Help’US, the guardian angel for runners in France

92% of women say they worry about their safety when running. That is the finding of a 2023 adidas study of 9,000 runners. Women are not the only ones affected. Younger runners, and some men too, share the same concerns. This feeling of insecurity often leads people to avoid certain places or times, and sometimes to give up their run altogether. With the days getting shorter, the issue becomes even more pressing.

Help’US, a French app making running safer

Three private-security experts launched Help’US in March 2025 as a simple, fast alert tool for emergencies such as assaults, medical incidents, accidents and threats. With live location tracking, watch mode and an SOS alert, Help’US provides assistance within seconds. If someone is in danger or feels uneasy, a trained operator at the company’s assistance centre is available around the clock to intervene, alert the emergency services and coordinate the entire response chain.

More than 5,000 people have downloaded the app so far, with a marked increase at the start of the school year. Designed for everyone, including runners, Help’US is a service approved by the French Ministry of the Interior. The idea is simple: call for help quickly, effectively and discreetly using the SOS button. “If a female jogger feels she is being followed, she can use the service to report the situation and ask for help without even having to hold the phone to her ear, speak or explain where she is, says one of the founders, David Amsellen.

© Help’US

Getting help in an emergency

One of the service’s strengths is its location tracking, which saves time and improves accuracy compared with a conventional call to the authorities. “It is difficult to communicate with a service when you are facing an attacker, for example. With Help’US, you open the platform and, in two taps and three seconds, you can reach our private centre, approved by the Ministry of the Interior, via the SOS button. There is no need to waste time explaining where you are or what is happening: the platform streamlines the process. Athletes can therefore report not only suspicious situations, but also falls, medical incidents and injuries requiring a rapid response.

Operators are available 24/7 to contact the emergency services. The app provides instant location tracking, with continuous live monitoring as long as the user remains in alert mode. Staff can then access the phone’s microphone and front-facing camera to understand the situation. This does not stop someone, such as a runner, from giving details while continuing to run, saying “stop following me”. David Amsellen points out that “she is not speaking directly to her phone, so she does not arouse suspicion.”

Assistance in under 90 seconds

Once the problem has been identified, the operator’s job is to call the fire service, police or gendarmerie, depending on the nature of the incident. “With all the audio, visual and location data, our service can send the right people to the right place faster than the user could, and they may well be too afraid to make that call themselves,” adds one of the founders. The operators do not go through local police stations or gendarmerie offices. They contact the nearest regional command centres directly, which dispatch law-enforcement vehicles. That means help can be directed to the scene very quickly. Operators describe the situation to the authorities and send them a temporary link to track the victim in real time.

All audio and visual data is recorded as soon as the SOS button is activated. As an approved service, Help’US ensures that this evidence can be admitted in court when filing a complaint.

The alert is sent like a text message, so a minimum level of network coverage is required. David Amsellen says that 95% of the country is covered and that engineers are working on the remaining 5%. Location tracking works by satellite, so it can be shared from anywhere. “Voice communication may break up in dead zones. Even without voice contact, the authorities are sent to the scene to check what is happening, using the GPS position transmitted in real time,” the co-founder adds.

Watch mode, a runner’s best friend

Another feature popular with runners is the ability to share their location with up to five trusted contacts. More precise than standard tracking tools, the watch contacts can follow a runner’s progress. Anyone with the link can track the runner and check in at any time to see whether everything is going well. The athlete can reply with a single tap, using a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, without having to type. “The thumbs-down is useful because the watch contact can also trigger the SOS remotely through the app and/or listen to and see what is happening. Our operators then take over the phone and handle the rest if necessary.”

It comes as no surprise that the founders have found women make up a large proportion of users, as they are more affected by these issues. Help’US also works with organisations combating violence against women, including “125 et après” and “Krav Women Protect”. Young people aged 12 to 18 account for a significant share of downloads.

The service itself is free, but access to the approved private emergency centre costs €3.99 a month or €27.99 for an annual subscription, a 20% saving. Watch mode is free, but access to the SOS button or the “witnessing a violent act” button is paid. An affordable price, “cheaper than a Netflix subscription.”

Building a community

Help’US plans to expand its offering over the coming months and years. Its first ambition is to create a community for future versions, along the lines of Waze. “We want to develop the same principle, with people warning one another whenever a potential threat appears somewhere. Whether on foot, by bike or in a vehicle, there could be different categories, such as pickpocketing risk,” explains David Amsellen.

The founders are already in discussions with the Ministry of the Interior about alerting users to potential risks in a specific place at a given time. They want to strengthen the system. “A user could report an incident that would alert other people entering a difficult area. That is part of what is coming next.”

A user’s story

Marion Villalard is a runner who has been using Help’US for nearly six months. The Parisian works as a luxury concierge at night and is also involved in the international modelling industry. Her lifestyle often means running at night, between midnight and 3 a.m. “I no longer really feel safe in Paris. Since I downloaded Help’US, I feel more at ease. This solution could save my life one day, or simply help me. It could be useful at any time, says the athlete, who has never yet used the SOS button displayed prominently on her phone’s home screen.

The model keeps her phone close at hand on her running outings and knows the service “by heart”, as it sits next to Instagram. She uses live location sharing with a watch contact, her best friend. “I have been followed before, shouted at and put through frightening experiences. I wish I had had Help’US at those moments. My freedom to go wherever I want, whenever I choose, matters to me. I think the app’s concept is brilliant. Thanks to Help’US, I know someone is watching out for me. That is reassuring.”

In summary

For €3.99 a month, Help’US offers:

➜ Real-time tracking, allowing relatives and emergency responders to pinpoint the person in danger.

➜ A discreet alert function for use in threatening situations

➜ A “quick watch” mode that records surrounding sound and alerts watch contacts if they detect something unusual or receive no response

➜ Rapid intervention by emergency responders or law enforcement, triggered in under 90 seconds

➜ The ability to set preventive alerts when travelling through potentially risky areas

Fear should never hold runners back. Help’US offers a simple, effective way to enjoy the sport with greater peace of mind. Already adopted by more than 5,000 users, the platform appears to have a bright future.

✔ Full details on the Help’US website.