In production · road · Race day · $290
On's carbon racer: light, snappy, narrow and unmistakably a race shoe.
Built for race day, at a target pace of 5:00–7:15 /mi on road.
The midsole is Helion, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. At 40 mm of heel stack this sits in max-cushion territory; legs stay fresher on long efforts, but the platform is tall. Combined, the ride reads as explosive at 5/5 responsiveness.
A full-length carbon plate stiffens the forefoot and works with the foam as a lever: it smooths the transition off the toes and cuts the effort of holding fast paces. It also asks for speed — at easy paces a carbon plate feels stiff and does little for you, and it is the main reason super-shoes wear out sooner than trainers.
A low 4 mm drop encourages a midfoot landing and keeps the ankle working through a fuller range. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is narrow and performance-oriented; wide-footed runners should try before buying. It runs small; most runners size up a half. Expect roughly 220 miles from the outsole, about $1.32 per mile at $290.
For the foams and plates On uses across its line, read the On brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
210 g / 7.4 oz
65 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
40 mm
4 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
4 mm
2 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$290
130 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~220 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the On line it is lighter than the brand's median (270 g / 9.5 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (34 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v6(2026)
212 g / 7.5 oz · 40 mm · 4 mm drop · Carbon · $250
Lower-drop, Vaporfly-like sixth-gen marathon racer with a smoother toe-off.
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3(2025)
218 g / 7.7 oz · 40 mm · 4 mm drop · Carbon · $250
Extreme rocker with a cut heel — aggressive forward tipping at race pace.
On Cloudboom Strike 2(2026)
204 g / 7.2 oz · 39 mm · 4 mm drop · Carbon · $290
On finally nails the super shoe: light, rockered and genuinely fast.
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 4
210 g / 7.4 oz · 40 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $265
Cut-heel geometry and carbon plate for a forward-tipping racer.