I have owned Brooks running shoes at various times in the past, and always appreciated their stability, cushioning, and reasonably light weight. The Ghost 5's are heir to the throne: they are very stable, and the cushioning is superior even for heavier runners (I am 6'2" and 210 lbs.) Even after a quick three miles in the Ghost 5's I had no joint pain. The only reason that I didn't give them five stars is because in my pair the right shoe seems consistently stiff in the toe box, and the join just below the lowest set of laces is irritating and is definitely more pronounced than on the left shoe (you can even feel the difference with your fingers if you run your fingers across the area inside the shoes.) I have never had this issue with any of my other shoes of any brand including my earlier Brooks models. I attribute this to a minor manufacturing variation. Despite this issue, I would recommend these shoes to anyone needing a shoe that's stable and cushions impact well.

I feel great after running in the Ghost 5's (I run about 20 miles a week, incidentally) and really appreciate Brooks' cushioning especially for the longer distance runs I do. I will not give up my ASICS Gel series shoes (I prefer my Gel Noosa 6's over anything else) but also like the Brooks Ghost 5's for longer faster runs.