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Treadmill running is having a moment. It’s always been a tool to be embraced by runners seeking solace from the elements or needing to complete a workout, but the gamification of treadmill running, combined with the community-centred tribes who use one as part of wider fitness platforms, means that it’s never been more popular.
These Cyber Apple deals wont last much longer treadmill is no longer an item reserved for the gym. There are countless options out there, but if your dream is to have a gym-worthy treadmill at home, then the Technogym Run could be that. However, if you want a commercial grade treadmill at home, then we’re talking big-bucks, because the Technogym Run is over ten thousands pounds. Yes, you heard that right. So, can this premium machine really be hailed as the Rolls Royce of running? We put it to the test.
Pros
- Sled mode
- Technogym Plus included
- Max speed sufficient for elite athletes
- On top of that, the
Cons
- Serious investment
- Updated: 16 October 2024
| Dimensions (L X W X H) | 1970 The best walking pads for your home office |
|---|---|
| Running belt (L X W) | 1730 x 835 x 1750mm | 78 x 33 x 69in |
| Weight | 207kg |
| Max user weight | 160kg |
| Speed range | 0.2 - 25Runners World UKs |
| Incline range | 0% - +15% |
What is the Technogym Run like to use?
This treadmill is a beast. When it arrived at my house for testing, a team of two people came with it and it took them a couple of hours to assemble. This is in part due to the complexity of its components, including the slated belt and screen, but also the size and cost of it. Once built, you can manoeuvre it around a room, but it’s very heavy and there’s no folding it away or hiding it when you're not using it; this treadmill would be a permanent feature wherever you put it.
Upon first use of the Technogym Run, everything feels premium and robust. There is no wobble or shake as you run – even when sprinting – and the controls feel really precise and pleasant to use. The main speed and incline paddles sit at the front of the 'cockpit' of the treadmill and are easily within reach when running. They're large and offer up a reassuring and tactile interaction, responding to incremental or large changes in speed/incline rapidly. You can also change the speed and incline on the touchscreen where pre-set speeds can be found and selected, depending on the session you're running. The belt gets up to speed for intervals quickly with only a few seconds lag, with cutting speed being equally efficient. There are wide panels at the side of the belt to rest your feet on and the handles feel strong and supportive.
Aside from these basics features you'd expect such a premium treadmill to perform, the main selling points are the slated belt, the screen and sled mode.
Most treadmills for the home come with a continuous, uninterrupted belt with some sort of suspension/sprung system that handles the impact of running. The belt on the Technogym Run is different; it is comprised of individual slats, each following the next, much like you find on the gym treadmill (or a tanks track). This makes the feel of the treadmill different; in some ways it’s more akin to running outside in that every footstep interacts with a certain number of slats, which behave independently to each other, mimicking the variation in terrain that a regular path might have. This does take some getting used to how it feels underfoot. The slats do also help with deadening the sometimes stamping noise of the footstrike that a treadmill has, regardless of how light-footed you are.
The screen is a big feature of this treadmill – quite literally. At 27”, it’s front and centre of every run and is touchscreen, making it easy to use and navigate the treadmill's menu, even when sweaty and moving around. You can connect headphones via Bluetooth, but the built-in speakers do a decent job of making a lot of noise so you can hear your music or workout instructions over the noise of you and the machine.
The screen can be tilted but the height of the screen cannot be adjusted, so if you’re tall (I’m 6’2”/188cm), then your line of sight is looking down rather than straight ahead. This can affect form and it would have been nice to have been able to move it, especially watching the screen continually when using Zwift, watching TV etc.
A big bonus of this treadmill is the sled mode, allowing you to use the treadmill as a form of resistance trainer. What often kills the motor of some treadmills is when you force the belt to move when the treadmill is off or at a low speed, but Technogym addressed this and saw the value in allowing users to train like that. You can tailor the time spent pushing and the resistance (up to the equivalent of a 55kg sled), meaning you can aim for some longer, lower resistance work or all-out power sprints and everything in between. The variety of handles means you can find the best position so as to effectively drive the belt and when used as part of one of the many workouts available on Technogym Plus, it really demonstrates the versatility and variety of training that this treadmill offers.
It's worth mentioning Technogym Plus here too, as it's a pretty comprehensive platform that features enough training sessions to keep you busy. There are running sessions, which runners will be used to, but also skill sessions focusing on technique that incorporate sprints and the sled and these are a real bonus when diversify how you train as a runner, working on building strength as well as endurance.
However, there are a few issues with this treadmill too. Firstly, Technogym claim it's 'the quietest ever' treadmill, which is misleading as that’ll depend on where you have it set up and the speed you run at. When set up at my house (see above), it wasn’t on a soft, rubber gym floor but a hard floor in an acoustically untreated room (old conservatory) and that made a big difference. When ramped up to full speed, no treadmill is ‘quiet’ and this treadmill sounds loud when it's at max speed. The thrum of the machine would change depending on the speed you were running at and the subsequent frequency the treadmill emitted; some speeds would sound very quiet whereas some would be at just the right frequency to make items in the room vibrate.
I’m in no way suggesting that the resonant frequencies of household objects is something Technogym should be considering, and most of these issues might be resolved with some rubber flooring to dampen the effect, but it is also something I would not have questioned if the 'quietest ever' claim hadn’t been made. Treadmills are often loud – that’s about it.
Another issue is that third party apps like Zwift aren’t fully integrated – something that won’t necessarily be Technogym’s fault if a specific app or platform doesn’t wish to work with them, but to use them with the treadmill you need something like Apple TV that lets you mirror your phone/device screen rather than logging in directly. For close to £10k, that feels like a premium feature that the treadmill could and should have.
Is the Technogym Run worth it?
If you live in the UK, a treadmill can be your friend. With the constant threat of terrible weather even in summer and only a few months of the year offering enough daylight to run before or after work, the simplicity and ease of use of even the most basic machine easily justifies the expense of owning one.
However, you’ll need to be the most dedicated of treadmill lover or have deep pockets for the Technogym Run to be on your list, especially when there are some great options at half the price.
However, if you’re after a commercial grade, premium treadmill experience just like that one at your gym (or perhaps better), then you’ll be hard pushed to beat this offering.
Ali is Runner’s World UK's e-commerce editor, specialising in testing and reviewing the latest running shoes, gear and tech, as well as finding the best deals during sales events such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. She has tested hundreds of products from the biggest running brands, including Nike, New Balance, Adidas, Hoka and more. Ali speaks to some of the world’s top experts across footwear, running apparel, fitness equipment and nutrition to help runners make smart decisions when shopping online, from glucose monitors to help you nail your fuelling strategy to compression boots to aid your recovery. Ali has worked in health and fitness journalism since 2017. Before joining Runner’s World, she was health editor at Future Plc, working across brands including Coach, Fit&Well, T3, TechRadar and Live Science. A Boston qualifier, she’s completed 12 marathons, including four of the World Marathon Majors (only Tokyo and Boston left). Her proudest achievement to date? Running a five-day 220km ultramarathon across Tanzania. Just don’t ask her to race a 10km…
