The Running Shoe Experts at On Finally Made a Sneaker for Guys Like Me
SHOP $159.99, on-running.com
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Here's a thing that I didn't really understand until relatively recently: A real running shoe is not a sneaker. It is, quite specifically, a running shoe. To call it a sneaker is not exactly smiled upon. This, to me, seemed completely crazy. I love sneakers! It's a term of endearment! But, alas, that's not how dedicated runners—of which I am not one—feel about the matter.
Regardless, that definition is why, until recently, Swiss performance brand On had technically never made a sneaker. See, On built its reputation making running shoes—really good ones, with its in-house CloudTec outsole and Helion foam providing impressive response and support. Of course, some folks wore them like you'd wear any pair of sneakers. But they weren't sneakers until now. On recently released the Cloud Hi Edge, a sneaker (yep, a sneaker, in all its glory) designed to appeal to guys just like me. Here's why it might appeal to someone like you, too.
It's built for everyday adventures.
The Cloud Hi Edge isn't a running shoe; that much we've already established. But it's not a "keep it in a glass case" art piece, either. This is a shoe that's meant to be worn. Like, really worn. The sneaker debuted at AtmosCon in Tokyo. I was there for it, which means I was there to put it through the (very literal) paces. I put miles and miles on these sneakers from day one, and I was still able to put miles and miles on them for the next few days.
SHOP $159.99, on-running.com
It doesn't look like everything else.
Going to a sneaker convention, like, say, AtmosCon? The Cloud Hi Edge might not feel like obvious choice. But that's why it's interesting: It's not something you see all the time, and it's not something so precious that your have to worry about whether you can actually wear it. (Which is, by the way, kinda the whole thing about sneakers. You wear them! And enjoy them!) For some folks, it's a huge bonus that these sneakers don't blend into a crowd of guys who are all wearing variations of the same thing. Try a sneaker con for yourself, and you might just see why.
It's still crazy technical.
For all these ruminations on why the Cloud Hi Edge isn't quite like its predecessors, there's a counterpoint: It kinda is. Not in looks, or mentality, mind you. But the Cloud Hi Edge still uses On's signature tech, like the pocketed, ultra-responsive outsole that keeps fans coming back time and time again. Add to that the carefully designed upper (complete with a non-traditional lace system and "On"-branded lace-keeper) and you know that this is a shoe that's been thought about. A lot. And it's all the better for it.
SHOP $159.99, on-running.com
Prop styling by John Olso
Photography by Timothy Mulcare
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