NordicTrack Treadmill Makes History With Ultra-Marathoner Zach Bitter’s New 100-Mile World Record

May 18, 2020

(LOGAN, Utah) — NordicTrack powered by iFit, the leader in at-home connected fitness equipment, contributed to running history with elite runner Zach Bitter, who set a new world record for 100 miles on a treadmill, with a time of 12:09:15.  Bitter’s average pace was roughly 7:12 per mile, and he ran sub 7-minute miles for the last 10 miles, crushing the previous World Record of 12:32:26.

Bitter ran from his Phoenix home on the award-winning NordicTrack X22i Incline Trainer, a premier treadmill built and tested to perform at extreme use. The 12-hour event was live streamed on YouTube, with a who’s who of the ultrarunning world and other elite athletes serving as hosts and guests. Viewers could interact with the hosts and guests through social media, using #treadmill100WR, and directly through the live stream chat.

“Running on the NordicTrack treadmill was a comfortable experience, even for a 100-mile run,” said Bitter. “I was able to fully focus on pushing myself, without the added mental strain of tracking splits and treadmill cushioning was an enormous asset in accomplishing this goal.”

Bitter is already known as the fastest 100-miler on track (11:19:13) and trail (12:08:36).

“The quarantine situation is like an ultra—the first 50 miles is physical, the second is mental,” Bitter said, who created this event for himself after all his races were cancelled. “This challenge is representative of what the entire world is living through, and I hope my event is a reminder for everyone to stay mentally strong, so you can go the distance.”

The NordicTrack X22i treadmill that Bitter used 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.

Additional sponsors for the event included: SFuels, Altra, Coros, Buff,  and Purpose.

To view a recording of the live streamed event, visit Bitter’s YouTube channel.

About NordicTrack and iFit

NordicTrack and sister companies iFit, ProForm and FreeMotion are based in Logan, Utah, and are owned by ICON Health & Fitness, the global leader in home, commercial and connected fitness that holds more than 275 fitness patents, with 138 pending.

iFit, the connected fitness technology that powers NordicTrack equipment, pioneered interactive connected fitness and was issued its first of many patents in 1999. Founded with the belief that the majority of consumers would benefit from an interactive personal training experience at home, iFit’s trainer-led streaming workouts are now trusted by millions of consumers around the globe.

iFit offers workout options for every fitness level and interest, from bodyweight training, HIIT cardio workouts and yoga, to connected fitness workouts on NordicTrack and ProForm home equipment, and Freemotion equipment for commercial facilities. Patented interactive technology allows iFit Trainers to create highly personalized workouts for iFit members and Live Adjust™ the user’s incline, speed and resistance instantly during the workout to create the perfect workout for every fitness level. iFit interactive workouts are available on treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals, rowers, strength machines, and the iFit app for a range of exercise accessories.iFit workouts are available in English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German with more languages planned for 2020.

Media Contacts

Colleen Logan, clogan@iconfitness.com

Photo caption: Ultramarathoner Zach Bitter sets a new World Record running 100 miles on a treadmill in 12:09:15, running on a NordicTrack treadmill in his Phoenix home.