Tonight Zwift announced the launch of “Zwift Run Free Access” via a launch event in New York City (event details to follow).
While still officially a beta product, the plan is for Zwift and its community to further refine the run app with new product components and an expanded schedule of events, races, and group workouts until the subscription service roll out scheduled for late 2018. Much like Zwift’s beta launch to the cycling community in 2014, Zwift Run will be free to use until the subscription service roll out.
Big Shoes to Fill
Will Zwift Run shake up the running world like Zwift has shaken up cycling? Since its beta launch for cyclists in 2014, Zwift has connected half a million cyclists in a vibrant online community. Those riders logged an average of 1 million miles per day this past January. Zwift CEO Eric Min is bullish on Zwift Run’s future:
“Zwift Run is fantastic news for the fitness industry. In 3 years we’ve transformed the indoor cycling space by making the home ‘turbo trainer’ a super desirable product to own and an essential part of a cyclists training regimen. We’re going to give the same make-over to the treadmill. Whether at home or in the gym, Zwift Run will make your indoor run workout experience more social, more motivating, more structured and more measurable.”
Zwift Run will feature a library of training plans tailored to runners of all abilities. In addition to workouts, group runs and races are already happening daily. These events are broken down by pace, so Zwifters can find a run that best suits their needs.
New Unlocks
Zwift is collaborating with a number of running industry brands like New Balance, Hoka and Under Armour to bring in-real-life footwear and apparel to its virtual world. These can be unlocked by accumulating running XP points or other achievements such as running your first 5k. Learn more about Zwift Run points, levels, and unlocks >
Compatibility
Most users are currently connecting to Zwift Run via footpods such as those made by Garmin, Milestone, and Stryd. An increasing number of Bluetooth ready treadmills can also connect directly to Zwift, and digital connected footwear is also part of the picture with Zwift collaborating with Under Armour on its smart shoe range.
Connect with Other Runners
Join the Zwift Runners Facebook group to connect with other runners using Zwift. Stride on!
Rowing should be next……… ON the water area. Not rowing with a bicycle….
Yes, sure why not – and perhaps Swimming after that – using some sort of waterproof google-type VR goggles…
That way triathletes will be stoked.
Then – roller blading, cross-country nordic skiing … heck the sky’s the limit!
🙂
Will we have to pay extra if we already have a Zwift subscription? I don’t think I’ll pay for both. The 15 dollars a month is enough.
With such a backlog of things that should either be fixed or upgraded from a cycling perspective, I wish they went all hands on deck and delayed any foray into running.
Exactly, it’s already February (winter is running at an end) and I think we all are still waiting impatiently for new stretches of road (volcano was January/march 2017, the very cool Mayan route October 2017 and the boring Leith hill January 2018) and more levels (stuck at 25 for god knows how long), not to mention all the fixes and tweaks like world selection, no logout when finished riding etc. etc. I feel they should divert their attention to updating the game, instead of trying to attract more people for running.
Like I postulated in a previous Zwift insider comment – methinks someone at Zwift development has unfortunatety decided to perhaps sabotage Zwift, by permitting up & coming cycling VR competitors such as VirtuGo, catch up to Zwift – by giving their potential customers the things Zwift customers have been asking for months – if not years…
Opening up to runners on a for-pay basis will vastly expand Zwift’s economic potential, and that is the ONLY way we’ll see faster development of new roads to ride. Welcome the runners, for they outnumber us by an order of magnitude.
Hey Zwift, I hope you include a feature that lets a user “penalize” himself by a certain percentage in order to allow him to run with or race a friend of lesser ability, now on an equal footing. Allowing runner A to give himself a 3 or 6 or 11% time handicap per mile when competing against runner B–essentially rendering their computer images equal–would be a simple way to let runners of differing abilities run together on the same screen.