The Asteria is a racing shoe from Brooks that replaces the now defunct ST Racer. It offers just a dash of stability and a springy ride. With an attractive price point, it is a fantastic addition to your arsenal.

It’s great for tempo runs, track night and race day. It is fast, light, and feels incredibly comfortable. I was stoked to take them on the track and was pleased that I chose to use them in a race during testing.

Brooks Asteria General Info

Brooks Asteria – Upper

The Asteria is the lightest support model from Brooks hoping to reel in overpronators seeking a racing shoe . It does not receive as much attention as their flagship support models; such as the Adrenaline GTS or Ravenna, but it has its place.

It falls under the niche performance support type of shoe. It competes with the likes of New Balance’s 1500, ASICS’ DS Trainer and the Saucony Fastwitch.

First impressions were promising. I loved the bright and bold colors and the design of the upper. Lacing up for the first time, the shoe had an incredibly comfortable fit and felt fast.

Brooks Asteria Sole Unit

The midsole has full length BioMogo material. It feels firm to the touch and is highly responsive on landing and liftoff.

Brooks Asteria – Sole

The support tech of this shoe are the guide rails found in the heel. I could feel them do their job when I landed on the ground. They gently kept my feet in check and aligned with no discomfort.

The outsole material is very durable and handles well. During some of my wetter workouts, there were zero traction issues. During tempo runs and the one race I ran in these, I felt completely in control.

Overall, these had a firm and springy ride. Thanks to the 8mm drop, I found myself naturally landing on my midfoot and lifting off with the ball of my feet.

During higher paced runs, the transitions did not feel sloppy and it offered just the right amount of support.

Brooks Asteria Upper Info

The upper is made of a seamless 3D printed mesh; something I fell in love with right away. It is incredibly lightweight breathable, and flexible. It formed to my foot and felt like a glove.

The toe box is incredibly roomy and gave probably the most wiggle room out of any racing shoe I have run in. The heel was firm and locked me in so there were zero issues with falling out of the shoe or any rubbing.

Brooks Asteria – Toe

Since this is a racing shoe, it fits very true to size. Thankfully I did not have any issues with the shoe being too tight or narrow; you shouldn’t feel the need to size up. The mesh stretched out naturally during the course of testing and I did not feel constricted in them.

The lacing unit was my only complaint. The eyelets stretched out way too fast and it felt like could tear any minute. The tongue is well padded, but the loop found in the middle for my laces tore on one of my very first runs.

Brooks Asteria Conclusions

Brooks Asteria – Outer Closeup

My first test in these was track night. I was naturally running fast in them on the road, but what about when I am maxing myself out?

I took them to do some track work and they performed exceptionally well. The springy ride and light fit made the shoe feel like it was barely there.

My next test was using these in a longer distance race. I took them to the 2018 Baltimore 10 miler; one of the last races I do in my spring training cycle (and before the Maryland heat really gets bad).

This is a challenging course with lots of hills and can be pretty unforgiving. The Asterias performed up to my expectations.

I was able to take the hills with ease and maintain my race pace thanks to the guide rails and transition area in the mid foot.

Since there is more focus on high stability shoes from Brooks, the Asteria definitely does not get the attention it deserves.

I was shocked to find out the shoes hadn’t been updated since 2016! It is certainly a hidden gem for those looking for a race day shoe that offers them support.

We purchased a pair of Brooks Asteria from runningwarehouse using our own money. This did not influence the outcome of this review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.