diff --git a/source/common/router/config_impl.cc b/source/common/router/config_impl.cc
index 552ca7275238..43621577b1b7 100644
--- a/source/common/router/config_impl.cc
+++ b/source/common/router/config_impl.cc
@@ -700,10 +700,11 @@ RouteEntryImplBase::RouteEntryImplBase(const VirtualHostImpl& vhost,
 }
 
 bool RouteEntryImplBase::evaluateRuntimeMatch(const uint64_t random_value) const {
-  return !runtime_ ? true
-                   : loader_.snapshot().featureEnabled(runtime_->fractional_runtime_key_,
-                                                       runtime_->fractional_runtime_default_,
-                                                       random_value);
+  return runtime_ == nullptr
+             ? true
+             : loader_.snapshot().featureEnabled(runtime_->fractional_runtime_key_,
+                                                 runtime_->fractional_runtime_default_,
+                                                 random_value);
 }
 
 absl::string_view
@@ -890,18 +891,15 @@ RouteEntryImplBase::getResponseHeaderParsers(bool specificity_ascend) const {
                           specificity_ascend);
 }
 
-absl::optional<RouteEntryImplBase::RuntimeData>
+std::unique_ptr<const RouteEntryImplBase::RuntimeData>
 RouteEntryImplBase::loadRuntimeData(const envoy::config::route::v3::RouteMatch& route_match) {
-  absl::optional<RuntimeData> runtime;
-  RuntimeData runtime_data;
-
   if (route_match.has_runtime_fraction()) {
-    runtime_data.fractional_runtime_default_ = route_match.runtime_fraction().default_value();
-    runtime_data.fractional_runtime_key_ = route_match.runtime_fraction().runtime_key();
+    auto runtime_data = std::make_unique<RouteEntryImplBase::RuntimeData>();
+    runtime_data->fractional_runtime_default_ = route_match.runtime_fraction().default_value();
+    runtime_data->fractional_runtime_key_ = route_match.runtime_fraction().runtime_key();
     return runtime_data;
   }
-
-  return runtime;
+  return nullptr;
 }
 
 const std::string&
diff --git a/source/common/router/config_impl.h b/source/common/router/config_impl.h
index 367f3b53e4c2..389139a889b1 100644
--- a/source/common/router/config_impl.h
+++ b/source/common/router/config_impl.h
@@ -967,7 +967,8 @@ class RouteEntryImplBase : public RouteEntryAndRoute,
   absl::InlinedVector<const HeaderParser*, 3>
   getResponseHeaderParsers(bool specificity_ascend) const;
 
-  absl::optional<RuntimeData> loadRuntimeData(const envoy::config::route::v3::RouteMatch& route);
+  std::unique_ptr<const RuntimeData>
+  loadRuntimeData(const envoy::config::route::v3::RouteMatch& route);
 
   static std::multimap<std::string, std::string>
   parseOpaqueConfig(const envoy::config::route::v3::Route& route);
@@ -1033,7 +1034,7 @@ class RouteEntryImplBase : public RouteEntryAndRoute,
   const absl::optional<std::chrono::milliseconds> max_grpc_timeout_;
   const absl::optional<std::chrono::milliseconds> grpc_timeout_offset_;
   Runtime::Loader& loader_;
-  const absl::optional<RuntimeData> runtime_;
+  std::unique_ptr<const RuntimeData> runtime_;
   const std::string scheme_redirect_;
   const std::string host_redirect_;
   const std::string port_redirect_;