Editor’s Note: Brooks has led performance running since 2013, when it took the lead from ASICS as the top performance running brand. What is Brooks doing right? They asked the right questions. Product innovation and consistent quality are key. One of Brooks’s biggest critics recently told me, “Brooks is firing on all cylinders.” Brooks also treats running stores like the leading running cultural sites that they are. Their consistent support of running stores shows. Customer service is quite good as well. Their sports marketing support around events is impressive, Chicago, Boston and New York were impressive.
Innovation-led portfolio strength and runner-first focus power 23% global growth in Q1
SEATTLE (May 1, 2026) – Brooks Running opened 2026 with double-digit growth in the first quarter as demand for the performance running brand’s footwear and apparel remained strong across regions and channels. Building on a record-breaking 2025, in Q1, Brooks delivered 20% growth in North America and 30% currency-neutral growth in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), while its sales in China grew 136% year over year. In Q1, Brooks also evolved its leadership and operating structure to power its next phase of global growth, strengthening both long-term enterprise vision and regional execution as the brand continues to scale worldwide.
Brooks maintained its leadership position in Q1, achieving No. 1 market share in performance running footwear at U.S. specialty retail.1 At national retail, Brooks held roughly 20% market share for the 11th consecutive quarter, where its core franchises ranked as three of the top five styles in Q1 2026 — collectively accounting for over 12% of all performance running footwear sales.2 In Germany and France, Brooks outpaced the market for all price points on a rolling year basis, delivering 24% and 15% growth, respectively.3
“I’m incredibly proud of the progress we made in Q1 to launch new innovations into the market and introduce our brand to more runners around the world,” said Dan Sheridan, Brooks Running CEO. Across products, experiences, and how we show up for the sport globally, our teams are executing at the highest level and earning runners’ trust every day. Our record quarter is proof that our long-term strategy is resonating.”
Portfolio-wide innovation across emerging + core styles drives growth
Brooks introduced the all-new Glycerin Flex in Q1, debuting an industry-first articulated, strategically segmented midsole. The brand supported the launch with its first-ever 3D out-of-home takeover in Times Square, and by the end of its first quarter in market, the Glycerin Flex represented 4% of Brooks’ global footwear revenue. In trail innovation, the all-new Cascadia Elite — Brooks’ most podium-tested trail racing shoe — contributed to the brand’s overall trail styles growing 59% year over year in Q1.
Within Brooks’ existing styles, the Glycerin — featuring Brooks’ DNA Tuned midsole foam — led the portfolio as the brand’s top seller in Q1, delivering 34% year-over-year growth globally. In its 25th year, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS also posted strong gains, up 31% year over year for the quarter, reflecting sustained trust in Brooks’ most iconic stability platform. Across performance racing, the Hyperion Elite franchise grew 114% year over year, with the broader Hyperion family up 32% and Hyperion Max up 64%.
With a fresh new look for 2026, Brooks’ apparel increased 33% year over year, driven by strong sales for the Dash collection, Chaser Padded Bra, and Convertible Bra. Favorable market adoption led Brooks to capture five of the top 10 bra styles sold at run specialty retailer Fleet Feet.4 This growth signals increasing demand for Brooks apparel as the brand continues to invest in head-to-toe performance offerings.
Authentic partnerships built on trust, performance, and purpose
In Q1, Brooks advanced its global brand platform “Let’s Run There” by showing up alongside runners and communities around the world. Through Connection Moves Us All, Brooks partnered with nine run crews worldwide to spotlight how running creates connection at a local level. With Shine Under Pressure, Brooks worked closely with actor, singer, and producer Cynthia Erivo, MBE, chronicling her real-time pursuit of a personal best in her hometown marathon. Coached by Brooks athlete Erika Kemp, and wearing Hyperion Max 3, Erivo achieved a personal best of 3:21:40 in London. Together, the two campaigns reflect Brooks’ commitment to authentic participation in the sport — from everyday runners to the world’s biggest stages.
Brooks and runDisney’s collection of limited-edition performance footwear continued to deliver momentum in Q1, reaching tens of thousands of runners through immersive event experiences and exclusive product drops. Sales across race weekends, including Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and Princess Half Marathon Weekend, broke records for both expo and e-commerce sales in Q1. Brooks also continued to build allegiance in its global headquarters hometown by becoming an official partner of the Seattle Mariners, serving as the presenting sponsor of Kids Run the Bases and the all-new Rally Shoe Cam, and as the official running shoe of the Mariners Salmon mascots.
In lifestyle, Brooks expanded its reach beyond the run through culturally rooted collaborations, with the Brooks x STAPLE Cascadia 1 and Brooks x STAPLE Ghost Trail debuting at Paris Fashion Week in January. Alongside these partnerships, Brooks introduced the Adrenaline GTS 10 in February, reimagining a heritage silhouette with DNA Tuned foam to blend performance born innovation with everyday wear. Together, Brooks’ Q1 lifestyle offerings helped drive a more than double-year-over-year increase in the category.
Brooks athletes excel from track to trail + mountain to marathon
In Q1, Brooks professional athletes delivered elite performances across disciplines. On the track, world champion middle-distance runner and Brooks Beast Josh Kerr won the World Indoor Championships 3000m and announced Project 222, his pursuit of the historic mile world record this summer in London. In the mountains, Anna Gibson made history with a fourth-place finish in the ski mountaineering mixed relay at the Milan Cortina Olympics, the sport’s Olympic debut. On the roads, Casey Clinger placed fifth at the Houston Half Marathon in 59:34 — the third fastest time ever by an American — before finishing as the top American at the Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:43 in the all-new Hyperion Elite 6.
Brooks expanded its athlete roster globally in Q1, adding Olympian and U.S. marathon standout Clayton Young, European trail and mountain runner Théo Detienne, and High School National Cross Country Champion and NIL (name, image, and likeness) athlete Natasha Dudek — continuing a team-first philosophy that spans elite performance, emerging disciplines, and the next generation of runners.
About Brooks Running
Brooks Running creates market-leading performance running footwear, apparel, sports bras, and accessories distributed worldwide. Brooks exists to inspire everyone to run and be active, through innovative gear, tools, and experiences designed to take you to the place that makes you feel more alive. Since 1914, Brooks has been propelled by a never-ending curiosity with how humans move, pushing the limits of motion science, engineering, and technology to create gear that unlocks the power of energy and movement for everyone. Brooks is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Visit www.brooksrunning.com for more information or follow @brooksrunning.
1 Source: Upper Quadrant Specialty Run Market Data, January – March 2026
2 Source: Circana, LLC, Retail Tracking Service, US, Adult Performance Running Footwear, Dollar Share, 3 ME Sept 2023 – 3 ME Mar 2026 & Jan – Mar 2026
3 Source: Circana SCS & Circana GmbH, Retail Tracking Service, FR & DE, Adult Performance Running Footwear, Value Sales % Change, Apr 2025 – Mar 2026 v YA
4 Source: Fleet Feet
