All the Barnard Fitness Center treadmills, ranked and reviewed by certified treadmill lover.

To preface, this ranking might not be important to anyone, but it is very important to me as an avid user of the Barnard Gym treadmills, and perhaps it will be useful for any fellow treadmill stans out there. Please note that my Top Four all belong to the row facing the wall, because I feel safer faced with a wall and not as exposed to the rest of the gym. So without further ado:

1. We are starting off strong with my favorite treadmill. This is the treadmill I search for when I enter the BFC, after scanning my ID (holding it in precisely the right position, brightness UP). The one second from the right in the row facing the wall. It is far enough away from the weights and other equipment side of the gym to not feel intimidated, but not too close to the entrance that you feel as if you’re being perceived. It has an excellent view of the clock, and if you get there before someone is at the furthest to the right treadmill, odds are no one will be next to you.
2. The one directly to the left of my favorite treadmill is my second pick. She’s too close to the weights area to make #1, but I love her almost as much. Also, for some reason she doesn’t beep as loud as the other treadmills when you’re upping the speed, which I appreciate greatly. 
3. Next up, is the furthest right treadmill. The one which lives next to the little wall, which is not my favorite when they prop a speaker up there and I hear music outside and inside my headphones. This one doesn’t have as good of a view of the clock, but it does have a good view of the door if you’re into that sort of thing (you can see whoever is entering, gym crush, lecture buddy, communal bathroom opp, etc).
4. Closing out our wall facing treadmills is the one on the far left, practically in unknown territory. It’s right by the wipe station, and for that reason, a prime location where people are continually passing by. Being next to the wipe station is nice after you’re done with your workout and just want to haul your sweaty ass home, but it does not outweigh the feeling of being perceived that persists when I’m running on that particular treadmill. However, I will still take this treadmill over any of the ones in the other row.
5. My favorite of the outward facing row of treadmills is the one on the far left (if you’re facing the same direction as the treadmills) . Otherwise, it’s across from the far right side of the other row of  treadmills. I feel like I just typed the word treadmills an exorbitant amount of times. Treadmills, treadmills, treadmills. Anyway, the far left treadmill is only alright, and I’m less likely to pick it if the speaker is up on top of the wall ledge behind it because of the whole cacophony of Lady Gaga x Joni Mitchell that occurs because of it. Yes, I run to Joni Mitchell, deal with it.
6. Number six belongs to the treadmill second from the left (can you tell where this is going?), with a good view of the clock and an equally good view of the mirror. The former is a positive, the latter…well, if you aren’t clear on my position of being perceived in the gym yet, I must be doing something wrong. This is the treadmill I resign myself to with a sigh. The treadmill where for some reason the emergency stop string thing is always hanging down and I always accidentally trip the emergency brake and it is so humbling to stand there while the treadmill slowly returns to its normal incline height. 
7. The treadmill second from the right is next. Yes, we are just going down the line, best to worst in the bottom four. This treadmill has a DIRECT eyeline to the mirror and if I’m choosing this treadmill, it typically means there’s at least one person next to me. This treadmill also has a tendency to squeak? when I’m running. I used a question mark because it’s not really a squeak, more of a squeak, growl, buzz hybrid that I don’t have a name for yet. While this treadmill isn’t the last resort, it’s close.
8. My last resort. The treadmill I only use when all the others are taken, and both stairmasters are in use. It doesn’t have a good view of the clock, it doesn;t have a good view of the entrance (since it’s outward facing), it’s right by a lifting machine, and it is arguably the most exposed treadmill. The only thing it really has going for it is that it’s far away from the place they occasionally put the speaker. This is the treadmill I almost ate shit on when my friend tapped me on the shoulder to ask me a question while I was actively running. And the treadmill I eventually did eat shit on when it didn’t slow down as fast as I thought and I half tripped, half toppled off of the end of it. 

Treadmills via Bwarchives