In late 2013/early 2014 people were raving about the Pure Drift 2. I had tried the original Pure Connect and absolutely hated it, but when I saw a pair of PD2's on clearance for like $40, I thought I'd give it a shot.
It was super comfy, light, flexible, and I LOVED the toe box, but at the time I wanted just a little more cushion. I could feel the impact on the concrete just a little too much to be comfortable, and also suspect maybe I didn't quite have the foot strength to run in something that flexible as even just a few miles in them left me with weird arch pain.
So, as comfy and close to perfect as they were, I tossed them into my closet & then forgot about them for a few years while I went through pair after pair after pair of Launches & Kinvaras.
Then earlier this year when I committed to not buying any new running shoes in 2018, I went back through every pair of running shoes I had to see what was a lost cause & needed to be got rid of & what was maybe salvageable if only for short, easy runs. I ran across the PD2s & remembered liking a lot of things about them but that they hadn't been quite right. Since 2014, though, I'd done a lot more running in racing flats & other lighter, more flexible shoes, so I decided to give them another shot & see if they were worth keeping.
And friends, these shoes.
These shoes. Were. A REVELATION.
I started off with short easy runs in them, just to get the feel of them, and they were so comfortable it was nuts. I tried going a bit longer, 8-10 miles, and sure enough, the things held up. No foot pain, and what had been slightly uncomfortable impact in 2014 now felt like just the right amount of ground feel to get a nice mid/forefoot strike going.
I even took them off-road, something I never would have done in 2014 because you can feel every rock and stick and molehill through the fairly thin soles. These days, though, I was digging that connection, the ability to feel what was under my feet & compensate accordingly. (I'd also been reading recently that this is super healthy not just for your feet but your entire kinetic chain, and since it wasn't at all uncomfortable, I just went with it.)
In the last few months, this pair of vaguely funny-shaped Cookie Monster feet has become my go-to for just about every run. I've even started doing longer runs in them, 12 or 14 miles, and they 100% hold up. They're super comfortable, with great ground feel, a perfect toe box for my feet, and just enough cushion & support to keep my feet (and legs) happy. At this point I'm putting in 3-5 runs a week in the things.
Which...means they are not so young anymore.
As much as I loved the Drifts, I wasn't necessarily planning on buying another pair, but I did want to at least find out what my options were when this pair finally went to live on a farm upstate. So imagine my horror when I discovered that Brooks had discontinued the Pure Drifts years ago, and in fact only makes two of the original four models--the Pure Flow and Pure Cadence.
The Pure Cadence is a heavy (nearly 8 oz), cushy, stability (they don't call it that but it totally is) shoe so really not what I'm looking for at all. I tried a pair of the Pure Flow 3s (another crazy clearance deal) later in 2014, which were okay, but even bulkier & more cushy than the Kinvaras & Launches. I still have them & run in them occasionally, but they were definitely not what I was looking for in my hunt for a "performance trainer" either.
Pure Drift 2 (left) vs. Pure Flow 3 (right). SUPER different shoes.
Though, it sounds like the Flow has been through a number of changes since the version I tried (they're now on #7), so I suppose trying them again is an option.
But MAN, was I bummed to learn that I'd fallen in love with the Pure Drifts just in time to lose them forever.
Bummer. This has happened so many times to me too. Find a shoe model I like and then the company discontinues it or changes it beyond recognition. ARGH!! Maybe you can find some Drifts on ebay?
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