Race Day Roundtable: Speed Stories From Runners Who Raced in On’s Cloudboom Strike 2

Running “fast” is objectively subjective. What’s fast for you could be slow for another runner and impossible for someone else. Fast can even mean something different for individual runners depending on factors like where they are in a training cycle, if they’re coming back from an injury, or the distance they’re running.Some runners equate fast with a specific pace-per-mile. Brooklyn-based fashion designer Florence Canonoy, for example, said it’s about seeing her paces drop on her tracking app month after month. “I just run to feel good, and then I look at my watch and it’s like 8:15 [per mile], and I’m like, ‘oh, I’m getting fast,’” she told Runner’s World.For others, like Mollie Kaplan from Florida, running fast has nothing to do with the time on her watch. “When I’m feeling confident and happy, I feel like that’s when I produce my fastest times—when I’m not putting as much pressure on myself,” she said.And for Long Islander Chris Chung, fast is a feeling: “When I’m doing interval workouts, that’s what fast feels like to me,” he said. “It’s feeling the wind in your face, in your hair, and just feeling like you’re floating.”Regardless of how you define it, most runners would agree that their footwear plays a role in just how fast they feel on a particular day, especially race day. Below, Canonoy, Kaplan, and Chung share what they each learned pursuing personal goals in different races—all while wearing the On Cloudboom Strike 2.Meet the Runners Mollie KaplanA content creator from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who played lacrosse in college and has completed four marathons.Distance raced in the Cloudboom Strike 2: marathon in ChicagoRace goal: Set a PRChris Chung An industrial designer and content creator from Jericho, New York, who’s been running for 10 years and did his first marathon in 2025.Distance raced in the Cloudboom Strike 2: half marathon in Vancouver, British ColumbiaRace goal: Finish under 1:50Florence CanonoyA fashion designer from Brooklyn, New York, who ran casually in high school and college and began taking running seriously this year.Distance raced in the Cloudboom Strike 2: 5K in New York CityRace goal: Push herself while returning from a hip flexor injuryThis interview has been lightly edited for clarity and concision. Co-created with athletes for marathons and half marathons, featuring our CloudTec Sphere™ cushioning system for a fast ride and Helion™ HF hyper foam for energy return.Runner’s World: What was your goal going into your race? Mollie: My first marathon in New York City in 2024 was my fastest. I’ve been wanting to PR since then. But going into Chicago, we had a yellow warning [weather alert] with less than ideal conditions. So I was a little frustrated because after training all summer in the heat, I was really excited to finally do a cooler marathon and was definitely prepared to PR. But I took the pressure off myself the last two weeks before the race. My goal was not to look at my watch. I just wanted to go based on feeling and not to freak myself out.Chris: This was my first half marathon back from an injury, a stress fracture in my femur. I hadn’t run 13.1 miles in a year, so I was like, ‘I’m just going to let it come to me and see how I feel. Let me just keep it below 1:50.’Florence: I was taking my last couple races easy, but this was the one where I actually felt really good. So I was like, ‘Okay, let me push for it.’ It was one of my first races where I really took it seriously.How did you feel out of the gate? Mollie: I felt pretty strong from the start and I knew that it was going to be a good day for me. I can usually tell from the first mile. And the Cloudboom Strike 2, they kind of give you speed without trying. So they propel you forward a little bit, which is really great.Chris: I started at the front and got caught up in the wave of people going out quickly. Within the first quarter mile, I was running PR pace at 6:20s and thinking, ‘I’m definitely not holding this because I haven’t trained like this at all.’ So I pulled myself back. I knew there were some hills on the course, so I just kept it effort-based. The Cloudboom Strike 2 maintained its responsiveness even when slowing down a little bit. I really liked how the rocker didn’t feel too aggressive, so it didn’t feel like I had to stay up on my toes the entire race. But at the same time, the roll-off felt really smooth and helped me maintain my cadence fairly well. The upper was comfortable and didn’t feel overly tight. It had some leeway in it and it felt light and breathable.Florence: At the beginning, I felt really good, so I started running really fast and the Cloudboom Strike 2 had really good return. I felt like I was bouncing the entire time and it was easy on my hips, so that was great. It was also pretty breathable, which helped because that day it was really, really hot out.Was there a