The story of On begins in 2010 in Switzerland with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running. It’s all based on one radical idea. Soft landings followed by explosive take-offs. Or, as they call it: “Running on clouds”. The Cloudmonster is the latest running shoe from cloud featuring the biggest midsole ever for massive cushioning and max energy, according to On Running. They state, that this running shoe is a monster of a ride on the road.
With this shoe On got into the max cushioned running shoe game. When I got the shoe and opened the box my first thoughts where that this really is a monster of a shoe. Great build quality and a very wide platform. But is the shoe also a monster when running in it? Let’s find out.
Before I start a quick disclaimer: I got the On Cloudmonster from Top4Running, the Nr. 1 online running store in Europe, for the purpose of review. However, I am not payed to publish this review and no one from Top4Running or On Running will get to read my thoughts on the shoe before it will be published.
How I used the shoes so far
Till today I ran more than 200 kilometers in the shoe. I did every run that I do right now in this shoe. From easy shorter recovery runs to long runs. Even used the shoe once while doing a track workout at fast paces. The majority of the runs have been on pavement but I also did one long run in the shoe on a light trail. All in all I really tried to put the shoe through a good test so I can write a good review of it.
Fit of the shoe
The shoe fits true to size. The upper material hugs the foot nicely and the lock down of the shoe is great. The toe box provides just the perfect amount of room but it’s more on the narrower side. I have a normal wide foot and it works great for me, but if you have wide feet you need to consider, that this shoe might not be for you.
The heal cup is high and quite flexible with a lot of padding. All in all I must say that putting on the shoe for the first time it felt comfortable. During the runs I did I had no issue with any hot spots or blisters and my feet. But the cut out at the back of the shoe is high. This caused me some pressure on my outer lower leg bone. Far from optimal, especially if running to days in a row in the shoe. But this issue was over after a few runs. There is a lot of padding in the heal area but it’s not as soft as it feel like.
Performance of the shoe
But before I will write about the performance first some words about the midsole. Why? Because I think that the structure of this midsole impacts the performance of the shoe. Well, that’s actually the case in any running shoe but this is probably the most unique midsole. It’s high but not as high as you might think. Some of the foam wraps around your foot. And then the structure of the midsole. On is calling it clouds, to me and probably many others it looks like honeycombs.
Running on clouds sounds like a very soft platform. Well you can feel the clouds compressing and decompressing but it’s not a soft ride. Above the clouds there is a plate, that holds the whole midsole structure together. It’s not a carbon plate but still a plate and since the plate is placed high in the midsole with almost no foam above it, the sensation while running is rather firm.
I used the shoe on many different runs. From short and fast 3 minute repeats on the track to a slow 21 kilometer long run. The shoe itself is very comfortable and very stable, even if you are running through tight corners. The outsole grips well on roads, even in the wet.
The shoe worked best on easy and steady runs. It’s not the option if you want to pick up the pace. The cloudmonster is just not responsive or snappy but even on those long runs that I did at moderate pace the shoe worked great.
How will I use the shoe
You probably could tell from what I wrote how I will use the shoe in the future: easy middle distance and long runs. I will soon start with my next marathon training block and most of my long runs will be in this shoe, actually everything slower than marathon race pace. So if I will have a long run workout with some faster kilometers I will probably use another shoe.
And today after 200 kilometers the shoe looks almost like it’s out of the box. I would say that you can easily run over 500 kilometers in the Cloudmonster, maybe even much more. I just don’t know how long the structure of the clouds will last, but due to the build quality of the upper and the rubber on the outsole I would go even up to 700 to 800 kilometers.
Would I recommend the On Cloudmonster?
If you are looking for comfortable running shoe and you prefer to run the majority of your kilometers easy maybe moderate than the Cloudmonster is the only shoe you will need. But if you are looking for a shoe, that you would like to use for training and also some races, there are other better options out there.
I am an ambassador with Top4Running, the number one online store for runners in Europe. If you want to buy a pair of On Cloudmonster running shoes (or any other running shoes), please use the link below to support the Run and Smile community.
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