This offering is for a new pair of men's Brooks Ghost 16 running shoes in a size 10.5 D (US). Note: the "D" sizing indicator represents a men's medium or standard shoe width. As viewed in the pictures, these shoes are mostly a cream white with tan and gray accents and a white midsole. Some detailed specifications include the following...

• Pronation type: Neutral

• Drop: 12 mm

• Heel stack height: 36 mm

• Forefoot stack height: 24 mm

• Weight (each shoe): 10.0 oz (per digital scale)

• Other notes: Someone once told me..."The Brooks Ghost is that running shoe you reach for when you are not sure what kind of run you are going to do". Now that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but most would agree one of its strengths is its versatility.

This is Brooks most popular offering and arguably the most popular running shoe across all brands. It's a neutral shoe, so probably best suited for a runner with a relatively high arch that is less likely to pronate. It's popularity is at least partially driven by the fact that it does everything fairly well, but really does not specialize in anything. I've had many employees in running stores tell me that when folks come in and say they can only own one pair of running shoes at a time, the Brooks Ghost usually makes the short list of their recommendations. If I had to classify the shoe, I would say it's a daily trainer that can handle most types of training runs...so long/easy days to the shorter/faster days. It'll never be mistaken for a max cushion trainer or a race day specialists, but it can do all of those things (and everything in between) for the average runner that is just trying to stay fit and do the occasional 5K/10K.

There is one other thing...the midsole foam has changed from previous versions. I don't believe the stack height has changed, but Brooks is now using third generation DNA LOFT foam in the midsole of this latest Ghost model. The previous version of their DNA LOFT foam was a proprietary blend of traditional EVA foam, air and rubber. This was well received and I also liked this earlier versions of the DNA LOFT foam...putting a lot of miles on Ghost v15 and Glycerin v19 shoes in recent years. Although, I think I like this newest version of the DNA LOFT foam (v3) even better. The best that I can tell, Brooks has changed their process for making this midsole foam. More specifically, they now "pressure cook" their proprietary foam. During this process, they inject nitrogen and other gases into the foam, which has the effect (Brooks claims) of expanding the foam, which makes it lighter, softer and more bouncy/responsive. Now that is a lot to claim and I am not going to say I feel all these improvements when I run in this version (v16) of these shoes. Although, the foam may be a little more forgiving on my landing and I feel like I can go a little faster in these shoes (relative to previous versions), so maybe they are a bit more responsive. I am not claiming massive improvements from previous versions, but I do think I like them a little better and they may be a bit more versatile of a shoe. I apologize for the subjective nature of many of my comments, but hopefully some find them helpful (as I am just trying to share my honest experiences).

As for their history, I purchased a small lot of Brooks shoes...some in my size and some not. This is my size, but I have to many and I don't them. I also want to confirm they are new and retail boxed, but they were represented to me as floor samples. As I look at them more closely, it's likely they were tried on a time or two in a running store, but I doubt they ever made it outside for a parking lot test run. More likely they were tried on and maybe made a few indoor laps around the store retail area, as the rubber soles look too clean to have spent any time outside.