Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 vs New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5:
Which to Choose

Start with the foam and plate, because here they truly are close: both ride on a 100%/near-100% PEBA superfoam over a full-length carbon plate, both feel lively and springy rather than plush, and both come alive at speed while feeling stiff and tippy if you jog them easy. Where they part ways is geometry. The Hyperion Elite 5 sits on a 38 mm heel / 26 mm forefoot stack with a tall 12 mm drop, a ramped shape that actively rolls heel and midfoot strikers forward. The SuperComp Elite v5 is slightly taller overall at 39 mm heel / 29 mm forefoot but with a lower, moderate offset (New Balance lists 8 mm; measured closer to 10 mm), so it puts more foam under the ball of the foot and biases less toward the heel. That extra forefoot stack plus the Energy Arc midsole voids give the New Balance a distinctly bouncy, propulsive feel tuned for sustained, settled efforts. Weight is a near-wash: the New Balance is marginally lighter at 198 g versus 204 g (men's US 9), a difference most runners won't feel. Fit is a more decisive split — the Brooks runs on a narrow racing platform with a knit upper that demands an assured, centered footstrike, while the New Balance uses a woven mesh upper with a semi-gusseted tongue and a noticeably roomier toebox. The last real difference is range: the Hyperion Elite 5 is built to race everything from a 5K through the marathon, so it doubles as a short-distance speed weapon, whereas the SuperComp Elite v5 is a dedicated half and full marathon specialist whose sweet spot is the long, held effort.