First 25ish miles: I ran a 16.5 mile run right out of the box. I was impressed by the protection and rhythm of the shoe. They have a nice rocker geometry that for my mechanics was easy to get into a steady pace with and felt good after 16.5 miles. I also noticed the weight of the shoe, especially since I recently ran in the Skechers Aero Elite, that is about 2.5 ounces lighter per shoe. The foam felt very dense and stiff, but not punishing. The shoes did not shift into faster speeds as good as the Aero Elite and I would lay that largely to the weight of the shoes.
My first run after 25 miles I almost felt like someone switched the shoes. It was at a demo run for On shoes and I did a run in Vanish Carbon's first. Just walking around it felt like the Peba foam had broken loose some as the shoes had a nice bounce to them just walking and then when I ran, it was a very pleasant run. It felt like the shoes evolved in between runs.
From that point on, the shoes have had and maintained a nice bounce along with the geometry I already enjoyed. They are great at steady pace long runs. The shoes can gear up and keep an up-tempo pace, but I do feel like these are more of a physical shift over a fluid acceleration. Once you move into that upper pace they can get up and go pretty good, but I feel like they have a lower top end than a shoe like the Aero Elite.
I saw some thoughts from other reviewers contemplating the top end being a bit lower because of the 4MM drop, but that doesn't align with me as a lot of the race day shoes are lower drop and with the foams/geometries nowadays the measured static drop is not a clear indication to underfoot feel/performance. I think the weight is one of the main reasons for the lack of top end on these.
With that said, where I would use these shoes are steady pace long runs. I think they are a very good at a steady pace run and will be there for you on long runs. I would not tend to use a plated shoe for an ultra distance, but these are the first shoes that had me contemplating them as an option for an ultra. The caveat is if the fit of the shoe works for you.
One additional note: These shows are not flexible, at all. If that is something that gives you issues, just take that into consideration. For what it is worth, I sometimes struggle with stiff shoes and got along with this brilliantly. They actually performed like I was hoping the Brooks Hyperion Max would.
