RUN X™ - The first-ever 5 km World Treadmill Championship is about to begin

The first World Treadmill Championship, involving athletes, amateurs, and beginners will start on 23 October in 400 fitness centres across 20 countries

CESENA, Italy, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether you are a competitive athlete, a passionate amateur, or just starting your running journey, this is your opportunity to challenge yourself on a global stage. Starting on 23 October 2026, fitness centres worldwide will host this groundbreaking indoor running competition, created through a landmark partnership between Technogym—the world leader in wellness and official supplier to the past 10 Olympic Games—and World Athletics, the international federation for athletics.

The RUN X™ World Treadmill Championship is born from the shared vision of Technogym and World Athletics to leverage the popularity of running to make it more accessible in a comfortable indoor environment, regardless of weather conditions, by bringing running communities into fitness clubs. Running is one of the most widely practised sports in the world, but in recent years the way people experience it has profoundly changed: no longer just individual performance, but experience, belonging, well-being, data, and connection. RUN X™ embodies these values with the goal of making running an inclusive, engaging, and ongoing experience for runners of all levels worldwide.

How it works: the journey to the finals

• The Qualification Phase (starting 23 October 2026 - 24 January 2027): Find your nearest participating club at https://www.runx.org/finder/ and complete your 5 km trial. Thanks to the connected technology of the Technogym Digital Ecosystem, your performance will be automatically certified. You can track your progress on a live global leaderboard, comparing your time with runners in your local gym and around the world. Official RUN X™ centres will welcome runners on the 5 Global RUN X Days – 24 October, 14 November, 12 December, 16 January, 23 January – and on the local running days each club will add.
• The Regional Phase (30 January – 28 February 2027): Qualified runners from each country (the best 25%) will advance to compete on a regional level.
• The World Final (20-21 March 2027): The top 10 runners globally—by age group in male and female categories—will win an invitation to the Technogym Village in Cesena, Italy, located in the heart of the Wellness Valley. There, they will compete head-to-head for the first world titles in treadmill running.

In addition to the prestige of competing in the finals, RUN X™ features a significant prize pool of US$100,000. World Athletics will also award wild card entries to the respective Member Federations of the overall male and female winners for the 5 km race at the 2027 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Yangzhou, China, taking place one week after the RUN X™ final. Global ambassadors and elite athletes Jimmy Gressier and Sara Hall will be inspiring runners along the way. The journey begins on 23 October. Step on to the treadmill, connect your run, and see how far you can go. We look forward to seeing you at the starting line of RUN X™.

For more information: https://www.runx.org/ – Instagram @runxrace – Email caring@runx.org