Running 'fast' is objectively subjective. What’s fast for you could be slow for another runner and impossible for someone else. Fast can even mean something different for individual runners depending on factors like where they are in a training cycle, if they’re coming back from an injury, or the distance they’re running.

Some runners equate fast with a specific pace-per-mile. Fashion designer Florence Canonoy, for example, said it’s about seeing her paces drop on her tracking app month after month. 'I just run to feel good, and then I look at my watch and it’s like 8:15 [per mile], and I’m like, "oh, I’m getting fast,"' she said.

For others, like Mollie Kaplan, running fast has nothing to do with the time on her watch. 'When I’m feeling confident and happy, I feel like that’s when I produce my fastest times—when I’m not putting as much pressure on myself,' she said.

Regardless of how you define it, most runners would agree that their footwear plays a role in just how fast they feel on a particular day, especially race day. Below, Canonoy and Kaplan share what they each learned pursuing personal goals in different races—all while wearing the On Cloudboom Strike 2.

Meet the Runners

Mollie Kaplan

A content creator from Florida, who played lacrosse at university and has completed four marathons.

Distance raced in the Cloudboom Strike 2: marathon in Chicago

Race goal: Set a personal best

Florence Canonoy

A fashion designer from New York, who ran at university and began taking running seriously this year.

Distance raced in the Cloudboom Strike 2: 5K in New York City

Race goal: Push herself while returning from a hip flexor injury

Women's Health: What was your goal going into your race?

Mollie: My first marathon in 2024 was my fastest. I’ve been wanting to PB since then. But going into my next race, we had a yellow warning [weather alert] with less than ideal conditions. So I was a little frustrated because after training all summer in the heat, I was really excited to finally do a cooler marathon and was definitely prepared to get a personal best. But I took the pressure off myself the last two weeks before the race. My goal was not to look at my watch. I just wanted to go based on feeling and not to psych myself out.

Florence: I was taking my last couple races easy, but this was the one where I actually felt really good. So I was like, "Okay, let me push for it." It was one of my first races where I really took it seriously.

How did you feel out of the gate?

Mollie: I felt strong from the start and I knew that it was going to be a good day for me. I can usually tell from the first mile. And the Cloudboom Strike 2, they kind of give you speed without trying. So they propel you forward a little bit, which is really great.

Florence: At the beginning, I felt really good, so I started running really fast and the Cloudboom Strike 2 had really good return. I felt like I was bouncing the entire time and it was easy on my hips, so that was great. It was also pretty breathable.

Was there a stretch of the race when you felt particularly strong or fast?

Mollie: I saw my mum, my sister and my boyfriend four times throughout the course, and every time I saw them, I had a boost of energy right after. Mile 20 was a turning point for me because I was like, "I’m still feeling so good I could speed up at this point," which I’ve never felt before in a marathon. And then when I finally looked at my watch at mile 24, I knew I had two miles to go and was super close to a PB. That’s when I started picking it up, and it was just such a great feeling.

Florence: In the middle and at the end, obviously the people cheering really helped. But I also felt like my stride was really good, where I was just bouncing and flowing, and I didn’t feel any wobbliness or stiffness. I have shoes that are a little bit too stiff, and I feel something in my body or my hip, but Cloudboom Strike 2 was really good towards the end.

Did you notice anything about the Cloudboom Strike 2 in terms of comfort, stability, or responsiveness as fatigue set in?

Mollie: [In the last third of the race], they felt really good and comfortable and my body was feeling good, which was a really good sign at that point in the race, but the shoes still felt super springy. And when I started to push the pace a little bit, it just felt like a natural stride.

Florence: I think it did help in terms of the cushion. There was a big hill on the route, so that was a little bit difficult, but the shoe helped propel me forward.

What were you thinking and feeling as you approached and crossed the finish line?

Mollie: I PB'd by three minutes, which is super close when you really think about all the little things that could go differently. I’ve cried crossing the finish line of every single race I’ve run, especially those last 100 metres. I get so emotional thinking about what I just accomplished before even the PB. Just completing a marathon is something so incredible and something that I’m so proud of every time I do it. I think about all the time and work that I put in, the months leading up to it. It’s just a very overwhelming feeling as you’re crossing the finish line.

But when I saw my time, I kind of stopped a little bit because I was so excited and so happy. I’ll definitely be wearing Cloudboom Strike 2s again, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone who’s in the market for a new pair of shoes to race in.

Florence: I went into the race not looking at my watch. And when you start to hear the cowbells, that’s when I started feeling really good and I was like, "You know what? I’m almost done. I see the finish line right there, so might as well sprint it." So that’s what I did. It felt amazing. Everybody was cheering.

Looking back, what did this race teach you about your ability to run fast, whatever that means to you?

Mollie: Something I’m working on is having confidence in myself from the first mile rather than waiting till mile 13. I tend to second-guess myself, especially on the start line. I can tell myself, "It's okay if you go a little slower, if you don’t hit your goal," and anyone else who’s training for a marathon or looking to achieve the same goal, I would say just have confidence in yourself. Enjoy the journey. Celebrate the little wins, especially in your training cycle.

Florence: This race taught me the importance of relying on feeling and not paying too much attention to my watch. When I look at my watch a lot, I tend to run a bit slower. But when I just focus on myself, whatever’s playing in my earphones, and just feeling good and just doing it, I run faster. We have our goals, but rely on how you feel. I think the number one thing is just enjoy it.