- RUN X™ is the first-ever officially sanctioned World Treadmill Championship, endorsed by the sport's global governing body, World Athletics.
- The inaugural season spans Qualifications (Oct 2026 – Jan 2027), Regionals (Jan – Feb 2027), and World Finals (March 20–21, 2027), with the top 25% advancing through each stage.
- Equal prize distribution across male and female divisions, plus wild card entries to the World Road Running Championships.
- World 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier and US marathon record-setter Sara Hall serve as official ambassadors, embodying the championship's blend of elite credibility and broad accessibility.
- Seven age categories (18 to 75+), free registration, and a network spanning 50,000+ Technogym-equipped facilities across 120 countries remove barriers of geography, weather, and cost — all that's required is a connected treadmill and the will to race.
Technogym, the global leader in fitness and wellness innovation, and World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics, have officially launched RUN X™ — the first-ever World Treadmill Championship. Designed to bridge the gap between elite competition and mass participation, RUN X™ is a global 5K indoor race that lets anyone, anywhere, compete on a certified, connected stage.
The partnership was unveiled on October 27, 2025, at a launch event in Milan attended by Technogym founder and CEO Nerio Alessandri, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, and reigning world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier. Additional program details were confirmed at a follow-up event at Technogym Village in Cesena, Italy, where US distance star Sara Hall was also announced as an official ambassador alongside Gressier.
“We are creating a virtual competition space that builds a global community,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “This partnership has the power to bring new audiences into the sport.”
How It Works
RUN X™ is conducted on Technogym’s connected treadmills in certified Official Centers around the world. Every 5K run is automatically verified and uploaded in real time to a global leaderboard — no manual results, no disputed times. Runners compete within age categories (18–23, 24–35, 36–45, 46–55, 56–65, 66–75, and 75+) in separate male and female divisions, with equal share of the prize pool.
The championship unfolds in three stages:
- Qualifications (October 2026 – January 2027): Runners complete certified 5K runs at any RUN X™ Official Center.
- Regionals (January – February 2027): The top 25% of each age category and division advance to supervised continental-level events.
- World Finals (March 20–21, 2027): The strongest runners from around the world gather at an iconic location for the live final event.
The competition carries a US$100,000 prize pool, and World Athletics will award wild card entries to the World Road Running Championships to top finishers.
Run X will allow runners to measure themselves against other participants via an online leaderboard, monitoring the ranking in real-time both within their club and on a global scale. The results of the five kilometre trials will be certified by the treadmills connected to the Technogym Digital Ecosystem.
Ambassadors: Gressier and Hall
Jimmy Gressier, who captured the world 10,000m title and 5000m bronze at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, was named the first RUN X™ ambassador at the Milan launch.
“RUN X™ is a great way to bring more people into competition and to make racing feel more accessible,” said Gressier. “Whether you are an elite athlete or someone running in your local gym, the challenge is the same: 5 kilometers, as fast as you can.”
Sara Hall — one of the fastest US marathoners in history, with podium finishes at the London and Chicago Marathons and a former US half-marathon record of 1:07:15 — joined as ambassador at the Cesena event.
“I’ve always loved the simplicity of running: you line up, you test yourself, and you see what you can do,” said Hall. “RUN X™ takes that feeling and opens it up in a really exciting way. A 5K on a treadmill is another kind of challenge — it’s honest, intense, and really accessible.”
Built on Two Giants: Technogym and World Athletics
Technogym, founded in 1983 by Nerio Alessandri, supplies fitness equipment to over 50,000 facilities across 120 countries and has served as the Official Supplier to the last 10 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
World Athletics, founded in 1912, governs track and field, road running, cross country, and race walking across more than 200 member federations. For more information, visit runx.org
