Runner's World was originally launched in 1966 by Bob Anderson[5] as a mimeographednewsletterDistance Running News, and Anderson published it by himself for several years from his home in Manhattan, Kansas.[6][7] Runner and writer Hal Higdon had been writing for the magazine since the beginning (2nd edition). In 1969, Anderson changed the name of the magazine to Runner's World.[8] He brought on Joe Henderson as chief editor and moved the editorial offices, now named World Publications, to Mountain View, California. Runner's World thrived during the 1970s "running boom", even in the face of competition from the New York–based magazine, The Runner.
Purchase by Rodale Press
In the early 1980s, Bob Anderson sold a good portion of his publications, including Runner's World. Some of Anderson's books went out of print while others were distributed by Macmillan Publishing.[7]Robert Rodale of Rodale, Inc., purchased Runner's World in 1985[9] and the editorial offices moved to Rodale's base in Emmaus, 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 the Runner's World name for decades after the sale.
In 1986, Rodale bought The Runner,[10] and merged the two magazines,[9] keeping the Runner's World name and some writers, including Amby 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 on Adweek's Hot List,[11][12] No. 6 on Advertising Age's "A-List";[13] been recognized for having the "Creative Team of the Year",[14] and most notably has been nominated three times for National Magazine Awards.[15]
In February 2007, Rodale acquired Running Times magazine and website and combined both brands in 2015.[16][17][4]
Hearst acquired Rodale in 2018. Runner's World offices were moved from Emmaus, Pennsylvania, to Easton, Pennsylvania.[18] That new office included a testing lab, called the "Test Zone," which also allow visitors to see the Runner's World and Bicycling product tests.[19][18]
Awards
In 2019, the American 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."[20]
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 the Asian 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.[24][25]
International circulation
Since the early 1990s, Runner's World has expanded outside the United States, currently with 18 international editions. The first was a United Kingdom edition wholly owned by NatMag Rodale, a joint venture between Rodale, Inc. and The Hearst Corporation in the UK. As of December 2024, there 10 international editions of Runner'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.
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