When I first pulled these out of the box, my teenager commented on how ‘cool’ they looked. He’s never in his 14 years noted that I have anything cool or even remotely stylish. While I count that as a plus, my biggest concern is functionality. I know the 2014 Male Ironman winner was wearing these kicks for his event, but I didn’t do more than 8 miles at a time in them. I usually wear stability footwear and felt these were more for performance versus heavy mileage. I ordered a half size up, just to be safe. I often find that the toe box is too small for my foot, but discovered these are true to size. I have a little too much movement inside the forefoot, but that’s my own fault. Lesson learned.
These are light, but seem super stiff when you hold them. I thought they felt pretty stiff the first mile into my run, each time I tested them, but after about a mile or so, I totally forgot about them, which is a good sign for me. The small rubber pods on the bottom give the shoe a stylish, funky look which is what my son looks for in a shoe, but, more importantly they are functional, which is what I want. Small rubber pods on the forefoot and bottom collapse as you land, requiring less energy with your push off. I think the first mile, my foot is adapting to the lack of cushion and midsole, but after that they appreciate the 14 cushioned pods along the outsole.
These would be perfect for track workouts and are a good compromise for me, since I will never go completely minimalist. I need a a shoe that have a bit of cushion and that’s exactly what these provide. They are sleek and fast or as fast as my legs will go, but I definitely recommend testing them out. The Cloudrush is a solid performance shoe. They are well constructed and held up to my summer running. I’m impressed they still look new with close to 75 miles on them. With plenty of miles left on them, maybe I can finally convince my teenager that I’m almost as cool as the shoes.
Company: On
Product: Cloudrush ($129)
Description:
“With 18 responsive, low-abrasion rubber elements, the patented CloudTec® sole of the Cloudrush is streamlined for winning. What would you expect from the soul of the On that has topped more podiums than any other. The extremely slim midsole of the Cloudrush is comprised of high-grade EVA, and features a flexible Speedboard that rolls with you. Combined with an innovative heel structure, the Cloudrush supports a dynamic stride, meaning as your run changes, so too does the shoe.”
Stack Height:
- 21mm (Heel)
- 16mm (Forefoot)
Thank you to On for providing us with a sample pair. Please read our transparency page for info on how we do our reviews.
