Using a treadmill is easy enough. You get on the belt, set your desired speed, and start running. If you want to slow down or speed up, simply make the corresponding adjustments on the fly. It’s easy enough. The Wahoo Kickr Run, however, wants to make it even easier.
Wahoo’s newest treadmill, the exercise equipment can work much like its traditional counterparts, requiring you to press buttons when making on-the-fly speed adjustments. However, there’s also a new mode that prompts the treadmill to automatically make speed adjustments on the fly based on how fast you run, essentially forcing it to keep up with your pace, whether you decide to go faster, go slower, or maintain your current speed.
The Wahoo Kickr Run is a home treadmill that, the outfit claims, delivers the same freedom and free running form that you get when running outdoors. It does that by the integration of a new “Run Free” mode that allows the treadmill to make autonomous speed adjustments based on your own running pace. Using an optical sensor, the machine continuously measures the distance between the runner and the treadmill’s console, which it uses to assess whether you’re going faster (you’re closer to the console) or slower (you’re slipping further), then proceeds to make the corresponding speed adjustments to the built-in motor. The treadmill, basically, keeps you at the center of the belt, regardless of the running speed, making this the perfect treadmill for those who want to train intervals without any preset program.
So you can go as fast as you want on this thing? Well, not exactly. According to Wahoo, the treadmill has a maximum speed of 15 mph, which, basically, has you running a four-minute mile – a pace which, we’re guessing, not many people can actually keep up for much more than a brief moment.
The Wahoo Kickr Run can be paired with either Zwift Run or the Wahoo App for prerecorded visuals of virtual running trails, allowing you to feel like you’re pounding the ground in a 3D outdoor setting. According to the outfit, the treadmill can automatically adapt inclines (from -3 percent grade to 15 percent grade) from the virtual trails, too, which, when paired with the automatic speed adjustments of the Run Free mode, can make for a really immersive workout. To further take immersion up a notch, the treadmill features a responsive running surface that delivers an energy return similar to hard-packed trails, as well as side-to-side tilting capability to vary the pitch of the running surface on the fly.
If you want full manual control of the treadmill, it ditches the traditional buttons out front found on most other equipment in the category. Instead, it uses large paddles on the handrails for both speed and incline adjustments, making it easy to effect changes without breaking your running stride. Other features include a front tray sized to hold a laptop, an ultra-quiet belt surface, built-in wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), and compatibility with a number of popular apps (aside from Wahoo and Zwift, it also supports Humango, Peloton, and Kinomap).
The Wahoo Kickr Run is available now, priced at $4,999.99.
