Another month, another pair of running shoes to review. Although I’d never tried any shoes by Swiss brand On until becoming connected with their team earlier this year, I’d heard rave reviews from friends in my running circle about one of the brand’s most popular trainers, the Cloudmonster. Naturally, I was super eager to test them out while on a media trip with the brand at the World Athletics Track and Field Championships in Oregon last summer.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
My first pair of Cloudmonsters was in my normal shoe size of 9.5. Since my first couple of runs in them were in Portland (the brand’s U.S. headquarter city) and Eugene, Oregon, where the air isn’t very humid in the summer, I had no issues with them and found myself saying the brand’s “running on clouds” tagline was pretty accurate. Just like my HOKA Clifton 8s (which have a similar reputation for being super-cushioned), the Cloudmonsters felt super soft with every landing step, a true sign of a good recovery shoe. That’s not surprising, considering the shoes contain the brand’s signature CloudTec® technology to provide prime cushioning and maximum energy, making for a “monster of a ride on the road,” per the brand’s website.
However, as soon as I returned home to Houston and took them out for a seven-mile run, I found myself yelping in pain pretty quickly thanks to the swollen feet and blisters that resulted from the humidity. I ended up giving that pair away to a friend and was super appreciative that my brand contact was willing to send me a new pair in a size 10 to continue testing them out. A couple of easy runs in the new size and these shoes had officially redeemed themselves.
I haven’t yet worn these shoes for a long run because my last several long runs have called for race-pace workouts that have me defaulting to my carbon-plated shoes. However, the fact that I’ve worn them on runs up to seven miles with no complaints has me confident that they would work well for easy, double-digit runs.
The cloud segment pattern on the shoe’s Helion foam outsole does sometimes catch rocks on trails, but I didn’t find it to be too much of a nuisance while running. The shoe’s higher toe spring and flexible Speedboard also work to propel your forward, making the shoe feel springy and more efficient, which is always a plus. Even when you’re trying to keep an effort on the slower side, you still don’t want to feel like you’ve got bricks attached to your feet, as was the case with several other trainers I tested earlier this year. Finally, if sustainability is a priority, you’ll feel good knowing these shoes are made of 80% recycled polyester and about 35% total recycled content in additional materials.
Available in women’s sizes 5 to 11 and in a handful of black and white colorways, the Cloudmonster is a perfect recovery shoe for someone who simply wants a shoe that will get the job done and isn’t picky about aesthetics or if their shoes get dirty on the trails.
