Does On’s newest racer signal a new dawn for plated super shoes?
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And we’re off …
Though still relatively new to running — especially compared to Nike, Adidas, Brooks and New Balance — On has quickly become one of the main brands to beat.
That’s more than a figure of speech.
The brand’s innovative spray-on super shoe has already won a third of all Major marathons, and it is quickly becoming one of the fastest shoes on the triathlon circuit.
While podiums (and world records) give any shoe manufacturer credibility, they should matter very little to the average runner.
That’s why On made its latest marathon racer, the Cloudboom Max, a shoe the company says was “engineered for finishing times of around four hours or more.”
In other words: your average runner.
Marginal gains
It is true that super shoes work, scientifically and statistically.
Dozens of records have fallen since the Vaporfly entered the mainstream, ushering in an arm’s race among manufacturers from Nike to Hoka — and, yes, even On.
But it is also true that super shoes are optimized for athletes at the highest level of the sport.
Studies show that the super-shoe tech — that is, plates, next-gen foams and ultra-aggressive rockers — can significantly improve efficiency. But the numbers go down when looking at slower runners, where factors like running economy, endurance and body weight vary wildly.
And that’s before you even get to the debate about whether or not they increase the injury risk among less experienced runners.
Still super
To be clear, the Cloudboom Max, officially unveiled on the brand’s Instagram page, is still a super shoe.
It even borrows a few features from the existing Cloudboom Strike, including a midsole plate and 40mm stack of Pebax-based Helion HF — or what On calls “hyper foam.”
However, the specifics of shoe cater to runners who, even on their best day, will find themselves on the race course for four hours or more.
For starters, the glass fiber-infused plate is slightly more flexible than the one found in the Cloudboom Strike, catering to a wider swath of running styles. It’s also positioned to put the foot in a more natural position.
Everyday runners, everyday performance
But perhaps the most noticeable difference between the Cloudboom Max and other elite super shoes, from On and otherwise, rests with the upper.
In a quest to shave off as many grams as possible, brands have adopted ultralight mesh materials that turn a blind eye to comfort.
That’s all well and good for elite runners who shuttle to start lines and finish a marathon in little over two hours.
But what if you’re spending the majority of your day in a pair, including the time it often takes to get through race-day security and line up in an assigned corral?
The Cloudboom Max balances the scales with a breathable mesh upper that may not put comfort over performance but at least treats the two like equal priorities.
All in all, the shoe has a listed weight of 10.4 ounces — a 41 percent increase over the Cloudboom Strike (7.4 ounces).
Will runners want it?
Ultimately, time will have to tell how everyday runners will respond to a race-day super shoe specifically designed for the middle of the pack.
To date, making podiums doesn’t just translate to success on the course but in the board room, to boot.
According to Strava’s most recent Year in Sport report, 44 percent of all marathons uploaded to the platform were performed in carbon-plated shoes — a 14 percent uptick led by the record-setting Nike Alphafly.
In future years, On will hope shoes like the Cloudboom Max can give the old guard a run for its money.
The model is available now for On members and costs $230. At launch, it comes in three colorways. A broad release is scheduled to follow on August 21.
OnOn Cloudboom Max
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