Robot-Made On Sneakers Key to Obiri’s London Marathon PB Pursuit

When Kenya’s Hellen Obiri runs her debut London Marathon on Sunday, she has a goal beyond simply winning the race. The Olympic bronze medalist wants to beat her personal best of two hours, 17 minutes and 41 seconds, set at last year’s Boston Marathon.

To help her quest, she’ll again be sporting a pair of On Holding AG’s feather-weight LightSpray Cloudboom Strike, a $330 laceless racing shoe that’s produced by robots. And she’ll compete in them on a course that’s flatter and more conducive to speedy times than Boston.