Welcome to our "Coolest Things" series. Each week, the running editors at ACTIVE.com will tell you about the coolest things happening in the running industry so you're never a step (or fartlek) behind. See last week's post here.
A Self-Propelling Smart Stroller
Your watch is smart, your clothes are smart and your phone has long been smart, so we guess it was only a matter of time before a stroller got smart, too.
The Smartbe Intelligent Stroller has everything a new parent could want. A bottle warmer, built-in music, internal and external cameras, adjustable handlebars—oh, and it moves without you pushing it.
The Smartbe stroller is self-propelled, equipped with an electric engine and a wearable sensor device—still to be determined, but probably a wristband—which a parent can use to control its movement. The project is currently in development, but there’s a promising Indiegogo campaign with all the details on what to expect.
Prices are set around $3,000, making it an expensive item for any new parent, but dedicated runners may be especially tempted to splurge. Smartbe has specifically targeted their product to runners and joggers who hate the strain of pushing a heavy stroller along their route.
A Dog Runs a Half Marathon for the Hell of It
By now you've probably heard about the dog that accidentally ran a half marathon, but we're going to tell you about it again because, honestly, it’s the best.
Meet Ludivine, a 2 1/2-year-old Alabama bloodhound who took off one morning after a quick bathroom break. Her owner, April Hamlin, wasn't alarmed because Ludivine loves to run around town. What Hamlin didn't realize was just how much.
Hours later, Hamlin started to receive pictures from her friends that showed Ludivine with a medal around her neck. The dog had joined the starting line at a nearby half marathon, mingled with other runners—sniffing out the competition, we're sure—and then ran the entire race from start to finish. She finished seventh overall, beating about 160 other (human) runners.
Ludivine might have run the entire distance, but she's still a dog, which means she took time along the way to do important dog things—sniff dead rabbits, go frolicking in creeks, run circles around some cows and say hi to various dog spectators.
She finished with an unofficial time of 1:32:56, and those ears flopped the whole way.
(Photo credit: WeRunHuntsville.com and IMP Features)