Some of the best treadmills are all largely similar, right? A chunky piece of indoor exercise equipment that features a revolving deck, some speed and/or incline adjustments and a big screen for bingeing Bake Off… if you’re lucky.
Wahoo, purveyor of excellent indoor cycling products, bike computers and more, claims it has moved the game onward with its debut Kickr Run Smart Treadmill, introducing a RunFree Mode that essentially speeds up and slows down the belt in time with your natural pace.
Run towards the front of the machine and the deck almost instantaneously speeds up, ease back towards the rear and things slow down.
When used in conjunction with interactive running software, such as Zwift, it becomes an immersive and powerful training tool that allows the user to get lost in that zen-like running zone, without the need to constantly make manual adjustments.
Having tried the very large and very expensive Kickr Run for myself, I’m convinced it could do for indoor running what the company’s Kickr Trainer and Kickr Bikes have done for cycling in the off-season, chiefly make workouts that little bit more engaging.
Built different
While the Wahoo Kickr Run looks largely like most other treadmills, there’s a lot going on underneath the skin that’s worthy of mention.
Firstly, the deck has been engineered with the feedback of thousands of runners in mind, which has resulted in the company stating that it has the perfect balance of energy return and cushioning. Where some decks feel overly solid, or akin to mini trampolines, Wahoo gets it just right.
Personally, I’m a big fan of Technogym’s running surfaces, including the brilliant Technogym Run, but have to admit that Wahoo’s 152×56cm belt area does a great job of replicating the feel of running on softer asphalt or even the slightly more joint-friendly turf or dirt.
The deck itself features the company’s chevron pattern, which adds a nice element of branding to proceedings but could be a little too bold for those thinking of trying to hide a treadmill in the living room or spare bedroom at home.
What’s more, the treadmill is on the large side, measuring 183×97×148 cm (LxWxH) and weighing in at 195kg; it requires a consultation with Wahoo to ensure that the company’s delivery team can squeeze it into your humble abode.
But the large surface area means that it can offer a plethora of additional niceties, such as a large device shelf that will easily house even larger laptops, two bottle holders and built-in USB-C charging.
Running wild
Like many of Wahoo’s products, the Kickr Run is designed to play nicely with Zwift (it will also work with TrainingPeaks and others), which takes indoor running to a more immersive place.
When tackling one of these interactive virtual worlds, the treadmill will automatically adjust its incline and decline, with a maximum incline of 15% and a descent of -3%.
There’s also a 5% left/right lateral tilt tolerance, which better replicates running outdoors and trains stabiliser muscles in the legs more accurately than simply running on a neat, flat surface.
Treadmill speed and incline functionality are manually taken care of via two extra-large paddles that can be pushed forward or backwards, but as previously mentioned, the unit really comes to life when using RunFree Mode.
This is toggled on or off via a big button at the top of the console, and when activated, it uses a series of sensors and clever algorithms to determine the runner’s position on the deck.
While training with Zwift, I was able to take full control of my pace without having to worry about manually making speed adjustments to the deck. This is particularly helpful when taking on a big hill, and the natural reaction is to slow down to conserve energy.
Wahoo’s system reacts very quickly, and the belt neatly slows down or speeds up when it senses you easing off or picking up the pace.
What’s more, you can enter a RunFree Pace Limit so there’s no risk of the belt speeding up to a level that you simply can’t manage. There’s a 4:00 mile / 2:30 km max speed on this beast, which is equivalent to running at 24km/h (15mph). Not something I really wanted to try in a hurry.
If you’re not into Zwift, the RunFree Mode also works great when taking on High Intensity Interval Training sessions or indulging in a bit of sprint work, as you don’t have to wait for the belt to crank up to the desired speed. Simply start increasing the pace, and the deck will follow.
Quiet and connected
For such a large and imposing machine, Wahoo’s running deck is impressively quiet, and the build quality is excellent, which means it doesn’t suffer from excess noise if you run with a heavier gait, for example.
The buttons are all large and easy to locate, while the oversized paddles for adjusting speed and decline feel like they are made of sturdy stuff. The interface is a very simple LCD offering, delivering read-outs on speed and incline, but very little else.
Despite the eye-watering price tag, users will have to bring their own entertainment in the form of a laptop, smartphone, tablet or hulking great TV that’s either mounted to the wall or to an appropriate stand.
Wahoo offers its own app that connects to the Kickr Run and delivers read-outs on distance travelled, speed, and more. The company also provides its own digital training companion in the Wahoo X app, but there is an additional subscription fee involved, as there is with Zwift et al.
It does unlock Route Simulation, though, which takes any previously recorded Strava run and perfectly mimics it on the treadmill, so every hill and descent is automatically replicated.
In addition to this, the treadmill also plays nicely with Wahoo’s entire ecosystem of connected devices, so you can run with an automatically-adjusting breeze (thanks to the Headwind fan) or constantly monitor heart rate with Trackr.
It’s a potent package for those keen on running – or taking their running to the next level – but it is very difficult to get past the £5,999.99/ $6,999.99 (~AU$10,750.03/ €6,037.98) asking price.
While it is still some way off the price commanded by Technogym for some of its most high-tech treadmills, it’s still more than Peloton’s recently updated Tread and even NordicTrack’s excellent commercial offerings, both of which come with digital touchscreens.
This allows more casual users to binge Netflix or browse through a Spotify podcast catalogue without the need to bring a laptop or tablet to the party. It also facilitates off-treadmill cross-training with weights and other pieces of equipment,
Regardless, Wahoo’s product offers something unique in its ability to provide a truly hands-free running experience, which really comes to life when using something like Zwift or replicating an outdoor Strava run.
The unit does all of the adjustments for you, meaning you can focus on running gait and pacing, or simply zone out and enjoy the ride.
The KICKR RUN Smart Treadmill is available now at Wahoo.
