World Treadmill Championship gives amateur runners a route to global finals

Amateur runners can compete alongside elite athletes in the first World Treadmill Championship through a free 5km qualifying challenge at official Run X centres. BBC Sport reports that 20 countries are currently taking part in the competition, which offers a route from local treadmill attempts to world finals in Italy next March.

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Entrants have until 24 January to complete the distance at an official centre. They can try more than once, with only their fastest time counting towards qualification. The leading 25% in age categories ranging from 18 to 75-plus will represent their countries at regional events. From there, the best 10 men and women in each category will progress to the finals.

The competition has a $100,000 prize pool covering the men's and women's overall podiums and seven age-group categories, although the precise allocation has not been published. The list of registered elite athletes has also not been disclosed. Organisers hope to attract further entrants with wildcard places at events including the 2027 World Road Running Championships in China; those ambitions should not be confused with a confirmed allocation of places.

British marathon runner Charlotte Purdue is among those involved. Purdue, who holds the third-fastest British women's marathon time, told BBC Sport that she regularly uses a treadmill in training and has one at home. She welcomed the accessibility of a 5km challenge for people getting into running, while acknowledging that a marathon-length treadmill event would better suit her own competitive strengths.

World Athletics president Lord Coe described the initiative to the BBC as an opportunity to bring new participants into running across different age groups. He stressed the role of innovation and technology in attracting younger people to athletics. Luke Townsend of Technogym UK, a co-organiser, said the accessible 5km distance was central to the concept. World Athletics does not currently recognise an official 5km treadmill world record.

The launch activity in Southampton also included members of the She Strides running club alongside professionals such as Purdue. Club founder Hollie Thackway highlighted indoor running as an option for women who change outdoor routines during winter because they feel unsafe. She said treadmill access could help runners continue training programmes and pursue their goals without abandoning running during the darker months.