stretch of the race when you felt particularly strong or fast? Mollie: I saw my mom, my sister, and my boyfriend four times throughout the course, and every time I saw them, I had a boost of energy right after. Mile 20 was a turning point for me because I was like, ‘I’m still feeling so good I could speed up at this point,’ which I’ve never felt before in a marathon. And then when I finally looked at my watch at mile 24, I knew I had two miles to go and was super close to PR. That’s when I started picking it up, and it was just such a great feeling.Chris: There’s a section of the race where you run along the seawall in Vancouver; you’re literally running alongside the ocean. Since I train solo, sometimes I love no crowds and the quietness of everything. I turned off my headphones for a little bit and listened to my own footsteps, my own breathing, and just took in the view. And you have that wind coming off the ocean a little bit, and you just feel like you’re kind of cruising.Florence: In the middle and at the end, obviously the people cheering really helped. But I also felt like my stride was really good, where I was just bouncing and flowing, and I didn’t feel any wobbliness or stiffness. I have shoes that are a little bit too stiff, and I feel something in my body or my hip, but Cloudboom Strike 2 was really good towards the end.Did you notice anything about the Cloudboom Strike 2 in terms of comfort, stability, or responsiveness as fatigue set in?Mollie: [In the last third of the race], they felt really good and comfortable and my body was feeling good, which was a really good sign at that point in the race, but the shoes still felt super springy. And when I started to push the pace a little bit, it just felt like a natural stride.Chris: Other racing shoes can be really firm and aggressive. With this shoe, I feel like that little extra cushion really felt good for where my fitness was. It’s a little deceiving because it can feel like your foot’s sinking in, but at the same time you’re getting that responsiveness back from it.Florence: I think it did help in terms of the cushion. There was a big hill in Harlem, so that was a little bit difficult, but the shoe helped propel me forward.What were you thinking and feeling as you approached and crossed the finish line? Mollie: I PR’d by three minutes, which is super close when you really think about all the little things that could go differently. I’ve cried crossing the finish line of every single race I’ve run, especially those last 100 meters. I get so emotional thinking about what I just accomplished before even the PR. Just completing a marathon is something so incredible and something that I’m so proud of every time I do it. I think about all the time and work that I put in, the months leading up to it. It’s just a very overwhelming feeling as you’re crossing the finish line.But when I saw my time, I kind of stopped a little bit because I was so excited and so happy. I’ll definitely be wearing Cloudboom Strike 2s again, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone who’s in the market for a new pair of shoes to race in.Chris: I know I have the speed in me; I just didn’t know if I had that fitness in me. So it was a good feeling to finish in 1:37. I was happy that I was able to push my body a little more than I had in the past year.Florence: I went into the race not looking at my watch. And when you start to hear the cowbells, that’s when I started feeling really good and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m almost done. I see the finish line right there, so might as well sprint it.’ So that’s what I did. It felt amazing. Everybody was cheering.Looking back, what did this race teach you about your ability to run fast, whatever that means to you? Mollie: Something I’m working on is having confidence in myself from the first mile rather than waiting till mile 13. I tend to second guess myself, especially on the start line. I can tell myself, ‘It's okay if you go a little slower, if you don’t hit your goal.’ And anyone else who’s training for a marathon or looking to achieve the same goal, I would say just have confidence in yourself. Enjoy the journey. Celebrate the little wins, especially in your training cycle.Chris: To get back to that speed, I know I have to put in more speed workouts. And it’s about playing the long game, too. You can’t force it.Florence: This race taught me the importance of relying on feeling and not paying too much attention to my watch. When I look at my watch a lot, I tend to run a bit slower. But when I just focus on myself, whatever’s playing in my earphones, and just feeling good and just doing it, I run faster. We have our goals, but rely on how you feel. I think the number one thing is just enjoy it.A highpoint of On’s Cloudboom Strike 2 is the technology. CloudTec Sphere™ helps keeps your legs fresher for longer by absorbing more of the impact, so you can retain your speed deep into a marathon.