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]

Circulation

The magazine has a nationwide circulation of 105,000 (unaudited).[12] 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.[13] Sponsored by Lady Speed Stick, Stone claims the Women's Half Marathon has raised more than $1 million for charity since 2009.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Media Bistro. (October 16, 2012) How to Pitch Women's Running Retrieved Mar 9, 2013
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Competitor Group. Overview – Women's Running Magazine Retrieved March 9, 2013
  3. ↑ Womensrunning.com The Team
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 University of California Haas School of Business. Dawna Stone CalBusiness. (Winter 2011). Retrieved March 9, 2013
  5. ↑ IMDb.Biography for Dawna Stone Retrieved March 9, 2013
  6. ↑ Traxee.com Women's Running Magazine Launches in 2009 Retrieved March 9, 2013
  7. ↑ Tampa Bay Online. Women's Running Slims Focus to Fill Niche
  8. ↑ RunningUSA Women's Running Magazine More Than Triples Bookstore Newsstand Orders Retrieved March 9, 2013
  9. ↑ Publishing Executive. (February 22, 2012) Women's Running Magazine Debuts Redesign with Christy Turlington Burns Retrieved Mar 9, 2013
  10. ↑ St. Petersburg's Women's Running Magazine, related fitness assets, Sold to San Diego company
  11. ↑ Competitor Group. (June 1, 2012) Competitor Group to Launch Women's Endurance Sports Global Initiative Retrieved Mar 9, 2013
  12. ↑ CisionNavigator. Top 10 Running/Marathon/Triathlon magazines in the US Retrieved March 9, 2013
  13. ↑ PR Newswire. The Leukemia Lymphoma Society and Women's Running Magazine Join Forces to Launch New All-Women Half Marathon Retrieved March 9, 2013

External links