Running nowhere fast on a treadmill can make you feel like an oversized hamster in a wheel, but the new Wahoo Kickr Run makes the captive rodent life look quite appealing – especially when the alternative is going outside to dodge dog turds and packs of vaping teenagers on electric scooters in the local park.
Unlike most treadmills, which continually move at the same steady pace that you set, the Wahoo Kickr Run has a RunFree mode that uses a sensor to detect your position on the machine. Go through your gears and move towards the front of the machine and it’ll speed up in response, whereas dropping off towards the back will slow it down, so you can control your runs without having to touch anything.
The Wahoo Kickr Run can also tilt gradually from side-to-side to mimic uneven outdoor terrain, plus there’s automatic gradient control that adjusts the angle of the surface between -3% and 15%, so if you hook it up to Zwift it’ll replicate the ups and downs of your virtual route.
There’s no screen built in, but you do get a small platform at the front that’s big enough to hold a laptop. Add the Kickr Headwind fan and you’ll even be able to feel the breeze on your face while you run – just add some puffs of dog egg flavour vape smoke and you’ve got the full experience covered.
If you’ve got space (and budget) for a treadmill this big it’s fair to assume you’re a pretty dedicated runner, so it can cater for speeds up to four minutes per mile (aka Roger Bannister Mode).
There’s no UK pricing info for the Wahoo Kickr Run yet, but it’s already available in the US where it’ll set you back $5000 (plus $300 delivery and installation).
