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For a long time, runners who exercise indoors have envied cyclists who do the same. While treadmills have historically been simple machines, cyclists have been able to link their exercise bikes to virtual worlds through apps like Zwift, and have had the option of enjoying top-notch guided classes through the likes of Peloton and Echelon.
The best treadmills have been catching up, though, and the Technogym MyRun offers an array of entertainment options to help keep you engaged on the run, including guided classes and the ability to link directly with virtual training apps like Zwift and Rouvy.
This all comes at a high cost, however. The MyRun alone costs £3,250 and to unlock all the content in the partner Technogym Live is an additional £8.99 a month. Free users still get a worthwhile amount of classes in the app, though, so I’d say that the extra subscription isn’t really needed to enjoy the MyRun.
The Machine
The MyRun is a surprisingly compact machine given its technical specs. It has a top speed of 20km/h and an incline range that tops out at 12%, powered by a 2.5-3.0 CHP motor. The running belt is not the biggest I’ve come across, but at 143 x 50cm it was large enough to comfortably accommodate me as a 183cm tall runner even when training at the top speed available.
On the console, you have two flippers to control speed and incline, plus the central on/off flipper – though the machine turns itself on when you step on to it, which is both impressive and disarming. The minimal design of the MyRun is great for smaller homes, since it doesn’t dominate the space it’s in – something you might expect from a treadmill with these specs – but it does make the whole machine feel slightly less robust when you first run on it. I have no concerns about the actual sturdiness of the MyRun, but it’s less steady for running at high speeds than bulkier machines.
You can mount a tablet on top of the console using the wire rack, or put it in the middle of the console itself. When using the mount you can pull out a clamp from the back of the console to hold your tablet in place on the rack, which is a smart bit of design and absolutely needed to stop the tablet tumbling mid-run.
There’s little to fault about the hardware of the MyRun. It has the specs of a commercial treadmill in a stripped-back machine that is better suited to home use.
The Technogym Live App
The partner app is very much key to the MyRun’s success – if you have no intention of using the features in the app you can get similarly-specced machines for a lot less than £3,250. Even the free version of the app contains enough classes to keep you motivated on the run for months. You’ll also find other features like custom workouts and scenic outdoor runs to enjoy.
Within the app, the classes come in two flavours. There are the usual instructor-led workouts, which are called “sessions” in the app, and there are also “routines”. With the latter, you start up the class and the app will change the speed and incline of your treadmill automatically as it progresses. For these you don’t have to actually keep the class on screen.
This means you can get the class going, then bring up Netflix on your tablet and watch a TV show while the class continues in the background. It’s an impressive option for people who want a guided session plus in-run entertainment and only have one screen available. With the routines you can also set the time you want the class to last in advance (10-20, or 40 minutes), as well as giving your fitness level so the speed and incline changes provide an appropriately challenging workout.
You also set your level for the instructor-led classes. While following them on screen there are button shortcuts to the suggested pace and incline you can use, which makes life easier compared with holding the flippers to get to the right pace. In the classes I tried, the instructors did a good job of treading the fine line between being motivational and annoying, and while the variety between the classes isn’t huge – it’s mostly intervals of some kind using incline and speed – there are enough options to help you mix up your training each week.
The app also contains the option to create your own custom workout, with step targets based on distance or time. The workout creator tool is easy to use and this is a really useful feature for runners like myself who follow a training plan with set workouts each week.
There are also scenic outdoor runs in the app for something more relaxing, and other kinds of classes you can do including strength, yoga and stretching sessions.
You can also link the Technogym Live app to Strava, so not only are your workouts automatically uploaded, the app can grab your Strava runs and recreate them indoors, complete with incline changes that match what you did in the real world. It’s probably not a feature you’d use frequently, but it’s an interesting idea and would be handy for people who do the same race each year and want to run sections of it, or the whole route, in advance during their training.
On top of all these in-app features, the Technogym MyRun connects easily over Bluetooth to Zwift. I found that you can’t use Zwift and the Technogym Live app at the same time though, so you pick one or the other for each run. If you do pick Zwift, I found the connection stable throughout my runs. You can also link the treadmill to the Rouvy app if that’s your preferred virtual training option.
Should You Buy It?
The Technogym MyRun is the best home treadmill I’ve come across. It’s extremely expensive, though, so if you’re just looking for the specs it offers then there are much cheaper options available like the DKN EnduRun or one of the JTX Sprint series.
The Technogym goes well beyond those machines with the classes and other features available in the partner app, though on that front you can get classes with the Peloton Tread, which also has a built-in screen and costs £2,295. However, the Peloton subscription is significantly more expensive at £40 a month.
It’s the combination of features that makes the Technogym MyRun stand out. It offers reliable hardware, good connectivity and endless entertainment through the app, all in a machine that’s surprisingly compact. If you have the money, it’s the machine to get.
Buy from Technogym | £3,250
