Hellen Obiri: Inside the Shoe the Marathon Champion Trusted From Boston to a New York City Marathon Record

Hellen Obiri’s record-breaking 2:19:51 finish at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon was a testament to her relentless work ethic and zeal to reclaim the title she first won in 2022.

However, her victory also spotlighted a piece of racing technology on her feet, On's Cloudboom Strike LS running shoes.

Hellen Obiri's time not only secured her second New York City Marathon title, making her only the ninth woman to be a repeat champion, but it also shattered a 22-year-old course record set by compatriot Margaret Okayo in 2003.

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The footwear Hellen Obiri wore for this historic run was not a standard, off-the-shelf model. It was the Cloudboom Strike LS (LightSpray) from On, her sponsor and the brand with which she trains as part of the On Athletics Club.

The shoe is described as a lightweight, "spray-on" shoe. The "spray-on" moniker refers to its unique, form-fitting, and laceless upper, which is created using a technology called LightSpray.

This innovative process involves spraying, rather than glueing or mechanically building, the thin, seamless mesh-like upper. The single, 1.5-kilometre-long filament is spun by an automated robotic spray machine in a rapid, one-step process, resulting in a breathable and elastic fit.

Furthermore, the Cloudboom Strike LS is a carbon-plated racing shoe, a 'super shoe' category defined by its energy-returning characteristics that have revolutionised marathon running.

The intricate, almost bespoke, manufacturing process, being made one at a time in On's shoe lab in Zurich, Switzerland, contributes to its limited availability and premium cost.

The On Cloudboom Strike LS is now available for the public, but typically through limited drops and select speciality retailers, reflecting its high-tech, small-batch manufacturing process.

The shoe has seen several limited releases. One key drop was on September 1, 2024, for the White/Flame colourway, and another limited-edition drop (White/Lime colourway) occurred on April 10, 2025. More drops have been slated for later in 2025. The retail price is $330, as noted by Tom's Guide.

Buyers should expect high demand and limited availability for this futuristic racing flat. The official approval of the shoe for competition by World Athletics, initially under the names On Dev1 and On Dev1.2, paved the way for Obiri to wear the final laceless iteration in her record-smashing run.