 Serena Burla on cover of the July 2011 issue | |
| Runner-in-Chief | Jeff Dengate |
|---|---|
| Former editors | David Willey Bob Anderson |
| Categories | Health Running Marathons |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Publisher | Hearst |
| Total circulation (November 2024) | 4,000,000 (1,600,000 print and 2,400,000 digital)[1] |
| Founded | 1966 |
| First issue | January 1996 (1996-01)[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0897-1706 |
Runner's World is a global magazine and website for runners of all abilities. It has additionally developed experiential formats, including a digital membership program, called Runner's World+.[3] It is published byHearst inEaston, Pennsylvania and was formerly published byRodale, Inc.[4] Outside theUnited States, the magazine is published in France, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
Runner's World was originally launched in 1966 byBob Anderson[5] as amimeographednewsletterDistance Running News,and Anderson published it by himself for several years from his home inManhattan, Kansas.[6][7] Runner and writerHal Higdon had been writing for the magazine since its second edition.
In 1969, Anderson changed the name of the magazine toRunner's World.[8] He brought onJoe Henderson as chief editor and moved the editorial offices, now namedWorld Publications, toMountain View, California.Runner's World thrived during the 1970s "running boom", even in the face of competition from theNew York City–based magazine,The Runner.
In May of 1970 Doris Brown became the first woman to be on the cover page of the magazine, marking an important milestone for the magazine. Additionally, in 1973 the magazine began to be printed in color. Later on, October of 1987 Runner's World implemented Miles, the little running man as the apostrophe in the Runner's World title. The most recent logo change happened in October 2014, which still remains the current logo in 2025.[9]
In the early 1980s,Bob Anderson sold a good portion of his publications, includingRunner's World. Some of Anderson's books went out of print while others were distributed byMacmillan Publishing.[7]Robert Rodale ofRodale, Inc., purchasedRunner's World in 1985[10] and the editorial offices moved to Rodale's base inEmmaus, Pennsylvania.Joe Henderson did not move to Emmaus, and stepped down as editor, though he remained associated with the magazine until 2003.Random House bought the running log, which was published under theRunner's World name for decades after the sale.
In 1986, Rodale boughtThe Runner,[11] and merged the two magazines,[10] keeping theRunner's World name and some writers, includingAmby Burfoot who became the editor (a post he held until 2003).
Runner's World remained strong through the so-called "second running boom" in the late 1990s. In 2004, the magazine had a full redesign. Since then, the magazine has won several awards including being ranked No. 1 onAdweek's Hot List,[12][13] No. 6 onAdvertising Age's "A-List";[14] been recognized for having the "Creative Team of the Year",[15] and most notably has been nominated three times forNational Magazine Awards.[16]
In February 2007, Rodale acquiredRunning Times magazine and website and combined both brands in 2015.[17][18][4]
Hearst acquired Rodale in 2018.Runner's World offices were moved fromEmmaus, Pennsylvania, toEaston, Pennsylvania.[19] That new office included a testing lab, called the "Test Zone," which also allow visitors to see the Runner's World andBicycling product tests.[20][19]
Since then, Runner's World has covered all of the major races such as the Boston, New York City, and Chicago Marathons. They have held interviews with notable celebrities such Alicia Keys, Will Ferrell, and Kevin Hart. Will Ferrell even made a cover appearance of March 2002 issue of the magazine.[21]
In 2019, theAmerican Society of Journalist and Authors awarded writer Michelle Hamilton's article "Saudi Women Will Run the Kingdom" with the awards for outstanding fitness & sports article. The year following, Christine Yu was awarded by the same organization for her Runner's World article "Women Deserve to Run Without Fear."[22]
In 2021,Mitchell S. Jackson was awarded thePulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for hisRunner's World articleTwelve Minutes and a Life, "a deeply affecting account of themurder of Ahmaud Arbery that combined vivid writing, thorough reporting and personal experience to shed light on systemic racism in America."[23] The article also won aNational Magazine Award and a Jenkins Medal for Excellence inSportswriting, award byMoody College of Communication, that year.[24][25]
In 2022, Wufei Yu & Will Ford's article from the November/December 2021 Issue, "172 Runners Started This Ultramarathon. 21 Of Them Never Came Back," was awarded the Excellence in Sports Reporting award by theAsian American Journalists Association, as well as the award for of Writing Best Colour Piece by Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive's (the International Sports Press Association) sports media awards.[26][27]
Since the early 1990s,Runner's World has expanded outside the United States, currently with 18 international editions. The first in September 1993 was aUnited Kingdom edition wholly owned by NatMag Rodale, a joint venture betweenRodale, Inc. and The Hearst Corporation in the UK. As of December 2024, there 10 international editions ofRunner's World, aside from the flagship edition in the U.S.:Australia/New Zealand,France,Germany,Italy,Netherlands,Norway,Poland,South Africa,Spain,Sweden and the UK. All are published either as joint ventures or through licensing arrangements with publishers in those countries. Editors in each country have access to editorial content from the U.S. edition, but also publish their own original content with local flavor. Currently today, there are over 781,000 thousand users across the platform, marking the significance the magazine has in the running industry.[28]
Editors-in-chief at Runner's World are called Runners-in-Chief and, to date, have included:[29]
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