The treadmill is getting its own world championship. World Athletics has sanctioned the launch of the World Treadmill Championship — a global virtual competition where runners log a 5km on a treadmill and compete for a $100,000 prize pool and the title of world champion.
Treadmill running competition (Credits: BBC Sport)
World Treadmill Championship: How Run X Works
Known as Run X, the competition pits everyday runners against elite athletes. Runners have until January 24 to complete a free 5K at their nearest official Run X centre. The top 25% of runners in age categories from 18 to 75+ will then represent their nations at regionals, before the 10 best men and women in each category advance to the world finals in Italy next March.
Elite Runners Back the Treadmill Championship
British marathon runner Charlotte Purdue — holder of the third fastest British female marathon time — logged her 5K in 18 minutes 15 seconds at a qualification event in Southampton. “I think it’s good to get people into running. 5km is obviously not too far so people can have a shot at it,” she said, adding that she wished it were a marathon on the treadmill for a better shot. World Athletics president Lord Coe called it a “great opportunity” to introduce new audiences to running, saying innovation must “use technology that attracts more young people into our sport.”
More Than a Competition: Safety and Esports Ambitions
The event also highlights treadmill running’s safety benefits — members of the ‘She Strides’ run club took part to underline how indoor running lets women train safely through dark winter months. Organisers hope to lure more participants with wildcard entries to events like the 2027 World Road Running Championships in China, and have longer-term ambitions for treadmill running to enter esport competitions within five years. Currently 20 countries are taking part, with the full elite roster yet to be disclosed.
Also Read: Ballon d’Or 2026 Campaigns: Yamal the Favourite, Mbappe the Lobbyist, and a Record 10 PSG Nominees
Also Read: From Bury to AC Milan: Bournemouth’s Fairytale Journey to ‘Dreamland’
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
