New treadmill creates buzz

I loathe treadmills.

In fact, the last time I ran on one was probably 10 years ago when severe lightning forced me out of a regularly scheduled track workout with friends.

Running on a treadmill makes me feel like a caged mouse running in a wheel. First, you go nowhere, hence the oft-used metaphor of "running on a treadmill" for going nowhere fast. Second, you're indoors. Then, you have to push all these buttons to start, pick a program, speed up or slow down, and have to look at all these red lights flashing at you, telling you how long, what level or zone you're running in, how many calories you're running off, etc.

To top it off, treadmills are noisy and actually burn energy so that you can burn energy.

All of it just seems to create the notion that exercise is drudgery, which it shouldn't be. It should be our nation's natural, inexpensive drug of choice. Granted, some people may actually enjoy running and walking on a treadmill and the most important thing about exercise is getting people to find what they like to do and do it.

For me, even with the addition of TVs to treadmills, I have not been tempted.

But now there's a treadmill that I may be apt to use.

The gym I go to, ECO Fitness in Mount Pleasant, recently got two Woodway SpeedBoard nonmotorized treadmills that have been creating a buzz among members here and at health clubs across the nation.

The SpeedBoard, which made its debut in March at the International Health and Racquet Sports Association trade show in San Francisco, isn't the first nonmotorized treadmill that has hit the market, but it is the first one that is actually smooth and sturdy, according to Woodway's marketing director Eric Weber.

"Part of the excitement about the SpeedBoard is that it works so well. In the past, the user experience has not been good," Weber says in a phone interview from the Wakesha, Wis.-based office. (Woodway makes its treadmills right here in the U-S-A! Yeaah!)

The SpeedBoard features a sophisticated curved design and near-frictionless drive system that allows the user to speed up, or slow down, instantly, rather than push buttons and wait.

That's what drew ECO's Dave Fox to it. For years, Fox has wanted to incorporate treadmills into Spinning classes, but the slow reaction time of treadmills prevented it.

"The SpeedBoard is very reactive. As you run into the curve, it reacts fast," says Fox, who started working it into Spinning classes in late June. He adds that personal trainers have incorporated it into boot-camp group training sessions and that individuals have been using it for cardio equipment.

"It's a piece of equipment I like to get because it's so versatile," he said.

And yet not many of us, especially in these hard economic times, will be able to afford one for home use.

Weber says Woodway's introductory price of the SpeedBoard is $5,500 and that the price will be going up into the range of the company's other treadmills, which run $7,000 to $15,000. He adds that the SpeedBoard and other Woodway products eventually add up to a better value because they use less electricity (SpeedBoard obviously uses none), require less maintenance and last four times longer than most treadmills.

ECO member Jenny Skinner, who had run on the SpeedBoard three times as of last Friday, says she thinks many members may shy away from it because of the challenge of running on it.

"It's definitely a different workout than running on the road or treadmill and is actually harder than both," says Skinner, 30, of Mount Pleasant. "I don't think many people will use it because it is very challenging. A lot of people get on a treadmill, they set a pace and stick to it. They don't challenge themselves. ... Many of them pay (for memberships) to have the TVs and the luxury of fans blowing on them."

Skinner says the SpeedBoard is a treadmill for people who want to focus on their workout, rather than divert their attention from it.

I have to agree. I jumped on the SpeedBoard for about three minutes. By treadmill standards, it's the best. Smooth, quiet and pure, and even beautiful in a sculptural way.

But it's still a treadmill. Other than warming up for a leg workout, it'll probably take something extreme — like another severe lightning storm — to force me to run inside and on it. At least I'll have a better option.

Reach David Quick at 937-5516 or dquick@postandcourier.com.

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