Comrades Marathon 2024 Race Test: Is the On Cloudmonster Hyper really a road ultra race shoe? 

Comrades was epic this year! Glad you enjoyed it. Our Faku Chief, silver bus, all standardise on Adidas Pro 3, great shoe for Ultras.

So cool! Definitely a destination race for me. Don’t think I’ll get the cloudmonster hyper absent a steep sale, but I love how comfy the normal cloudmonsters toebox is. Seems like a no brainer feature for a shoe that plenty of brands don’t seem to care about.

Wow, respect! For doing this. Uphill, heat, … really well done!

Well done on your Bill Rowan and B2B, Kieran.

Great video. I used the alphafly V3. I've used v1 v2 and now v3 at comrades and honestly all 3 worked better than expected. I'm still shocked that even walking feels great in these shoes.

The speed at the end is related to the profile. With your A batch qualifier, you were going a lot slower than your potential and had some legs left to take advantage of the decent at the end. I ran in Saucony Ride 17 and had a good day. No toe issues or blisters. Next year I am going for a green number.

I've got my next 50k this Saturday, on both road and on a sandy packed path under the trees in the Bois de Vincennes in Paris... I was all decided on the Puma Deviate Nitro 2, a super comfy shoe with that awesome outsole of tiny little lugs which I think is perfect for a road ultra with some sandy sections, but I'm also sorely sorely tempted by the Boston 12 and the Speed 3!! Any of them would be great, I know!! So so glad your choice really worked out for you Kieran... from your glowing race report videos, I figured that the shoes must've done really well !! 💪💪👏👏

The cloudmonster is a phenomenal long run shoe with great protection and a bit of bounce when you need it. It doesn’t surpass the Superblast in terms of versatility, as you can take that down to 10k speed and be okay. But the Superblast is much firmer and while can function at slow/long runs, it really responds better at faster efforts. For the majority of people suggesting some pace in your long run is not a bad thing. But for serious runners, a slow recovery day is meant to be adhered and zone 1/2 is non-negotiable. The cloudmonster hyper is much better for that. The Superblast absolutely works, but it’s not the best. Further cushioned shoes like a nimbus or triumph, 1080 etc all exceed 10oz in weight. The cloudmonster hyper is the ultimate protective long run easy day shoe, if you can afford the dedicated use case. I personally don’t like running in anything over 10 oz, I don’t care how pillowy, or springy it is. Taking it easy in a heavier shoe doesn’t make sense to me. Yowana, DOR, and now some run testers are all big fans of the hyper. If you see the dedicated use case, the ultimate light, protective, long run shoe. “Fresh legs, fast legs” is printed on the insoles. On clearly communicating its function. Great review!

I ran with Nike Invincible 3’s, I loved them for the first 40 - 50km’s, after that I hated them, trying to manage the toe bashing was a nightmare. In hindsight, I should have ran with the Superblast

2:45 would love to hear more about the joy and pain, etc. Honestly, we are here for shoe reviews, but you guys might really be on to something if you crack open that box. You might find a huge community eager to embrace that connection! Laughter and tears might just = something like maximum engagement. -Cheers!