Technogym and World Athletics Launch World’s First Global Treadmill Championship RUN X
Krissy Vann | Host, All Things Fitness and Wellness
Technogym and World Athletics have teamed up to introduce RUN X, the world’s first treadmill championship. The connected 5 km competition will unite professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts through sports and wellness centres around the world.
Set to launch in 2026, RUN X transforms traditional racing by taking it indoors and online. Using Technogym’s digital ecosystem, participants will run simultaneously on connected treadmills, with real-time leaderboards tracking performance across continents. Top-ranked runners in each country, divided by age category, will advance to regional events that lead to a world final at an iconic location later in the year. The championship will feature a 100,000 dollar prize pool, with World Athletics awarding wild cards for select World Athletics Series events including the World Road Running Championships.
Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, and Nerio Alessandri, Founder and CEO of Technogym, announced the initiative as part of a shared goal to make competition more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable. By removing geographic and weather barriers, RUN X brings the spirit of global sport to local clubs everywhere.
For more than 40 years, Technogym has been a driving force in performance innovation, supplying equipment to ten consecutive Olympic Games and powering more than 50,000 fitness and sports facilities across 120 countries. The company’s extensive connected treadmill base provides the foundation for RUN X’s certified results and seamless digital integration.
The initiative also expands Technogym’s ongoing “Let’s Move for a Better World” campaign, which promotes regular physical activity to support global health and community wellbeing.
By connecting athletes and gym members through a shared platform, RUN X introduces a new kind of championship where technology and sport move in perfect stride.
