Exactly 1.5 year ago, I bought the Brooks Mazama 2 trail running shoes. I have great memories of the Mazamas. The first edition of the Brooks Mazama got me into trail running, and I was a big fan of the brand and the shoes. When after many kilometers the first edition of the Mazama’s broke down due to excessive wear, I was happy to find out that Brooks had a new edition, the Mazama 2, which is what this experience report is about.
Brooks Mazama 2
To start with, the Brooks Mazama 2 were one of the best shoes I ever ran in. They look great, and the form factor, the material, the fit, the sole, all of it was great for my feet. I’ve used the Mazamas to run in mud, on rocks, in water, on the beach, and the Mazama is an all round great shoe.
There’s one catch though: the shoe is no longer being made. There’s also no Mazama 3 follow up, which to me, is a bit of a disappointment. We’ve contacted Brooks on this matter, and according to them:
“The best comparison to the Mazama is the Catamount, this is a new shoe that’s only available on our online store currently“ — Brooks Facebook support
Unfortunately, these shoes aren’t similar at all, and instead I went for the Brooks Cascadia 15 (spoiler: the worst shoes I’ve ever ran in, and my feet hurt while even thinking about those shoes. I’ll write a review soon!)
The Brooks Mazama lasted quite a long time. I’ve been running in them on a weekly basis (around 30 kilometers per week), and I ran more than a 1000 kilometers in them, mostly on rocky surfaces, which mostly explains why the sole is, well, gone. The control provided by the Mazama was excellent, and given the surfaces we run on, resulted in zero injuries, despite several unfortunate missteps. However, the shoes were forgiving in that.
As you can see in the photos, the exterior of the shoe is mostly intact, besides the sole and the holes in the side, which was an issue that the original Mazama were suffering from too. The laces are amazing and look almost as new.
Saucony
Since Brooks no longer sells the Mazama 2 and given my recent experiences with the other Brooks shoes, I’ve decided to drop Brooks completely, and it will be a hard sell to ever get me to run in a Brooks shoe again. I’m currently running in Saucony shoes, which lack the design of the Brooks (I think these are my ugliest shoes ever), but so far, the control and comfort is good enough.
So, so long Brooks. The journey has been great and it’s a shame to see you go, but the race continues, and I’ve found my new partner in the Saucony.
2 comments
1000km is great going. I’ve had mixed results with my last 2 pairs. I got over 920km from my Salomon Sense Ride 3 (happy with that and have bought them again) but got only 350km from my Altra Duo before ripped all around the toe area (I used them on the light trail, so was disappointed with them breaking down so easily). I’ve never run in Brooks, might give them a go next time I see a good sale.
Well, frankly, after a 1000km, the top of the shoes are fine (except for the expected wear and tear) but the sole is completely gone. Thanks for suggesting the Sense Ride 3, I’ll look into that. Currently, my road runners are Brooks Adrenaline GTS 21, which are light, fast, and a really good fit, and my trail runners are the Saucony Peregrines. Very decent shoes, but they’ll finish last in a beauty competition!