Based on that title, how much would you guess I spent?

I planned to have a poll below to see what people thought “really expensive” meant but our website sucks and although I MIGHT have the ability to do it, I’m also relieved I don’t have to because it would inevitably show “3 votes submitted” and the whole thing would just be embarrassing.

So instead of asking you how expensive is “really expensive“, I’ll tell you what I did.

---

Researching a Treadmill

A week ago Meg and I agreed that a treadmill was a worthy purchase. This is a perfect example of capitalism / marketing at work. The treadmill market is flooded with options for all different purposes, price ranges, styles, etc. What were we looking for?

• STURY & DURABLE – Not the top priority for most, but I want something that can handle running at fast paces (5:00 – 6:00) and not worry that it’s going to fall apart. There are cheap at-home treadmills that immediately flunk this test.
• No Massive Screen or Subscription – A ‘normal’ screen is okay, but we’re not trying to be on a jungle expedition when we’re on it. More than likely we’ll have the TV on and not want the screen to be in the way. And I don’t need to sign up for Peloton so some chick with big boobs can tell me to run harder.
• Good Reputation / Customer Reviews – Letsrun is a great resource for exactly this (sorry NordicTrack) as most treadmills are marketed towards hobby joggers. This helped me narrow it to a few based on ‘real’ runners saying theirs held up.
• PRICE?! – Having done zero research I assumed a “nice” treadmill was $1k – $3k tops. As I began researching, I saw some people spend legit $19k (spoiler: I did not buy this one). I honestly don’t know who that’s for other than like Zuckerberg.

With all that laid out, I did an hour or two of research. After going back and forth for a while, I ended up with……..

---

The Wahoo Kickr Run

This thing is fuckin’ crazy. As someone put it, treadmills have been like cell phones in the ’90s and ’00s, very little innovation. The Wahoo Kickr Run is the iPhone of treadmills.

The “Run Free” mode means you don’t have to adjust the pace with your hands. You can simply start running faster and the treadmill will speed up, or run slower and it will slow down. You can go from 5:30 pace to walking in just a few seconds. Similarly, you can go from walking to 5:30 pace in a few seconds.

The thing goes up to 15mph (4:00 minute mile pace, most only go to 12mph / 5:00 pace) so I can realistically do a 400m repeat track workout on this treadmill. And it syncs with Zwift so you get a ton of data on the run if needed.

Look, can you argue that if I’d bought a $1,300 treadmill I’d have been ignorantly happy with it? Sure, I think that’s probably true. But if this thing is half as good as it seems and lasts 10+ years, then for me, it is worth the money. In fact, this purchase will be the genesis of another related upcoming post.

I will check in later when this beast is up and running.