On Cloudboom Echo 3 Review: A Snappy, Pricey Shoe for Mid-to-Longer Distances

My overarching takeaway: While you’re picking up the pace, these shoes are amazing—they really develop into an extension of your foot, and the turnover with each step feels so natural. I normally take a little bit of time getting as much as 5K pace from my warm-up or recoveries, but once I was wearing these, I used to be in a position to reach my intended pace much faster. I felt like I used to be able to keep up it higher, too, with less effort than usual—even on hillier portions of my route. The 5K-pace workout tends to be a struggle for me, so I used to be surprised to see once I got home that every interval was on the quickest end of the pace range I used to be shooting for.

The shoes definitely feel best once you’re pushing your speed, though. During my warm-up, cool-down, and recoveries, I felt more instability and located the firmness a little bit jarring.

That made me much more excited to take them on an actual race, since I knew I’d be pushing it the entire way through. I ended up running a solid race in them, maintaining pretty even splits your entire way, and saving up enough juice to book it the last mile. It was during those fast speeds where the shoes really felt one of the best to me—they really encourage a fast push-off from the bottom and supply enough bounce to make it easier to with it.

One other thing I even have to indicate: The comfort and fit are really top-notch here. The sunshine upper is incredibly breathable, and my feet didn’t get swampy in the course of the early September northeastern-morning humidity. I also forgot to Body Glide my ankles beforehand to protect against any chafing, and I didn’t have to. There was no rubbing, pinching, or squashing during your entire race.

Bottom line

If you wish to hit fast paces, the On Cloudboom Echo 3 can make it easier to get there—and make the entire process feel a little bit more fun (and fewer exhausting). After wearing them for 5K-pace work and a 10-mile race, though, I’d recommend them more for the shorter, faster distances versus a half-marathon or anything farther. They simply seemed smoother at quicker paces, and I’d fairly use something a little bit more cushioned for once I’m going really long. But I’d definitely be stoked to try these on a 5K, 10K, or possibly even one other 10-miler, especially if I used to be gunning for a PR.

I’d probably only wear them for a race, though, which makes them less versatile than a few of the other super shoes on the market (say, just like the Hoka Mach X, which you’ll train and race in). With just 16 miles on them, the shoes are already showing some light signs of wear and tear along the only real on the heel—I’m a heel-striker—so I’m guessing their four-marathon shelf life is pretty accurate. I don’t need to “waste” their miles on regular runs, so I’ll be saving them for the higher-stakes racing.

It also makes their high price tag ($290) a little bit more noticeable. When you’re setting these aside for race days, you’ll need to shell out even more money for other sneakers to coach in. If you’ve got enough disposable income to devote to running—and you actually are on the lookout for utmost performance—these will be a fantastic option. But for more casual runners, or for those on a tighter budget, there are probably more versatile options on the market that’ll check similar boxes.