The RW Takeaway: The PureGrit 8 has just a little more cushioning compared to other minimalist trail shoes; its tread is sticky yet forgiving enough to transition onto pavement.
- Lightweight with moderate cushioning
- A toe protector and mixed lug pattern make this shoe reliable on the trail
- A thin heel cup translated to little stability for some testers
Price: $120
Weight: 9.3 oz (M), 7.6 oz (W)
Type: Trail
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With a woven knit upper that looks office-casual appropriate, the PureGrit doesn’t quite resemble a shoe that’s meant for traversing rugged terrain. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll see the shoe’s look is equal parts aesthetic and function.
The splayed and hexagonal lug pattern on the rubber outsole, for instance, effectively grips rocky surfaces and loose mud. The rubber that wraps around the toe box protects your digits, and the Ariaprene tongue and thin heel collar provide a second-skin fit over your foot and around your ankle, keeping trail debris from creeping inside. All of the above configures a minimalistic shoe for runners who want a more simplified, lightweight trainer when they hit the trails.
The PureGrit seems to run long, so we recommend trying on half a size down. Another thing to note is the elimination of an extra eyelet, an omission we’ve observed in models from other brands. Though the thin tongue and heel collar effectively keeps cinder and gravel from getting inside your shoe, the overall effect seems to make the shoe less stable, almost “unfinished,” as one tester described.
Minimal, With Some Cushioning
The lightweight shoes of Brooks’s PureProject line have a moderate amount of cushioning, which makes them slightly heavier than other shoes in the minimalist-shoe category. The PureGrit has a soft platform, making ground contact forgiving on your knees midrun. And yet, the shoe still achieves that ground-feel trail runners look for when choosing low heel-to-toe drop shoes (the PureGrit has an approximate 4mm offset).
Despite the minimal cushioning, said a tester, “it does allow you to feel the terrain better below your feet.”
Little Stability
The most popular critique of the shoe by our testers was its thin heel cup, which one tester called “subpar.”
“It doesn’t grip the heel very well, which allows for slippage unless you really crank down on the laces,” said a tester familiar with Altra’s Lone Peak and Merrell’s Agility Peak Flex. “If the heel were to be reworked, I think the shoe would be much improved.”
The area around the ankle is thin, effectively keeping out pebbles and gravel, yet also offering little stability on your run. Compared to the more “thick-skinned” PureGrit 7, the 8 has a slightly flimsy upper, which can be problematic if you don’t have a perfect fit—especially with the absence of an extra eyelet for a more secure ankle hold.
Test Impressions
Before I actually ran in the PureGrit 8, I couldn’t resist wearing it as an office sneaker. Its earthy color palette—a beige outsole, before-the-storm gray interior, and ocean-blue upper—made it ideal to pair up with a blouse and shorts.
When I finally took them on the trail, I kicked up heaps of dirt due to the amount of room in the toe box. Brooks shoes are usually true to size, yet I’d recommend going at least a half size down, or maybe even a full size.
As promised, the thin tongue and heel collar stopped any stray pebbles or even sand from gathering inside my shoe. Traction was satisfactory over cinder, dirt, and pavement. An important piece of advice: If you go for that postrun bev at a local bar, tread carefully if they have a wooden floor. I could gyrate my hips like Elvis the way the pads of my feet slid and swished.
Wear Tester Feedback
Laura Y., tester since 2013
Arch: Medium | Gait: Neutral | Footstrike: Heel
“The PureGrit 8 turned out to be my go-to shoe for training and racing. I found them to give me just enough support and most importantly a comfortable fit on a variety of trail terrains and conditions. I wore them for a half marathon trail race, which also included water crossings, rocks, roads, and mud. I was very pleased with the fit, support, and control the Pure Grit 8 provided. I am very happy that these shoes can be worn on almost any trail type and condition and feel comfortable and give me control. The one feature that I did not like at first was the fit in the heel area. It took a couple tries until I figured out how to lace them to give me the right fit.”
Michael Y., tester since 2012
Arch: Flat | Gait: Overpronator | Footstrike: Midfoot
“The shoe is great from the laces down. The best way to describe it is they built a pretty good shoe but forgot to finish the upper around your foot and heel. The fabric around the heel is a very thin canvass type material that does not fit snuggly and feels like you can step out of or have mud suck it off your foot. It for sure is not a beefy foot protecting shoe. The tread also is not aggressive and for me was slipping on rocks.”
Pros
- Lightweight and flexible
- Multidirectional lugs provide excellent traction on most surfaces
Cons
- Thin heel cup caused stability issues for some testers
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
