PARK CITY, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 7, 2026--
The NordicTrack Ultra 1 has won a Red Dot Award for Product Design, one of the oldest and most competitive honors in the field. It is the third time in under a year the treadmill has been singled out: Esquire named it Gadget of the Year, TIME put it on its 2025 Best Inventions list, and now a Red Dot jury has added its name.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260707939656/en/
NordicTrack has built home fitness machines for five decades, and the Ultra 1 sits at the top of its range. The treadmill anchors a deliberate move upmarket into premium connected fitness, a direction iFIT is now extending across a growing Ultra line. Recognition from three independent juries in under a year suggests the strategy is connecting.
The Ultra 1 won by not looking like exercise equipment. Red Dot has presented its product-design award since 1955, judged by an international jury that scores each entry over several rounds on function, usability, responsibility, and aesthetic quality. The treadmill was recognized for design that reads more like furniture than fitness gear.
NordicTrack sums up the Ultra 1 in a line: movement deserves a room. Most home treadmills end up in the basement, out of sight; this one was designed to stay in view. The company replaced the usual plastic and steel with a steel frame wrapped in walnut or maple, knurled brass controls, wood louvers along the sides, and ambient lighting beneath the deck. It comes in two finishes, Dark Walnut with Black and Light Maple with Bronze.
The hardware is serious. A brushless motor runs quietly, and the cushioned deck absorbs up to 52% of each stride’s impact, by the company’s measure. A 24-inch touchscreen swings out from the console to reach more than 10,000 iFIT classes, played through eight speakers. As the workout runs, speed and incline adjust on their own to match the trainer on screen or the runner’s heart rate.
“Our goal was to make the ultimate treadmill in both design and performance," said Rick Hoobler, VP of Design at iFIT. "We also wanted to make an iconic product that would fit into your home, into your living spaces, not be relegated to the basement or garage. The wood, bronze, and clean, furniture-like shapes achieve exactly that aesthetic."
“The Ultra 1 is the clearest expression of our strategy to lead the premium tier of connected fitness,” said Kevin Duffy, CEO of iFIT. “When the design world’s most respected award lands alongside honors from Esquire and TIME, it tells the market our investment in design and engineering is paying off.”
Esquire, which named it Gadget of the Year, put it this way: “the makers so very clearly set out to make a truly premium machine and then invested in every single detail completely.”
The Ultra 1 has since grown into a range. NordicTrack has brought the same materials and swing-out screen to Pilates with the Ultra 1 Reformer and the Reform RX-S.
AVAILABILITY
The NordicTrack Ultra 1 is available now at NordicTrack.com for $15,000, with white-glove delivery, assembly, and haul-away included. High-resolution images, full specifications, and additional press materials are available in the online press kit at https://athena.iconfitness.com/portals/jrfeyzri/NordicTrackUltrafamily(PRportal)#36592b73-1dea-4f6e-9824-b787e5dcd4be.
ABOUT NORDICTRACK
NordicTrack, a brand of iFIT Inc., has been a pioneer in connected home fitness for over 50 years. From treadmills and bikes to strength and Pilates, NordicTrack combines premium hardware with the iFIT platform to deliver personalized, expert-led experiences that meet members wherever they are in their fitness journey. For more information, visit NordicTrack.com.
ABOUT IFIT
iFIT Inc. is a global leader in fitness technology, pioneering connected fitness to help people live longer, healthier lives. With a community of more than 12 million athletes around the world, iFIT delivers immersive, personalized workout experiences at home, on the go, and in the gym. Powered by a comprehensive ecosystem of proprietary software, innovative hardware, and engaging content, the iFIT platform brings fitness to life through its portfolio of brands: NordicTrack, ProForm, Freemotion, and the iFIT app. From cardio and strength training to recovery, iFIT empowers athletes at every stage of their fitness journey. For more information, visit iFIT.com.
NordicTrack Ultra 1 Wins the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026
The weeklong preliminary hearing for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk enters its second day on Tuesday. Prosecutors aim to show that they have enough evidence against Tyler Robinson to proceed to a trial. After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine if the case should proceed, which experts say is likely.
Prosecutors were expected to present a recorded statement from Robinson's roommate and more videos from law enforcement on Tuesday.
Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination on the Utah Valley University campus, for which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Robinson’s attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence.
Here's the latest:
Before the lunch break, State District Judge Tony Graf said the statement from Turning Point USA board member David Englehardt is relevant as it relates to Charlie Kirk’s political expression.
Graf said prosecutors allege Tyler Robinson targeted Charlie Kirk because of Robinson’s beliefs about Kirk’s political expression.
Determining the difference between religious expression and political expression is a different matter, the judge said, but he also noted the statement contains additional information about the tax status and practices of Turning Point USA.
Graf said the statement is “provisionally admitted,” and he will decide later if it will be fully admitted as evidence.
Defense attorney Richard Novak says the statement from Turning Point USA board member David Englehardt won’t help the court decide whether the “victim targeting penalty enhancement” is valid.
The state law allows penalty enhancements if a defendant targeted a victim because of the defendant’s perception of the victim’s political expressions, Novak says.
