The Brooks Ghost 16 and Adrenaline GTS 23 are very similar shoes on the surface. So much so that the Ghost was initially knowns as "a neutral Adrenaline GTS".
This might give away the biggest difference of them all: the Ghost is a neutral trainer while the Adrenaline is a stability shoe. Both sitting at a similar price point, these shoes are trusted workhorses for logging lots of mileage.
The Ghost and the Adrenaline share a very similar sole unit, especially when it comes to the outsole and the patterns of the flex grooves.
The Adrenaline’s midsole is made of DNA Loft foam v2 – providing a soft, but not squishy ride. The Ghost’s midsole is made of DNA Loft v3, which is Nitrogen infused and slightly softer. These sole units are made for logging long miles in comfort.
Ride transitions are super smooth in both shoes due to the fact that they both use only DNA Loft v2 or v3 foam in their midsoles.
The main difference is in the presence, in the Adrenaline, of the GuideRail system that was first introduced in the Transcend. Think of them as of the bumpers in a bowling alley: they let the ball roll on its normal path, but if the ball goes too much on the side – they save it. Same here with the Adrenaline: the GuideRails system keeps your foot in place while you run.
The Ghost is a neutral shoe but still very stable and supportive however not as stable as the Adrenaline GTS with its GuideRails.
The outsoles of the Ghost and the Adrenaline GTS feature harder rubber in the heel and softer, blown rubber in the forefoot and midfoot. While being very thick pieces of rubber, they aren’t as durable as the rubber used by other brands. Both shoes have excellent traction on a variety of surfaces, wet and dry.
Once again, the upper of these too shoes is really really similar. They are both made of engineered mesh and they both provide a secured but comfortable fit. Overall no big differences in the uppers of these two shoes.
In this case, we can say this is a pretty easy choice.
Both shoes are indicated for both beginners and seasoned runners who are looking for a daily trainer to log most of the mileage in comfort. The excel as marathon training shoes.
The Adrenaline has a very similar ride to the Ghost with the addition of the GuideRails system: this makes them a stability shoe and we recommend it to runners with instability in their ankles. The Adrenaline will help you keep your foot in a proper gait.
If you don’t need any extra stability, by all means go for the Ghost: it’s one of the shoes we most often recommend.
