Otago Polytechnic student Jordan Frost listens to music when he’s running.
To enhance the experience when exercising, he has designed an app, allowing runners to create a playlist of songs which share the same number of beats per minute.
Runners select their desired beat per minute to match their desired steps per minute to achieve their "cadence" — a consistent number of steps taken per minute — a factor which makes up a runner's speed.
Part of the motivation for the app was Ethiopian long-distance runner Haile Gebrselassie listening to the song Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) by Scatman John on repeat to break a 10,000m world record.
An upbeat tempo could improve a runner’s technique by keeping their weight forward on their toes — rather than back on their heels — and improve their posture, "running economy" and mood, as well as prevent injuries.
The app works with a range of music-playing apps, such as Spotify, or devices used to store music files, such as iPhones.
As market research for the app, he stood outside a Dunedin gym for seven hours to talk to people about how they used music to help them exercise.
He was continuing to develop the app and test it to remove any bugs.
At the Audacious prizegiving in Dunedin last month for the app, he won the $500 cash best pitch prize and the Maori business boot camp prize.
