On Running Cloudultra Shoe Review - Gene Olvis

The new ISPO 2021 winner, On Running Cloudultra.

Last weekend, I tried the new On Running Cloudultra on my home trails in Rizal. I wanted to do serious long runs with the shoes as I really felt super comfortable when I tried them on. I ran the Wawa loop (42k with around 2500m gain) on Saturday and a 30k loop with 1500m gain going to Mt. Ayaas, Campanan and Casile on Sunday. With the distance covered, I am confident I have experienced the characteristics of the shoe.

The feature that stands off the bat is its balance. As a shoe built for ultra distance, I can feel that they did not want to compromise on cushioning, fit, comfort and material durability. The cushioning is spot-on for a responsive shoe. I ran technical descents and ascents without feeling the lateral instability which would give my quads extra work to counter.

The fit is exceptional with no extra foam and is also snug. The upper construction of the shoe has the best carry I have experienced so far.

This shoe is very stable so it's not taxing on my knees as I step sideways and change my gait on technical uphills. I can run uphill with no extra effort to check for unnecessary twisting. 

The combination of the upper's snug fit, stack height and well-placed lugs on the forefoot really helps when I run up steep hills.

Comfort wise this shoe is optimal in my opinion, due to a balanced design when it comes to the width and fit. My toes were not cramped on a narrow toebox that could give benefit for better power placement of the forefoot, but instead the design favors a more relaxed toebox where I can feel my toes and a good amount of surface below my feet to give me the extended comfort I needed.

The material of the shoe is durable in my opinion as it really handles the terrain with no sign of degradation this early.

I can only put so much words as this review becomes boring. This model can be used for both training and racing trail ultras. I will be running more on this shoe for the rest of the dry season and hopefully this can also blast through the mud on rainy days. Thanks for reading and please check the pictures for some details on the shoes after my runs and the type of terrain. Ciao...

By Gene Olvis, super serious trail runner.