On Presents Next-Gen Cloudboom Strike 2 Marathon Racing Shoes

Switzerland-based performance brand On has just unveiled the next chapter of its industry-disrupting Cloudboom Strike marathon racing shoes. First introduced to the world in July 2024, the franchise's second generation has been engineered to out-perform its predecessors across 26.2 miles, using insight from elite athletes to develop revolutionary technology like CloudTec Sphere™, Helion™ HF, Speedboard®, and LightSpray™.

Aptly-named Cloudboom Strike 2, the Swiss sportswear brand's newest marathon racer arrives in two versions: one with a standard upper and another with the LightSpray™ "second skin." Inaugural editions of both models have won marathon races at all levels. Hellen Obiri, Yeman Crippa, and Joe Klecker are some of the elite athletes who've put the On Cloudboom Strike 2 silhouettes through their paces on trying courses like London, Paris, and Boston.

At its core, the Cloudboom Strike line aims to "[maximize] and sustain speed over the full marathon distance" by combing athlete insight with the science of running efficiency, according to On. To this end, the performance and lifestyle company has fine-tuned the sequel to its competitive franchise in order to make Cloudboom Strike a more compelling option for the sport's best runners.

Even at quick glance, the differences between the original Cloudboom Strikes and Cloudboom Strike 2s are noticeable. Some of the under-the-hood changes made for the second generation of the marathon racing shoes include:

• CloudTec Sphere™: A major evolution to On’s proprietary CloudTec® foam engineering system; found under the forefoot, the geometry of CloudTec Sphere™ is designed to enhance comfort & optimize running efficiency
• Helion™ HF: The Hyper Foam Midsole is 15% lighter than the first-gen Cloudboom Strike
• Curved Carbon Speedboard®: The stiffening agent is sandwiched between layers of dual-density Helion™ HF; is lighter & stiffer than previous versions for improved propulsion with every stride

The LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2 features the disruptive LightSpray™ Upper, a seamless, glue-less, one-piece upper sprayed on by a robot in just minutes. This laceless construction took the internet by storm when it was originally unveiled, and it's performed well at numerous marathons over the last year.

According to a study done by the University of Cape Town, LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2 has been found to "create a 1.6% increase in running economy when compared to leading industry benchmarks."

Both standard and LightSpray versions of the Cloudboom Strike 2 and release on Thursday, July 30, via On.com and select premium retail partners. It's possible that some of the technological advancements introduced on the new marathon racers will trickle down to training silhouettes over the next year, bringing the best of the brand's Swiss engineering to non-racing environments.

On's LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2 debuts in a white-and-yellow color scheme, whereas the standard Cloudboom Strike 2 debuts in a green-and-purple finish.

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