NordicTrack Treadmill Is The Next 100-Mile World Record Opportunity for Ultra-Marathoner Zach Bitter
LOGAN, Utah: NordicTrack powered by iFit, the leader in at-home connected fitness equipment, is partnering with elite runner Zach Bitter to set a new 100-Mile Treadmill World Record on May 16, 2020, live streaming all day from 6:30 a.m. to approximately 7 p.m. PDT.
Bitter will run from his Phoenix home on the award-winning NordicTrack X22i Incline Trainer, a premier treadmill built and tested to perform at extreme use. To break the current 100-mile treadmill record of 12 hours and 32 minutes, Bitter will need a 7:30 per mile pace. In addition, he will attempt a second World Record for most miles in 12 hours, to beat the current record of 95.57 miles.
Visit Bitter’s YouTube channel to watch the day long event, and follow the hashtag #treadmill100WR on social media.
“Before the spring race season, I was running my absolute best,” Bitter said, whose key race was an April 100-mile Ultra London race, which was canceled. “Instead of losing out on all of my training, I decided to redirect my efforts to setting new world records.”
Bitter is already known as the fastest 100-miler on track (11:19:13) and trail (12:08:36), so adding treadmills to his quiver of world records is easily within reach. In addition, Bitter holds the world record for most miles on a track in 12 hours, reaching 104.8 miles after breaking the 100-mile record at the “Six Days in the Dome” event in August 2019.
“When I’m running on track and trail, I spend a lot of time thinking about pace and tracking splits to make sure I’m on target,” Bitter said. “The nice thing about running on a treadmill is that it does that hard work for you—you just set it and forget it.”
Bitter is known for massive training blocks, with average weeks reaching 120 miles. He laid down two big weekend blocks on the treadmill in preparation: the weekend of April 25 and 26, he ran 20 and 15 miles. Then, the weekend of May 2 and 3, he ran 22 and 21 miles.
“Running on the treadmill is so much more forgiving the day and the week after, because of the springiness of the treadmill,” Bitter said. “I don’t experience as much post-run aches and pain in my ankles and feet.”
Watch the YouTube Live show, to see a who’s who of the ultrarunning world and other elite athletes, including: (Note all times PDT)
- Jacky Hunt, 7 a.m., first female amputee to run a 100-miler on a treadmill, NordicTrack Ambassador
- Tommy Rivers Puzey, 7:30 a.m., marathoner (2:18:20 and 16th at 2017 Boston marathon), ultrarunner, PhD in Physical Therapy from NAU, iFit Trainer and NordicTrack Ambassador
- Jamil Coury, 9 a.m., ultrarunner and founder of Aravaipa Running, NordicTrack Ambassador
- Amanda Basham, 9 a.m., 2019 CCC 2nd place female, NordicTrack and iFit Ambassador
- Jeff Browning, 10 a.m., 4X top ten Western States finisher, current holder of The Double Record, NordicTrack Ambassador
- Ian Sharman, 10:30 a.m., 9x Western States Endurance Run 100 top 10 and only person to finish 10 times under a week of total time, NordicTrack Ambassador
- Dean Karnazes, 11 a.m., Ultrarunning legend
- Dave Scott, 11 a.m., 6X Ironman Champion
- Courtney Dauwalter, 5 p.m., 2019 UTMB female champion
- Lucy Bartholomew, 7 p.m., iFit Trainer and NordicTrack Ambassador
Run in spirit with Zach from anywhere in the world by connecting via Zoom. Register here. Participants will simply click the provided Zoom link, which will then be fed into Bitter’s YouTube channel, via live stream.
“The quarantine situation is like an ultra—the first 50 miles is physical, the second is mental,” Bitter said. “This challenge is representative of the challenge the entire world is living through, I hope my event is a reminder for everyone to stay strong so you can go the distance.”
Donate to Zach’s charity partner, Fight for the Forgotten, founded by MMA champion Justin Wren. This charity is focused on empowering those who don’t have a voice, including people affected by water crises, struggling with depression and addiction, or facing the challenge of bullying. Bitter chose this charity for its incredible mission and for Wren’s hands-on approach.
Enter to win a NordicTrack X32i Incline Trainer, a value of $3,999. To enter, participants simply comment on the event post on NordicTrack’s Facebook or Instagram. The winner will be selected at random and will be announced during the live stream, between miles 90 and 100, between 6:30-7 p.m. PDT. Additional sponsors for the event include: SFuels, Buff, Altra, Coros andPurpose, so check their Instagram pages for more details.
For instructions on how to participate in this exciting event, visit the event website here.
The NordicTrack X22i treadmill that Bitter will use is powered by iFit connected, interactive fitness technology. iFit streaming workouts include Live Workouts, Global Workouts and Studio Workouts. All styles of workout include a truly interactive experience, where the speed, incline and decline is automatically adjusted to reflect the trainers cues or the natural topography of the Global Workout trail. For example, if a person is running up Mount Kilimanjaro, a workout series the iFit crew shot on location, they’ll feel their treadmill automatically incline or decline based on the actual grade of the trail.
