Brooks Catamount 2 Review

Brooks released the original Catamount way back in Summer of 2020, and it came into their lineup as a lightweight lower stack height racing shoe that featured nitrogen infused foam. Back in 2020 I was instantly interested in this shoe but at $160 I thought it was a bit high priced for what it was. Little did I know that a few short years later I would look at $160 shoes as a bargain price for a newly released shoe. A few months ago, I got my hands on a heavily discounted pair of the original Catamount, and it became one of my favorite go to shoes for shorter fast days. It has a firm feel, and the upper secures the foot well for a great lockdown. It is the type of shoe that feels very secure when running over very technical terrain at speed.

Upper:

The Catamount 2 is a very different shoe from the first one, but mostly in a good way. The fit of the upper is a bit more forgiving. What Brooks has done very well on this version is keep the same secure heal and midfoot fit while opening the toe box to give a lot more comfort to the fore foot. Just like the original, the upper drains well in water and the breathability is fantastic. I found times on runs where I could feel cool air blowing right though the toe box to keep my feet nice and cool. They are so breathable that it might be to their detriment in cooler weather.

Midsole:

The midsole is excellent the second version. The DNA Flash nitrogen infused foam seems to be softer than the first version of the shoe. It has a stack height of 30mm in the heel and 24mm in the toe for a 6mm drop. This adds 4mm of foam front to back, and that is very much appreciated. The midsole on the first version was very good, but this new midsole really brings a lot more potential to the shoe and the potential uses for the shoe.

Outsole:

Outsoles on trail running shoes is a touchy subject. The most important factor for me is grip on wet surfaces. Typically, I will preference a shoe with Vibram Mega Grip on it over all other shoes, but there are a few brands that have good rubber, and Brooks is one of those. The Catamount 2 has almost a full coverage outsole with just one small patch of open foam toward the center of the shoe. It features well-spaced 3mm lugs. I have seen some complaint that these lugs could stand to be a couple millimeters higher to deal better with muddier runs. Personally, I have taken them on a variety of runs in all conditions over the 65 miles of running I’ve done in them so far, and found they performed great. Most importantly, the grip was on par with Mega Grip.

Summary:

The Catamount 2 is a great all-around trail runner. I can see myself using this shoe primarily as a training workhorse. It would also be a great shoe for races up to the 50 mile distance, and at $170, I think the price is actually about right for what you get .