But Englehardt’s statement is all about what is in Englehardt’s head, he says, and that’s not relevant to the case. Englehardt’s mention of Bible passages also isn’t relevant, Novak says, and won’t help the court make any decisions about the case.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride says the statement is relevant, because it clarifies what Charlie Kirk’s business does. It also goes to motive, McBride says.
Kirk engaged people in debate on religious and political issues, McBride says, and encouraged people to follow specific values.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride wants a “self-authenticating statement” from Turning Point USA board member David Englehardt to be admitted as evidence. The statement is notarized, McBride says.
But defense attorney Richard Novak says he’s concerned about the authenticity of the statement, and he doesn’t think some of the information contained in the statement is relevant to the case. He doesn’t want it to be admitted as evidence.
Novak says he doesn’t intend to question Englehardt’s beliefs or what Englehardt says were Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s religious beliefs. The document contains Englehardt’s opinions, Novak says, and references a Utah law that deals with a “victim targeting penalty enhancement.”
Under redirected questioning by the prosecution, former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull says he saw Tyler Robinson enter a wooded area twice when reviewing surveillance video.
Investigators later recovered a rifle from that same area, Hull says.
Under questioning by defense attorney Kathryn Nester, former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull acknowledges that he wasn’t present for Charlie Kirk’s autopsy, but interviewed the person who did it.
He also didn’t directly handle the processing and shipping of a gun collected during the investigation, Hull says.
Nester also asks about video from a doorbell camera shown in court on Monday. Hull says the person who had the doorbell camera told investigators that they thought the person captured in the video was bald and that there were three people in the vehicle.
When it was presented in court, the video was described as showing Tyler Robinson’s vehicle, with just one person exiting the vehicle.
Former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull acknowledges that the surveillance video showing a person on the roof of the Losee building doesn’t reveal any distinguishing facial features.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester asks Hull how some witnesses who took a separate video of the person on the roof described him to authorities. The witnesses thought the person was an officer doing an “overwatch,” or maintaining a security position on a roof, Hull says.
The person on the roof appeared to be in a prone position for 15 to 30 seconds, Hull says.
Denae Branch and Jean Rivera were among the first people lined up outside the courthouse around midnight, trying to snag one of the 14 seats available to the public. The Utah County residents camped out overnight Tuesday, both wearing “FREEDOM” merchandise from Charlie Kirk’s podcast, after they did not get seats inside on Monday.
They were in the crowd at Kirk’s event at Utah Valley University when he was shot, and both said they think about it every day.
“It feels like a lot of the world just kept spinning and we’re still dealing with the trauma of it,” Branch said. “Our hearts and minds are still trying to process it and, yeah, it kind of helps being here.”
Rivera said she hoped to hear testimony about defendant Tyler Robinson’s alleged confession note.
The windows on the fourth floor of the courthouse, where the preliminary hearing is taking place, have been covered with black plastic sheeting.
They were not covered yesterday.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester is asking former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull about how he handled the crime scene at Utah Valley University on the day of the shooting.
Hull says he arrived on campus about 1:30 p.m., after Charlie Kirk had been rushed to a nearby hospital. He learned around 2:30 p.m. that he was going to be in charge of the investigation, Hull says.
He says he was made aware that the amphitheater area had been cordoned off and preserved as best as possible given the large number of people present when the shooting occurred.
He says a bullet found on scene was attributed to a law enforcement officer who had “cleared” his weapon, ejecting an unused bullet.
Hull says there was another firearm found at the scene: a handgun in a backpack.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester is cross-examining former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull.
Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill has introduced a video with circled highlights, zooming and other alterations apparently designed to help viewers understand what they are seeing.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester objected to the video being introduced as evidence, saying she is concerned about its authenticity and that it will be unduly prejudicial against her client.
State District Judge Tony Graf agrees to admit the video as evidence, but says he’ll view it without showing it to the public or the media since it’s essentially the same footage as the previous video.
Hull says a Spanish Fork police officer had an interaction with the vehicle early on Sept. 11. When Hull spoke with that officer later, the officer was able to look up vehicle records via a partial license plate number.
The plates showed Robinson was one of the registered owners of the vehicle, Hull says, and the Spanish Fork police officer said the driver was a male whom he believed to be Robinson.
Former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull says Robinson is shown in another video returning to campus in different clothing and walking with a limp, with one leg held mostly straight.
Video clips show him walking in front of the Losee building, Hull says, and then to the area where he could access the building’s roof.
Yesterday, former Utah Valley University Officer Chris Bagley testified that he saw a “sniper pad” in the gravel atop the Losee building roof.
Additional clips show an individual climbing onto the roof, running across it and then laying prone in the corner of the building. Hull says he believes the person to be Robinson.
The individual then lowers himself off the roof and leaves the area while carrying something in his hand, Hull says. The time stamp is 12:44 p.m.
Former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull is narrating the video as it plays in court.
Some clips from various Utah Valley University surveillance cameras show Tyler Robinson driving into a parking garage, walking away, returning and leaving, Hull says.
Other clips show Robinson walking with a backpack. Robinson purchased a meal from Chick-fil-A at one point in the day, Hull says. Later, as Robinson moves across campus, he is no longer carrying a backpack.
