For Cyle Sage, On Running’s United States rep, the Cade Prize is more than a chance to launch a business – it is an homage to Dr. Robert Cade, who tested one of On Running’s early prototypes and encouraged Sage to explore entrepreneurship.
On Running has deep roots in Florida, as it was invented by a Swiss engineer living in Fort Lauderdale. He noticed that he suffered fewer aches and pains on days when ocean breezes had blown sand across the sidewalks alongside SR A1A. He determined that his foot was sliding across the sand with each step, providing additional cushioning. For the next seven years, he and researchers at the University of Florida and in Switzerland worked to create a new running shoe that optimizes the technology he created.
It was during those seven years that Sage worked as one of Dr. Cade’s “lab rats,” and learned about innovation and entrepreneurship. Cade was also one of the many runners that tested the shoes.
According to Sage, On Running shoes are the first shoes in the world that utilize 3-D cushioning. Current shoes, Sage explained, cushion only the vertical forces of your foot striking the ground and pushing off. On Running’s CloudTec technology (circular shock absorbers on the sole) also provide horizontal cushioning – like sand over the sidewalk – which improves muscle control.
The third dimension is time, according to Sage. As your foot falls through the “cloud,” the shoe decelerates your foot strike, which means you land with up to 30 percent less force than with a traditional shoe. Once your foot is on the ground, On Running’s studies have shown that the shoe transfers 10 percent more take-off force with each step.
Ultimately, this reduces runner fatigue and lowers the chance of injury. Since the clouds are responsible for absorbing and slowing down the foot-landing, a task that stresses the ligaments and tendons in your leg, you’ll be able to run further and with fewer aches.
“With other shoes, you’re at a compressed state,” Sage said. “We like to tell people that cushioned shoes are very slow and light-weight shoes are fast. We have a shoe that cushions and is fast and responsive, and that is what separates us from other shoes.”
After testing the technology on Gainesville’s roads and trails, On Running was formed in January 2010. A month later, it was named the Best Innovation in Sporting Good Technology by ipso Brand New in Germany, a competition for young sports entrepreneurs. Six months later, it launched a 10,000-pair production run which sold quickly in Europe. Headquartered in Switzerland, On Running now sells in 14 countries through 600 specialty retail stores.
Through the Cade Prize, Sage said the company hopes to expand its operation in the United States. It has already worked with FootLocker to put the shoes in 27 specialty FootLocker stores, as well as four speciality running stores throughout Florida. Sage hopes the Cade Prize will allow the company to create an office in Gainesville to train technology representatives and store product to expand a retail network in Florida. He also hopes the running community in Gainesville will help the company test new products.
“Those are big reasons, but we’re excited to be in this competition because of our relationship to Dr. Cade; he was in one of the first prototypes,” Sage said. “It’s an honor to his life and legacy to be able to have something that he contributed to early on, because he was certainly involved in the very beginning.”
To find out more about the Cade Prize, visit CadeMuseum.org and keep an eye on the blog for more on the Cade Prize Sweet 16.
