PATCH
'It's Just A Butt'
Streamwood Runner Goes Viral In Exposing Trip-Up
Alyssa Konkel lost her footing and her pants in a treadmill mishap caught on video that has now been viewed by millions across the world.
By Jeff Arnold - June 14, 2023
A video posted by Streamwood resident Alyssa Konkel has gone viral after she posted footage of her losing her footing and her pants during a recent run on a treadmill. (Photo courtesy of Alyssa Konkel
STREAMWOOD, IL — Alyssa Konkel figures that everyone has to be known for something in life. But when it comes to finding her own 15 minutes of fame, Konkel decided to go big or go home — even if it meant exposing herself to the world.
The 26-year-old Streamwood resident has become an overnight social media sensation, all thanks to a video she posted of a treadmill mishap caught on her gym's security camera. The video shows Konkel running on the treadmill during a morning workout at her Schaumburg gym. That's when things took a turn for the worse and when Konkel lost her footing before unexpectedly — and quite literally — her pants.
The video, which Konkel posted initially on Instagram, has since gotten more than 6 million views across the world since she posted it on May 24. Although most people wouldn't want such a moment out there for all to see, Konkel told Patch that she decided to share her embarrassment as a way of making the world a happier place.
“I wanted to make the world laugh,” Konkel told Patch on Wednesday. “Everyone's just so down and people don't look at the brighter side of things.”
She added: “I was just thinking, a lot of people post funny, stupid videos . . . and so I posted my video and thought, let's see where this goes and see how far I can take it.”
Konkel's recent treadmill slip wasn't, surprisingly, her first. Ten years ago, while running on a treadmill set to level 10, just as she was last month, Konkel was thrown off the treadmill, causing her to hit her chin on the way down. This time, Konkel said she noticed her shoe was untied but kept running when she again slipped.
The video shows her trying to catch herself before losing her balance and then her pants in the middle of a crowded gym. Konkel said that most of the people running on treadmills were facing away from her when her mishap took place. Konkel says that after slipping, she pulled her pants up as quickly as possible and looked both ways before realizing what had happened.
“Thankfully, not that many people saw my butt,” she said. “Now, everyone has seen my butt.”
Konkel said that another person who witnessed the mishap did come to check on her to make sure she was OK. Outside of treadmill burns to her face, knees and legs and a heavy dose of embarrassment, Konkel was fine after the fall.
She asked her gym for video footage of the incident, a request that caught gym staff off-guard, and allowed others to view a moment that has now been seen around the world.
Konkel said she told her parents about the ordeal, aware that she was going to post the video on social media. She says that people have recognized her and that her work colleagues have called her famous given the number of times the video has been viewed on YouTube and on other platforms.
She said that every time she has walked into a store or other public place, she is just waiting for someone to recognize her as “the treadmill girl.”
Konkel admits she has not returned to the gym since her viral run but says that she may stick to walking on the treadmill to avoid another trip-up. Whether she returns to the gym where it happened remains unknown, given Konkel's new-found notoriety. The gym, which Konkel prefers not to make public, offered her a free drink and a meal as a way of celebrating that she was not injured in her treadmill tumble.
Konkel can't help but laugh at herself when she sees the video, which has made its way to places as far away as Sweden, Germany and Australia. She is glad that her misfortune has indeed made people smile, while bringing Konkel much more exposure than she ever imagined it would.
“I feel like it's just a funny thing, and it's just a butt,” Konkel told Patch. “A lot of people haven't been famous because of their butt, and so I guess I'm the first.”
Read this article at the Patch