He leaves campus for a second time around 11 a.m., Hull says.
The defense team wanted the video published only to the court and not to the press videographer in the courtroom. Allowing news coverage of the video would taint the jury pool for any future trial, violating Tyler Robinson’s constitutional rights, defense attorney Michael Burt said.
But David Reymann, an attorney representing news organizations, asked the judge to allow this and other non-graphic videos in evidence to be shown to people in the courtroom and in media coverage of the case.
“The spectators in the courtroom have a right to know what the court is viewing, so they can understand how you’re making your decisions,” Reymann says.
The compilation video is expected to show Tyler Robinson walking around the Utah Valley University campus on the day of the shooting. That’s relevant, Reymann says.
Judge Tony Graf says he recognizes the importance of balancing Robinson’s constitutional rights as well as the importance of transparency. He says this video is different from the three videos of the shooting introduced as evidence yesterday, and so it can be shown publicly.
Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill is questioning Hull, the former Utah State Bureau of Investigations agent who testified yesterday about surveillance videos and other footage gathered during the shooting investigation.
Sturgill is asking Hull about a compilation video that includes clips from several different videos. The prosecution team wanted to introduce the compilation as evidence yesterday, but the judge declined after the defense team said the prosecution had not established “foundation.”
The process of establishing “foundation” for evidence generally includes having someone testify about exactly what an item is, including its authenticity and relevance.
Tyler Robinson’s parents were also seen entering the courthouse this morning.
State District Judge Tony Graf is giving attendees a reminder of his rules for behavior, including “maintaining a courtroom environment that is safe, respectful, orderly and faithful to the rights and dignity of every person involved.”
It’s warm in the courtroom, so the judge says everyone should feel free to drink from their water bottles.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester’s attempts were largely overruled by the judge Monday.
When Nester asked Bagley about finding an empty pistol holster on the ground after the crowd fled, he acknowledged he never took custody of the holster and didn’t know whether it had been fingerprinted.
Utah is an open carry state, meaning people can carry guns openly or conceal them without a permit.
Graf sided with the defense to block the introduction of a compilation of surveillance videos from Utah Valley University because some had been altered to zoom in on individuals or had circles drawn around them.
Prosecutors said they would try again Tuesday to introduce that video with the alterations removed.
The proceeding resembles a minitrial, but prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk and should stand trial. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Prosecutors, as a result, should have little trouble advancing their case, said Mark Kouris, a former prosecutor and state judge in Salt Lake City.
“This standard is extremely low, and the chances of them not getting through it are, quite frankly, almost nothing,” said Kouris, now an adjunct professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.
The defendant sat quietly between his attorneys throughout the hearing, looking at the prosecution’s exhibits on a monitor and occasionally taking notes. His wrists were shackled to a chain around his waist.
Monday marked the first time Kirk’s parents, Kathryn and Robert, and his widow, Erika, were in the courtroom since the case began. Robinson’s parents also were present, sitting a few rows behind the Kirks.
Prosecutors showed several graphic videos of Kirk’s shooting, including the moment he was shot and security administering first aid, as they made their case.
Kirk’s family briefly walked out of the courtroom twice — when Bagley, the university officer, started testifying about Kirk’s arrival on campus and again when prosecutors introduced the videos. Each time, they returned.
If prosecutors follow the order of an exhibit list they submitted earlier this year, they will present a video from the Washington County sheriff’s office from Sept. 11 — the day Robinson turned himself in — and recorded testimony from Robinson’s roommate.
Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Robinson also reportedly texted his roommate that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.
Prosecutors have also said they plan to present DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, autopsy findings, witness statements and video of Kirk’s killing. In addition, they are expected to argue the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law.
The court proceedings on Monday produced no major revelations but marked the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case against Robinson, who is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk.
Former Utah Valley University Officer Christopher Bagley testified that he witnessed the shooting while the conservative activist was speaking to a campus crowd of thousands on Sept. 10. Soon after, Bagley went to a nearby gravel rooftop, where it appeared someone had been lying prone with a clear sightline to Kirk’s location, he said.
“It looks like a sniper pad,” Bagley told the court.
Prosecutors seeking to convince a Utah judge to put the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on trial are expected to present more law enforcement video and a recorded statement from the defendant’s roommate as a weeklong preliminary hearing continues Tuesday.
The court proceedings began Monday and so far have produced no major revelations but marked the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case against defendant Tyler Robinson, 23, who is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump.
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Defense attorney Michael Burt attends a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Utah Department of Public Safety agent David Hull testifies during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)
Matt Robinson, father and Amber Robinson, mother, right, of Tyler Robinson arrive at the Fourth District Courthouse, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Provo, Utah, ahead of a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps)
Erika Kirk leaves the Fourth District Courthouse, Monday, July 6, 2026, in Provo, Utah, after a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. (AP Photo/Marielle Scott)
Charlie Kirk's parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, arrive at the Fourth District Courthouse for a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, Monday, July 6, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Marielle Scott)
FILE - A well-wisher places flowers at a makeshift memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA headquarters, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
