Helion™ Your Run: The superfoam

H = Heroes don’t wear capes anymore

Foam has been the running industry’s go-to cushioning material for decades. And with good reason. Foam can offer everything a runner wants from cushioning. The headache for shoe developers was that it couldn’t do it all at the same time. Foams that promised massive energy return were also the heaviest. Those that weighed less didn’t last as long. There always had to be a trade off. Until now. 

Meet Helion: foam cushioning without compromise. It's Swiss-engineered specifically as cushioning that can do it all. Lightweight yet durable. Big on rebound and temperature resistance. In short, everything you need to run on the road. 

The secret is the way the foam is constructed. Advanced production processes make it possible to combine rigid, stable sections with more flexible foam elements along the same molecular chains. This fusion offers benefits that were previously only possible with two separate materials, combining all ingredients for the ultimate run in a single superfoam. 

E = Energy return

In its simplest form, running performance is about energy. The more you have, the further and faster you can go. Let’s break it down stride by stride. 

When you land during a run, you create energy (with a little help from gravity).  Some of it is captured in the ‘system’ formed by you and your shoe. The goal is to take as much of that stored energy as possible with you into your next take-off. This is ‘energy return’. In simple terms, the bigger the energy return, the less effort it takes for you to move at speed. Sounds good right? Yeah – energy return is kind of a big deal for runners. 

The On philosophy has always been that you should take more of your energy forwards with you on the run. And Helion takes this thinking even further. The soft elements within the superfoam load up with energy as they compress when your foot hits the ground. The stiffer sections then come into play as the foam rebounds back to retake its original shape, returning energy into the push-off in the process. 

The propulsion effect is further enhanced by the carefully crafted Speedboard™ in every On shoe, a stiff plate that fires like a bow to convert even more of your running momentum into forward motion. Then there’s the CloudTec® cushioning, which compresses on landing to absorb impact and create a firm platform for the explosive take-off. Adding Helion into the mix now brings even more performance to this already (world-title) winning combination.       

L = Lightweight

A shoe that pushes you forwards isn’t much use if your cushioning weighs you down. Helion was developed for increased performance at minimum weight, without sacrificing durability. Even a few extra grams soon adds up if you’re running long distances. The prerequisite for the team in the On Lab was that the runner should feel only the benefits of the foam, not the shoe itself. And that’s exactly what you get with Helion. 

The weight reduction is further boosted by the lightweight nature of CloudTec®. The hollow Cloud elements weigh less than a solid slab of foam. Add the ultralight upper of a shoe like the Cloudswift and you’ll really fly through your run.

I = Impact cushioning

With its fusion of flexible and rigid foam, Helion strikes the perfect balance between soft landings and responsive road feel. Impact cushioning is about the time it takes for the foam to compress, capturing the energy on landing. The longer that compression takes, the less force the runner feels. It all happens very fast, but the softer elements within Helion slow the compression to a rate that delivers a cushioned feel at every step, taking the sting out of hard surfaces.

O = On-the-road protection
 

Running on the road can be, well, hard. Humans were made to run, just not necessarily on asphalt. If your cushioning has a weakness, the streets will reveal it. That’s why we engineered Helion to cushion without compromise – a superfoam hero for city runners. 

In addition to the soft landings, a key difference between Helion and other foams is that this sensation doesn't tire before you do. It’s designed to offer durability that outruns its competitors.  Even when you reach the city limits, Helion still has more to give. 

With the Cloudswift, this effect is further boosted by durable rubber reinforcements covering the Cloud elements. This overlay also improves traction, so you can come to grips with high-tempo training, even on wet roads. 

N = Nonstop performance in the heat or cold
 

The impact of temperature on foam cushioning is often underestimated. In short, it reacts a little like we do. In the summer heat, it can tire faster. In colder winter conditions, it can stiffen up. Over time, these temperature changes, especially when running in warm weather, can degrade the foam and reduce the life of the shoe. 

Helion resists these temperature changes to minimize the impact of external conditions on performance. With Helion, you can run all year round with the same unrivaled sensation. 

So Helion has all the ingredients for the ultimate urban run. But the proof is in the running. Helion your run to discover the superhero sensation of a superfoam run on clouds. The city is yours.