
True To Size
The Brooks Anthem 8 fits mostly true to size. The length is spot on, and the forefoot has good width, but the arch is one of the narrowest we've tested to date, so runners with a wider midfoot or taller toes may want to go for the wider sizing.
Length is spot on.
Excellent forefoot width.
Supremely narrow arch.
We measured a significantly higher stack in the Brooks Anthem 8 compared to the Brooks Anthem 7. This change marks a notable departure from the shoe's identity, as it now stands much closer to classic trainers like the Brooks Ghost 18, something previous generations of the shoe seemingly avoided.
Popular Running Shoe Comparisons
The Brooks Anthem 8 is a no-frills daily trainer that suits walking and gym work as much as running. It occupies similar territory to the Nike Downshifter 14 and HOKA Rincon 5. The Brooks is the most stable, while the HOKA is lighter and much more cushioned, making it the better pick if protection is the priority. The Nike retails for much less than either, however, so it's the pick if price matters most. Within Brooks' own lineup, the Anthem 8 feels like what the Ghost line once was: firmer, simpler, and more traditional underfoot. Old wine in new skins, perhaps, but for those who want a more traditional version of the Brooks Ghost 18, the Anthem 8 is very close in spirit.
If you're looking for more options from Brooks, check out our picks for the best Brooks running shoes. If you're a beginner runner looking to buy your first pair, our best beginner running shoes article is a great place to start.
The Brooks Anthem 8 and Brooks Revel 8 are both similar shoes in Brooks' entry-level lineup, with a few distinctions. The Revel is the more nimble of the two, with a lower stack height, drop, and less cushioning overall, and though neither is deeply protective, the Revel has a much harsher ride overall. The Anthem is heavier but much more stable; however, since both shoes target lifestyle versatility in that they aim to cover walking, gym work, and some running, it comes down to which feels best for you underfoot.
The Brooks Anthem 8 is the successor to the Brooks Anthem 7 and brings with it some significant changes underfoot. Both shoes are equipped to handle a mix of running, walking, and gym work, though the Anthem 8 is the taller, higher-drop, much more cushioned shoe overall, and will suit those looking for a budget option with a modern trainer profile. The Anthem 7 is the lighter, lower shoe, geared towards those who prefer a more traditional, ground-feel-first ride.
The Brooks Revel 9 and Brooks Anthem 8 are very similar budget shoes for walking, gym work, and some running. Both have firm, low-stack rides that prioritize ground feel over rebound and impact protection, and both are very stable underfoot. The Anthem 8 is a bit cheaper and the more stable option, but its arch is very narrow. If that fit works for you, it's the better choice. If not, the Revel 9 has a more generous fit and performs very similarly.
The Brooks Anthem 8 and the Brooks Ghost 18 both belong to the same brand, but they're meant for different runners. The Ghost is the classic daily trainer, providing a more protective ride overall, and is more suited to heel strikers due to its very good cushioning in the rearfoot. The Anthem 8 is the budget option, and though more stable underfoot, it's not quite as balanced or propulsive as the Ghost overall. Both shoes can handle daily mileage, but the Ghost handles it better; however, it's significantly more expensive at full retail.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Brooks Anthem 8 in men's US size 9, as indicated on the label of our pair. The color featured on the shoe we tested is Black/Grey/Green, but you can also get the shoe in other colors, depending on the region. This shoe is available in two widths: Medium and Wide. The design section applies only to the exact model we tested, but we expect other sizes and genders to perform similarly.
