World treadmill championships “RunX” launched by Technogym and World Athletics

Treadmill manufacturer Technogym and World Athletics, the sport’s global governing body, have announced the inaugural World Treadmill Championships.

The championships were announced in Milan by Nerio Alessandri, Founder and CEO of Technogym. Also, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, and world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier were on hand.

“A groundbreaking 5km competition is set to shake up the concept of running,” read the press release. It also stated that the event will break geographical barriers. Meanwhile, it apparently will make a global athletics championship accessible in sports and fitness centres worldwide.”

RUN X™, as it will be named, will feature a US$100,000 (12,920,000 KES, $140,000 CAD, €85,802) prize pool. At the same time, World Athletics will grant wild cards for some of its World Athletics Series events. These include the World Road Running Championships.

Coe said: “We are delighted to partner with Technogym for the World Treadmill Championship. Together, we aim to create a virtual competition space that builds a global community, entertains and motivates amateur runners to compete and connect with a worldwide virtual community. By combining the best of Technogym’s running technology with the reach and universality of athletics, this event promises to revolutionize the world of e-sports.”

Alessandri added: “We are very proud of this partnership with World Athletics, which perfectly aligns with our long-term mission to engage more and more people in regular physical exercise. RUN X™ will connect millions of runners with our partner fitness centres around the globe, while our exclusive Technogym Ecosystem will serve as the driving force behind this new competition.”

The Technogym treadmills sell for prices over $30,000; there are more basic models available for under $2000.