Mondo presents the new MONDOTRACK™ with ELLIPSE IMPULSE Technology athletics track, designed to excel in both performance and sustainability. This athletics track surface represents the latest innovation in our company's research and development, with a focus on environmental considerations and the needs of athletes.
MONDOTRACK™ with ELLIPSE IMPULSE Technology is the new track surface for athletics, optimized to further enhance athletic performance through a combination of absorption, uniform energy release, and redefined elastic behavior.
This new track model is the result of a valuable collaboration with the Polymer Engineering Laboratory of the Politecnico di Milano (PolyEngLab) through detailed FEM analysis and virtual modeling algorithms, which led to the design of a new geometry for the subbase of the prefabricated track surface.
Integrating FEM simulation into the design of athletics tracks allows for the simulation of product prototypes and the interaction between athlete and track, enabling the reconstruction of every aspect of athletic movements in a repeatable manner, which is not feasible with traditional methods and timelines.
The collaboration with the Polymer Engineering Laboratory had two main objectives:
The key innovation lies in the new geometry of the subbase, which now uses elliptical air cells.
The new MONDOTRACK™ with ELLIPSE IMPULSE Technology athletics track has been developed with particular attention to elastic response, crucial for ensuring maximum performance for athletes. The track design, compared to the previous version Mondotrack® – which was first created for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, where it immediately became the stage for 4 world records and 12 Olympic records – has been further improved.
The new subbase design, characterized by elliptical geometric air cells, allows the track to respond smoothly and dynamically to every step, leap, or throw, significantly enhancing the absorption and return of energy exerted by the athlete on the track.
Elliptical-profile air cells have a greater deformation capacity than hexagonal-profile air cells due to their more flexible shape, the absence of sharp edges, and a larger contact surface. The absence of sharp edges allows for better adaptation to load variations during athletic movements, resulting in a higher load redistribution capacity.
MONDOTRACK™ with ELLIPSE IMPULSE Technology is designed to be softer yet more efficient in returning energy, with a higher net impulse value compared to previous models.
The collaboration with the Polymer Engineering Laboratory of the Politecnico di Milano has resulted in several scientific publications and a patent prending related to the shape of elliptical cells.
Aligned with our mission to create sustainable athletics tracks, MONDOTRACK® with ELLIPSE IMPULSE Technology uses renewable and recycled materials, such as natural rubber and materials sourced from end-of-life industrial supply chains. The production process employs low-carbon emission techniques and the use of renewable energy, minimizing waste. Certifications such as UL GREENGUARD GOLD and TÜV AUSTRIA confirm our commitment to low environmental impact, while Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) ensure transparency of our environmental performance.
Our journey towards a sustainable athletics track began with a critical analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions of the Mondotrack® track used since the 2012 London Olympics.
Building on this data, we utilized Eco-Design tools to reduce our environmental footprint, focusing on:
For this reason, Mondo developed a new compound for athletics tracks that incorporates shellfish shells, typical of the Mediterranean; these shells are rich in calcium carbonate, a material frequently used in resilient flooring.
This project came to life thanks to a fruitful collaboration with Nieddittas, a fishing cooperative based in Arborea and now a leading company in Sardinian mussel farming and fishing. Mondo and Nieddittas created a sustainable supply chain that transforms a waste product into a resource, avoiding the extraction of calcium carbonate and the consequent environmental impacts.
Creating a track with biogenic carbonate is like offsetting the emissions of a Euro 4 diesel car traveling 60,000 km. Additionally, it avoids the disposal of tens of tons of waste in landfills.
Mondo also monitors every phase of its production, which takes place within certified facilities, such as the Gallo d'Alba plant, certified according to ISO 9001:2015 quality management standards and ISO 14001:2015 environmental management standards; the production site is powered by a 4.6 MWp photovoltaic system, allowing us to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The MONDO group also has several photovoltaic systems totaling 6.8 MWp.
From the Montreal 1976 Olympics to the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, Mondo tracks have always pushed athletes beyond their limits: over 300 world records have been set on Mondo tracks.
But we don’t stop here: our vision for the future of athletics tracks focuses on the dynamic interaction between track and shoes, transforming energy absorption into energy accumulation. Our goal is to minimize energy loss and maximize energy return, ensuring that every step, jump, and throw is supported by the precision and reliability of our sports surfaces.
Learn more about the Mondotrack® Ellipse IMPULSE track and our other innovations in the world of athletics on these pages or contact us here!