The third factor isn’t easily apparent, but it significantly reduces the top-down pressure right around the last two rows of eyelets. The Transcend 3 has a firmer tongue flap than the T2 – the tongue-top loop moves towards the rearfoot by a couple of lacing rows. However, the latest rendition combines better placement of GuideRails onto newly formulated DNA midsole material, with a super-supportive yet not-so-restrictive upper, all of which is softer and more flexible without sacrificing necessary support.

Brooks even replaced the medial post Rollbar with GuideRails on their beloved Adrenaline GTS 19 last summer. I can't attest with the light trail but I did run in some grass/dirt during my runs and the same testament of great grip was true. Not for warm daysThe stability here is not for severe pronation but more for those who just would like a little extra support some days. Transcend 7 needs 20+ miles to break in 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. 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. The Transcend did not slip or slide as I plodded through snow and ran over wet roads. I also felt more support as a heel striker, which could be in regards to the shoe’s new offset.

I knew right away that I made the right decision to go up a half size from what I ran in for Transcend 4. The length is true, to slightly small, to size, but the width is narrow. 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. 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. First walking around in Transcend 6 felt almost like flopping on those old waterbeds: Ooh, soft—but watch out for the wood frame! We don’t particularly like this new feel of under-arch reinforcement. We’ve put over 40 miles on the Transcend 3, which included a single 15 miler. During that run, we felt that the pronounced under-arch support was too much of a good thing.

Transcend’s offset is 10mm, compared with Adrenaline’s 12, and Transcend features a full-length DNA LOFT midsole: it’s more plush and weighs about half-ounce more. Medial posts have proven unhelpful; GuideRails are the brand’s latest innovation, to begin again at the beginning with the basic design of a shoe, and change what had become industry standard for “stability. Launched in 2010, DNA is a cushioning technology that is also present in most of Brooks’ running shoes. 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.

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. 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 Transcend 3 (on right) has an exaggerated heel edge angle. This is clearly noticeable during runs, compared to the subdued edge of the T2.(left)This confused most of the runners who were expecting a Brooks Trance update, because the Transcend was anything but.