October 27, 2025 — World Athletics (WA) and Italian fitness equipment brand Technogym have jointly announced the launch of the first-ever World Treadmill Championship, officially titled Run X, scheduled to debut in 2026.

This groundbreaking event aims to enable runners across the world—professional and amateur alike—to compete synchronously through connected treadmill platforms, ushering in a new era of indoor running competition.

The First Official Global Treadmill Championship

As the first treadmill race officially sanctioned by an international athletics federation, Run X embodies the core concept of “everyone can participate.”

Participants will complete a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run on a treadmill connected to the Technogym Digital Ecosystem, and upload their performance data to an online leaderboard. The leaderboard will display real-time global rankings, allowing runners from different countries and time zones to compete simultaneously.

Following the preliminary round, the top performers in each country—divided by age groups—will advance to regional competitions planned for autumn 2026. The global finals will then bring together the top ten male and female athletes from around the world to vie for the title of World Treadmill Champion.

While the final location has yet to be revealed, organizers confirmed a prize pool of USD 100,000, and winners will also earn potential wild card entries to major World Athletics events such as the World Road Running Championships.

Technology-Driven “Digital Competition”

Technogym founder and CEO Nerio Alessandri stated in the press release: “We are very proud to partner with World Athletics. Run X perfectly embodies our long-standing mission—to inspire people to exercise more regularly. Through Technogym’s exclusive digital ecosystem, we will connect millions of runners and fitness centers worldwide, delivering a new, interactive competitive experience.”

Technogym’s advanced digital system enables real-time performance tracking and network-based verification, ensuring the authenticity and fairness of race results. This innovation effectively transforms fitness clubs into interconnected arenas, where runners can compete on a shared platform regardless of climate, geography, or time zone.

From Rowing to Cycling to Running: The Rise of Indoor Global Competitions

Run X follows a growing trend of digitally integrated indoor sports competitions initiated by global federations.

In 2018, the World Rowing Federation launched the World Rowing Indoor Championships, where athletes from 32 nations competed using connected rowing machines. Similarly, since 2020, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has held the Cycling Esports World Championships, allowing top cyclists to compete on virtual platforms.

Once viewed merely as an alternative training tool for adverse weather or limited space, the treadmill—driven by smart fitness and connectivity technologies—has evolved into a core component of global gym environments. The emergence of Run X signifies the competitive and international transformation of the treadmill, positioning digital sports as a major growth driver for the future fitness industry.

Industry Impact: The Fusion of Fitness Technology and Traditional Sport

This collaboration between World Athletics and Technogym represents more than just an innovative competition—it symbolizes the convergence of traditional athletics with digital technology. By leveraging Technogym’s intelligent hardware, cloud-based data, and community engagement features, Run X transforms running from an individual exercise into a shared global digital competition experience.

This evolution suggests that fitness centers of the future will function not only as training venues but also as nodes in a worldwide competitive network. For brands, coaches, and athletes, it opens the door to a broader and more connected global fitness ecosystem