What happened when I switched from Nike to On

I’ve run in Nike for over a decade. Here’s what happened when I switched to the On Cloudmonster 3 — and why changing running shoes is never just about the shoe.

On is everywhere. Or at least, it feels like it. It’s on my Instagram and on the feet of most of the mums (and dads) at my local gym. I used to think it was a very odd-looking shoe. But slowly and surely, the brand team has worked their magic. When the On Cloudmonster 3 landed, I was curious but cautious.

Over the last year, I noticed people switching, one by one, from Hoka to On. The rate at which this happened made me think it was about more than the shoe. The brand has taken root and people are starting to signal that they know what’s what.

Or was I wrong? Had On created a far superior shoe — and I’d just been a marketing cynic all along?

Since I first started running in 2012, I’ve worn Nike. I was in between jobs in fashion and living on an old Ellis Island ferry in Hoboken (a story for another time, but the view of Manhattan, from where I slept, was something else). I didn’t have much money to be doing things and for the first time since leaving uni, I had time. So I thought I’d try running in the mornings. I’d only really heard of Nike, so I headed to the store in Manhattan.

Nike trainers have seen me through countless miles on the road and trails, including the Paris and London Marathon. So when someone reached out to me about trying the latest On Cloudmonster 3, I was flattered but hesitant.

If you’ve been running for a while and, like me, have had a brief fling with another brand which you think has triggered a dreaded niggle, then you’ll know the fear of switching trainers. It’s not entirely rational, but it’s very real. Shoes become part of the story we tell ourselves about what works and what doesn’t.

It’s something I was speaking to Ben Burch about recently, as a new shoe brand is looking to sponsor his Badwater journey. However, my ego (and my wallet) appreciated the offer, so I accepted.

I’m hyper-conscious of only getting new trainers when absolutely necessary (see: the cost of our kit), so I was committing to really test these out. They arrived and they felt good.

They’re described as being a “maximalist, neutral daily trainer designed for steady, high-volume miles, featuring a firm, stable ride with a pronounced, rolling rocker.” The latter was what I was feeling on first wear, and they genuinely gave me a bit of a pep in my step as I headed out the door on the school run.

Over the coming weeks, I did a lot of walking (as any parent of young children will tell you). Walking to the park, to school, around a forest, to the shops. And standing. Lots of standing around watching the children. But I was conscious I hadn’t done much running. I’m 13 months postpartum and my pelvis is usually the first place that tells me something is up. But so far, so good. Eventually I managed to squeeze in a few road runs and some treadmill classes at the gym.

Still no bad feedback from the pelvis (I imagine this would sound something like Marge Simpson making her low hum of dissatisfaction). But nothing. And back to my old treadmill speed. Perhaps I’d been missing a trick by not trying On before.

However, last weekend brought me back down to reality.

As a family, we decided to attempt a beast of a 10k trail run — a 5k there and back to a local Abbey. Featuring two boys on bikes, a running buggy, and the promise of a picnic with lots of snacks. It was epic.

I remember saying to Fletch, “I think this has been one of the happiest days of my life.”

I was sharing my favourite trail route with my whole family. We stopped to watch egrets, herons, week-old lambs, cows, sheep and horses. There’s also a cave en route which the boys were thrilled to discover is home to three species of bats. I’ve run this trail many, many times and it is by far my favourite. Having the whole family there to share it with — and it going well — was something special.

A few kilometres from home, on the way back, my knee started to do the Marge Simpson thing. That low hum of dissatisfaction. I realised then that I’d put the new On trainers on out of habit — and had forgotten to switch back to my Nike trail shoes. Almost instantly, the old story kicked in. My knee has been suffering since. This is most likely down to the fact that I haven’t been training regularly and my strength work has fallen by the wayside whilst I try to juggle being a mum of three and the intensity of running a start-up.

But it made me unpick a lot about what’s gone on here. Because the truth is, I don’t actually know. Was it the shoes? Was it the terrain? The lack of training? Was it fatigue? Or was it the simple fact that something felt different and my brain rushed to fill in the gap? There’s a certain superstition around switching shoes. If I change something, and something goes wrong, it’s easy to draw a straight line between the two.

Brands that manage to get people to switch have become expert storytellers. Because they’re not just selling a product. They’re offering a new version of what might be possible and an identity to match. On is currently that brand. But I’m still not entirely sure whether I switched because of what the shoe does — or what I thought it might do. What I do know is this: the next time I head out on the trails, I'll be in my old trainers. Just in case.

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Is It Risky to Switch Running Shoes?

The short answer: it depends. Switching isn’t inherently risky but doing it without context can be. Most issues come from a change in load: different stack, drop, or movement pattern. Layer that into a busy training week and small changes can quickly add up.

For some runners, the transition is seamless. For others, it takes time. The key is understanding how your body responds, not just what the shoe promises.

If you’re unsure, a bit of external insight helps. At OneTrack, biomechanics assessments look at how your body moves under load, helping you understand what’s likely to work and what’s not.