'I tried Decathlon’s Domyos Run500 treadmill – for under £700, here’s why it’s a fantastic budget option'
Fitting in your training sessions around work, family or other commitments can be a serious feat. On days where time is limited — or the Great British weather is unpredictable — being able to hop on a treadmill in the comfort of your home can make all the difference. But the best treadmills on the market don’t always come cheap, with some retailing for excess of £3,000. On the other hand, pay too little and you’ll find yourself with an unstable, rattling machine that makes training stressful and unenjoyable.
Enter the Domyos Run500 treadmill from Decathlon which, at £699.99, is a much more affordable offering. I’ve been putting it to the test along with our wider team of fitness testers at the Runner’s World Lab to see how it handles the pace. For context, I'm a 10-time marathoner and ultrarunner, with an average easy pace of 5:15 min/km or 8:28 min/mile) and I run five times a week.
Domyos Run500: Set-up
Setting up the machine couldn’t have been easier, as it comes pre-built and ready to go. Size wise, this is a treadmill that's all about saving space. The belt measures 130cm (L) by 45cm (W). That's definitely on the narrower side, especially if you're used to using one of the beefier commercial treads at your local gym.
That said, there's still plenty of room to run – just be careful getting distracted by mirrors or other objects to your left or right (guilty), as you can easily rear off if you're not focusing.
Other space-saving advantages include the ability to fold away the treadmill when you're not using it, so that it measures 162cm (L) and 25cm (H). There's also four caster wheels to help you move it around. At 58kg, I found it easy to do this unassisted.
Domyos Run500: Design and features
At just under £700, you're quite fairly sacrificing a built-in HD-screen on this machine. But if, like me, you're following a specific training plan or are more of a 'turn it on and run' kind of runner, this isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. And if it is, you can plug your tablet or smartphone into the tablet holder and access 30 integrated programmes instead.
Turning the machine on and adjusting both the speed and incline was faff-free. Everything is done on the machine’s touchscreen console, with a crisp LED display adding a nice modern touch. Here, you’re able to see all the key information you need: time, distance, speed, pace, incline, calories and BPM, if you’ve connected a Bluetooth or ANT+ heart rate monitor to the machine (it doesn’t have one built in). I thought the pace display in particular was a nice touch; it saved me having to dig out a treadmill pace conversion chart to see what paces I needed to hit.
On that, the machine has a top speed of 16kph – that’s 3:45 mins/km or 6:02 mins/mile. For average runners, this should be fast enough for the majority of your training sessions – including intervals. The only sessions where you may struggle are if you're doing shorter sprints (e.g. 200m/400m) and getting up to paces below 3:45 mins/km. Speedier runners will obviously need to look elsewhere.
In terms of incline, the Domyos Run500 can go up to 10%, which is really decent for a sub-£1000 machine. There's no decline, but that's not surprising at this price.
A really neat feature is the handy speed shortcuts, which allow you to jump straight to speeds of 6/10/12/14/16kph. Just bear in mind that it does take a couple of seconds for the belt to get up to speed.
Back to workouts, there are 30 customisable programmes and a GOALS mode (time/distance) to mix up your workouts. You can also connect the machine to Domyos E-Connected, Kinomap and Zwift app for more workouts.
While this may seem minor, for me, the key thing the machine is missing is a sturdy bottle holder. There is a rubber loop attached to one of the handle bars that you can store your bottle in, but when you’re running – especially at speed – you need to jump onto the sides of the machine to pull the bottle out, sip your drink, and re-attach it securely, otherwise you will definitely trip! As someone who likes to grab their bottle mid-run to sip on some electrolytes, this is a key design flaw for me.
Domyos Run500: Performance
Despite its affordable price tag, the machine's robust steel frame gives it a high-quality feel and the belt is surprisingly sturdy and smooth to run on.
My first run was a 10km pick-up session (2km easy running, 6km picking up the pace to finish on a 7/10 effort, 2km easy running) and the machine handled the increase in speed with ease.
In terms of noise, the machine measures around 62 dB. That's not exactly whisper quiet, but it is about on par with commercial gym treadmills. With headphones in, you don't notice it. If you're worried about keeping family or friends up, putting down some rubber floor and closing the door to the room you're in should be enough to eliminate most of the sound.
RW verdict
If you're looking for a dependable running machine with a relatively small footprint, the Domyos Run500 is a fantastic budget-option. With speeds of up to 16kph, incline up to 10% and 30 different workout options, this should do the job nicely for the average runner. Speedsters may want to look to one of our other options to break their PBs, however. All in all, a quality, compact running machine at a very decent price.
Alternatives
For an extra £200, the Domyos T900D offers speeds up to 18kph (3:20 min/km or 5:22 min/mile) and an overall larger display console, also equipped with speed and incline quick-jump buttons and two side pockets for your water bottle or a towel. For that extra £200, you're also getting side speakers and a central fan. This is another great folding treadmill.
For even more ambitious running goals, look to the Echelon Stride. The folding design and substantial offering of sessions from the app make this a top pick for first-time treadmill buyers. And its top speed of 19kph (a 5.00min/mile pace) will be ample for most owners.
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