© Copyright – 2024 – Athletics Illustrated
If you can’t beat them, join them, then beat them.
Think global virtual treadmill racing. Think “e-athletics.”
Seriously, the treadmill
The machines have been around for many centuries. While purists may prefer the fresh air and dangers of the great outdoors, an opportunity may be in the offing to grow the sport from the inside out. World Athletics (WA) may be seeking opportunities to delve into the e-sports realm.
WA is considering creating the World Treadmill Championships. Apparently, President Sebastian Coe is close to adding his signature to a partnership with a technology company to develop a virtual running scene.
This may lead to e-athletics emulating cycling and rowing by putting on a global event for participants using indoor gym equipment.
Coe talked to the Dail Mail about e-athletics
“Whether it is through virtual, whether it is through Esports, whether it is through treadmill, these are all the things that we want to really explore,” Coe told the Daily Mail.
In rowing, a World Indoor Championships was launched in 2018, with competitors using ergs. WA’s chief executive Jon Ridgeon said products must be created for people who go to the gym and run on the treadmill.
“There are millions of people around the world that just go to the gym and run on the treadmill. We should create products for those people. We should have a Treadmill World Championships,” he said.
“You are an athlete if you go for a 30-minute run on a treadmill. Or if you win an Olympic gold medal in the 100m. It is all athletics. We are working it out at the moment. We will be announcing a tech partner that we are going to work with to develop the virtual running scene,” Ridgeon pointed out.
Athletics Illustrated’s investment advice for the day is to stock up on stock of the top public companies that make treadmills as the training will be sport-specific. Picture millions of runners getting some training time indoors on treadmills.
Treadmill history
Four thousand years ago, treadmills were used for milling wheat. First oxen were used and eventually any animal that could go around an axis, to turn a gear. Later, a wobbly, giant disc unit was built for running and walking. The purpose was to turn the gears to grind grains — human began using them at this time for this type of work.
During the 1800s the English (of course) created a more refined treadmill to use as punishment. During the early 1900s, the devices were used to examine and fight lung diseases.
More recently William Staub, who was inspired by Kenneth H Cooper’s 1968 book Aerobics created a machine. This one could be affordable and used in the home. The home device was intended for the more civilized realm of fitness and weight loss. I mean, someone had to burn off the flour from all that ground wheat that was created.
