On's Low-stack, 100-Gram Running Shoe Creates Buzz at the World Road Championships

by · WWD
German runner Robert Farken won the men's mile at the world road championships while wearing a brand-new On shoe.Photo by Gaelle Mobuchon/World Athletics via Getty Images' Courtesy of On

Nike’s Alphafly 4 was the big shoe story heading into the World Athletics Road Running Championships over the weekend. A surprise came by way of On, however, as it debuted an eye-catching new model worn by the top two finishers in the men’s mile race.

The On LightSpray Cloudboom Volt Pro caters to shorter-distance races with a low stack and total weight coming in just over 100 grams. Even compared to other shoes made for mile to 10K races, the shoe stood out for just how little foam appeared underfoot. At the same time, the sole unit carries a strikingly wide base and is paired with On’s Lightspray technology, which uses a robot to spray a seamless and glueless upper in just three minutes.

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Robert Farken of Germany won the men’s race in 3:51.80, followed by fellow On runner Yaren Nuguse of America at second place in 3:52.33. Luxembourg runner Ruben Luerinjean finished in third while wearing the Nike Streakfly 2, probably the best known shoe for shorter-distance road races.

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In order for its athletes to wear the shoe at the world road championships, On had to release the Lightspray Cloudboom Volt Pro for public consumption and did so quietly last week in select flagship stores.

The brand also said it developed the model in just eight months, well short of the typical two-year process behind most shoes.

On also got a one-two sweep in the women’s mile, but Agathe Guillemot of France and Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia were wearing the Cloudboom Strike 2 and Lightspray Cloudboom Strike 2, respectively.

In the half-marathon, the longest distance at the event, Kenyan Agnes Jebet Ngetich broke the women’s world record with 1:05:15 in the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 2. Men’s winner Andreas Almgren of Sweden set a European record of 58:06 in the Nike Alphafly 4.

Last week saw On score another major victory over Nike by prying away Kylian Mbappe to launch its soccer division.

On LightSpray Cloudboom Volt Pro