1. Application of the rules.

These rules apply to all 3 Stages: Qualifications (from 23 October 2026 to 24 January 2027), Regionals (from 30 January to 28 February 2027) and World Finals (Cesena, Italy, 20-21 March 2027). Qualifications and Regionals are supervised and adjudicated by “RUN X Specialists”; the Finals by an official Referee appointed by World Athletics.

2. Official attempts and designated Qualification Days.

A time counts only if run at an official RUN X Center, on an eligible connected Technogym treadmill, supervised by a RUN X Specialist, with the runner logged in under their own RUN X ID. For Stages 1 and 2, qualifying runs can only take place on designated Qualification Days, as follows:

a. Stage 1 – Qualifications. On designated Qualification Days, runners complete 5 km on approved Technogym treadmills at Official Centers worldwide. Multiple attempts are allowed, with a maximum of one per day, with each runner's fastest valid time counting towards qualification. The top 25% in each country/territory, biological sex and age group advance to Regionals. The number of qualifiers is rounded up (e.g. 5 runners give 2 qualifiers, as 5/4=1.25 rounded up to 2). In case of a tie, runners' second-best times are compared, then their third-best times, and so on.

b. Stage 2 – Regionals.

On designated Qualification Days, qualified runners from Stage 1 can take only one official 5 km attempt on Technogym Skillrun treadmills at designated Official Centers.
All attempts shall be deemed certified runs. In the event of a technical issue, the relevant circumstances must be reported by the RUN X Specialist to RUN X. Upon review of the submitted data and any other relevant information, RUN X shall have sole discretion to determine whether the attempt may be repeated.

Qualification for the World Finals is based exclusively on Stage-2 times.

i. In the Overall competitions, 10 men and 10 women qualify: the fastest from each of the six World Athletics Areas (i.e. continents), the next three fastest worldwide regardless of Area, and the fastest not-yet-qualified runner from the host country (Italy).

ii. In the Age Group competitions, the 10 fastest runners worldwide in each age group and sex qualify, regardless of Area or nationality.

In case of a tie, the fastest valid Stage-1 time determines the ranking.

c. Stage 3 – World Finals.

The World Finals are contested by 10 runners per competition category and sex, qualified through Stage 2. Finalists compete over 5 km on Technogym Skillrun treadmills for the RUN X world titles in the Overall and Age Group competitions. Travel and accommodation expenses for the 10+10 Overall finalists are covered by Run X. The Age Group finals may have fewer than 10 competitors.

4. Medical requirements for finalists.

As the World Finals take place in Italy, participants must comply with Italian legislation on health protection in competitive sports. Eligible finalists (for the Overall and all Age Groups) are:

a. Athletes registered with a World Athletics-affiliated national federation;

b. Unaffiliated athletes holding a valid medical certificate for competitive athletics that meets Italian requirements, which may be issued abroad.

Furthermore, finalists competing in the Overall female category must have a negative SRY gene screening test result to be eligible to compete.
All finalists must provide the required documentation before competing.

5. Country/territory of allegiance.

When registering, runners must select a country/territory to represent from a list that mirrors that of World Athletics Member Federations. Runners already competing for a country/territory under World Athletics' rules must select that country/territory, regardless of other citizenships. All other runners must select a country/territory of which they are citizens. The selection cannot be changed once Qualifications begin, and determines the runner's ranking and qualification eligibility, regardless of where they compete.

6. One runner, one treadmill.

Runners run as individuals, not as a relay, and must stay on the belt throughout. Straddling the belt is not allowed, except when stopping at the end of a run, or when pausing the activity for any reason. Should a participant pause the treadmill, the official time will continue to elapse, and will not be stopped or adjusted. Handrails may be used only for safety. Touching the handrails is not prohibited, but using them for support or to reduce bodyweight, including for safety reasons, constitutes a violation. The same applies to touching the upper edge of the screen. The officiating RUN X Specialist / Referee will determine whether an advantage has been gained. Athletes will receive a warning for the first violation; a second violation will invalidate the performance. Athletes in difficulty should use the emergency stop.

7. Start.

Each runner sets their own target speed for when the race starts. The treadmill progressively ramps up to the selected speed over 25 seconds; then the race starts, for all competitors at the same time. Runners may then increase or decrease their speed at any time. The incline is set at neutral (0%) for all attempts and can’t be modified.

8. Only the runner touches the treadmill.

Nobody else may touch the treadmill or its controls during an attempt. Any outside interference with the equipment means immediate disqualification. Verbal coaching and encouragement are allowed.

9. Devices and shoes.

Watches, heart-rate monitors and other wearables are allowed. Communications devices (earphones or similar) are also allowed. There are no shoe restrictions: World Athletics shoe regulations do not apply to RUN X. For safety reasons, running barefoot is not permitted.

10. Drinks and cooling.

Drink bottles are allowed during an attempt. For safety reasons, runners may not deliberately pour water over themselves or use sponges. Pre-race cooling, such as an ice vest, is allowed.

11. Clothing at Finals.

The minimum is a top and shorts for all runners. Running topless is not allowed. Clothing must not be see-through or otherwise objectionable.

12. Calibration and treadmill choice.

All treadmills are calibrated by Technogym, and are checked by World Athletics officials the day before the Final. At the Final, finalists choose their treadmill in an order set by qualifying ranking. By entering, runners accept the calibration and may not protest it.

13. Protests.

Any other protest (e.g. interference) must be made immediately to the Referee, who decides on the spot. The Referee's decision is final.

14. Anti-doping.

Runners are subject to the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules, administered by the Athletics Integrity Unit. There will be in-competition anti-doping tests.

15. Age-Groups will be as follows:

For the purpose of determining age groups, the athlete’s age as of 31 December 2026 shall apply.

The Age Groups 66-75 and 75+ will exist separately in the Global Leaderboard, but at the Finals they will be merged into one single 66+ category.

16. Prizes and wild cards.

The Overall Final carries a prize purse of USD 100,000 (USD 50,000 per sex), broken down as follows:

All prize amounts are gross and subject to Italian withholding tax.

There will also be trophies and official recognition from World Athletics. Furthermore, the overall men's and women's champions will be offered a wild card for the 5 km event at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Yangzhou 2027, on the conditions set by World Athletics.

For full details, please refer to the Run X Terms & Conditions available online.