Hoka Arahi 9 vs Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25
Two shoes people weigh up against each other constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from the same database that drives the Shoe Finder quiz, with nothing added by hand. The short version: the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 has the higher heel at 10mm against 8mm.
Side by side
| Hoka Arahi 9 | Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £140 RRP | £145 RRP |
| Type | Support | Support |
| Support | Light support | Support |
| Weight | 284g | 295g |
| Heel drop | 8mm | 10mm |
| Heel stack | 37mm | 36mm |
| Widths | Standard and wide | Standard, wide and 4E |
| Plate | None | None |
What the differences mean
Weight
The Hoka Arahi 9 is 11g lighter, at 284g against 295g. As a rough guide every 100g costs about one percent in running economy, so 11g is worth a fraction of a percent. You will feel it more than it costs you, and it counts for more on a fast 5k than on a slow long run.
Heel drop
This is the real difference. The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 has a 10mm drop and the Hoka Arahi 9 has 8mm. A higher heel asks less of your achilles and calf and more of your knee, and a lower one does the opposite. If you get regular trouble at one of those, pick accordingly. If you get none, pick whichever is closer to what you already run in, because changing drop suddenly is the most reliable way to give yourself a new problem.
Width fittings
Both come in a wide fitting, but only the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 goes as far as 4E. That matters if wide is not quite wide enough for you, which is more common than the number of shoes offering it suggests.
Support
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 has proper support built in and the Hoka Arahi 9 is neutral. That matters if your ankles roll inwards noticeably when you run. If they do not, support is not a bonus, it is just something you do not need underfoot.
How long they last
The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is built to take more mileage. If one pair is doing all your running, that is worth more than it sounds, because cost per mile matters more than the price on the box.
Price
Within about £5 of each other at full price, so this is not the thing to decide on. Whichever happens to be discounted on the day is the better buy.
Which should you buy?
Neither, until you have tried both on. Fit decides more than any specification on this page, and the two shoes above are close enough that a foot shape will separate them faster than a spreadsheet will.
Hoka Arahi 9
Gentle support built in without feeling stiff. A light, friendly stability shoe.
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25
The classic support shoe. Sold in more widths than almost anything else out there.
Or let the quiz decide
This page compares two shoes. The shoe finder compares all 104 of them against your width, your weight, where you run, your budget and any recurring niggles, then gives you three and tells you why each one made it. It takes about a minute.