Women's Running

Cover of Women's Running Magazine, March 2013

Women's Running, formerly Her Sports + Fitness is a magazine geared towards female running enthusiasts. Published 10 times yearly by Competitor Group, Inc., it is the only women's-specific running magazine available in the North American market.[1] According to the publisher it was created "to serve a rapidly growing community of female runners."[2]

The magazine's editor-in-chief is Jessica Sebor, former editor and writer for a number of publishing houses and periodicals including Interview Magazine, Random House and Ultrarunning Magazine.[3]

History

Founding

Before becoming Women's Running the magazine was first published in 2004 under the name Her Sports + Fitness, founded by former marketing executive and Martha Stewart apprentice Dawna Stone. Stone, also a triathlete, has said she got the idea to start an athletic magazine specifically designed for women after finding out Sports Illustrated for Women, her favorite magazine, was being discontinued.[4]

In 2004, Her Sports won the Florida Magazine Association's Charlie Award for "Best New Magazine."[5]

Rebranding

In 2008, Her Sports was renamed Women's Running, a change aimed at serving the growing community of female runners—a demographic also noticed by other industry magazines such as Runner's World.[6][7] According to RunningUSA, the rebranding tripled newsstand sales and dramatically increased subscriptions.[8]

Redesign

The magazine was redesigned in early 2012, unveiled for the first time in the March/April 2012 issue. The redesign included a new cover featuring celebrities and elite athletes, a "reader's corner" that featured issues popular on the magazine's social media websites, and the "parting shot" – dubbed "a sneak peak into the running life of a professional athlete."[9]

Acquisition

On June 1, 2012 Competitor Group announced their acquisition of Women's Running Magazine, WomensRunning.com, and the Women's Half Marathon Series for an undisclosed amount.[10] "This is a watershed moment for our organization as we greatly expand our media and event portfolio with a collection of powerful assets from which we will create the largest participatory platform in the world dedicated to female athletes,” said Scott Dickey, CEO of CGI in a press release.[11]

Other

In 2016 Amelia Gapin became the first openly transgender woman to be featured on the cover of Women's Running.[12]

Circulation

The magazine has a nationwide circulation of 105,000 (unaudited).[13] The publisher estimates the readership to be 192,000.[2]

Women's Half Marathon Series

In 2009 Dawna Stone launched the Women's Running Magazine 5k Half-Marathon Series in St. Petersburg, Florida. The marathon grew to include cities across the U.S. and is now the nation's largest women's race series.[14] Sponsored by Lady Speed Stick, Stone claims the Women's Half Marathon has raised more than $1 million for charity since 2009.[4]

References

External links

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