Zwift Running App

Posted on December 30, 2018 by fjnardo

Disclaimer: I received a free Zwift Runpod to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I’ve been testing out the Zwift Runpod and app for the last month. What is Zwift you ask? Well, simply put, it’s a virtual running or biking app that you can use on your treadmill or bike and virtually run with people from all over the world. There are workouts and group runs that are always scheduled and you get to run through some very cool areas.

What do you need to try it out? You’ll need a footpod which is very minimally priced, any treadmill, and a device to run Zwift on. This can be most iPhones, iPad, or certain PCs and Macs. I used my iPhone for all of my runs and it worked great. I’d imagine it’s much cooler on a bigger screen like an iPad or computer.

The courses go through London, Virginia, and a fantasy land called Watopia. You run through cool landscapes, beaches, rural roads, and a few other places. It’s so cool to run with other people and bikes out on the course. You can just run for fun or follow one of the training programs.

The app will connect to your other running apps like Garmin and Strava so you can keep a running diary of how your training is going. It keeps track of your paces, your strides and cadence, distances, intervals, and heart rate with an appropriate heart rate monitor. The more you run or bike, the more points you accumulate and can use them to customize your avatar in the program. You get to change shoes, socks, hats, glasses, hair colors and cuts, and many other options. There are also multiple views that you can watch as you exercise like third person, in front of, over, and behind.

I ran a few races with my fellow BibRave pros and it was so cool to virtually race each other and pace yourself with. The connection was easy and I suggest that if you plan on running with others that you log in early to ensure that the connection is strong and you can register steps with the footpod. I have yet to try it out with a stationary training bike but it looks to be pretty similar and fun. I was pretty happy with the opportunity to try such a fun piece of equipment and can now use it to run with friends from across the country!