Runner's World
Encyclopedia
Runner's World is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Rodale Press
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
. Recognized as the worldwide authority on running information, the mission of Runner’s World is to inform, advise and motivate runners of all ages and abilities.
Runner’s World aims to help runners achieve their personal health, fitness and performance goals while inspiring them with vivid, memorable storytelling.
as Distance Running News, and Anderson published the magazine by himself for several years from his home in Manhattan, Kansas
. 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. 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.
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. Robert Rodale of Rodale Press
, purchased Runner's World 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.
Not long after buying Runner's World, Rodale bought The Runner, and merged the two magazines, 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 #1 on Adweek
's Hot List, #6 on Advertising Age
s "A-List"; been recognized for having the "Creative Team of the Year", and most notably has been nominated three times for National Magazine Awards. Also, since the redesign, the magazine's circulation has increased from 525,000 to 650,000 at a time when most consumer magazines' circulations have declined, and advertising pages and revenue remain at an all time high. The vice-president and publisher of Runner's World's United States' edition is Christopher Lambiase and its editor is David Willey.
In February 2007, Rodale acquired Running Times magazine with the objective of getting the magazine back on its original mission to serve the front of the pack.
edition wholly owned by NatMag Rodale, a joint venture between Rodale Inc. and The Hearst Corporation in the UK. Editions in Australia
/New Zealand
, Brazil
, France
, Germany
, Italy
, Mexico
, Netherlands
/Belgium
, Philippines
, Poland
, South Africa
, Spain
, and Sweden
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.
Rodale Press
Rodale, Inc., is an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties. Rodale is headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania and also maintains a satellite office in New York City, on Third Avenue....
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Recognized as the worldwide authority on running information, the mission of Runner’s World is to inform, advise and motivate runners of all ages and abilities.
Runner’s World aims to help runners achieve their personal health, fitness and performance goals while inspiring them with vivid, memorable storytelling.
Beginnings
Runner's World was originally launched in 1966 by Bob AndersonBob Anderson (runner)
Bob Anderson is an American runner, photographer, publisher and film producer. He is the founder of Runner's World magazine. A desire to find information about running and racing led him to a career in magazine and book publishing for more than twenty years...
as Distance Running News, and Anderson published the magazine by himself for several years from his home in Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
. Runner and writer Hal Higdon
Hal Higdon
Hal Higdon is an American writer and runner. He has contributed to Runner's World magazine longer than any other writer. He is the author of 34 books, including the best-selling Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide...
had been writing for the magazine since the beginning (2nd edition). In 1969, Anderson changed the name of the magazine to Runner's World. He brought on Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson (runner)
Joe Henderson is an American runner, running coach, writer, and former chief editor of Runner's World magazine. He currently writes for Marathon & Beyond magazine, and since 1982, a weekly column entitled "Joe Henderson's Running Commentary"...
as chief editor and moved the editorial offices, now named World Publications
World Publications
World Publications was a book and magazine publisher in the late 1960s-1980s started by Bob Anderson.-Publications:...
, to Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
. Runner's World thrived during the 1970s "running boom", even in the face of competition from the New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based magazine, The Runner.
Purchased by Rodale Press
In the early 1980s, Bob AndersonBob Anderson (runner)
Bob Anderson is an American runner, photographer, publisher and film producer. He is the founder of Runner's World magazine. A desire to find information about running and racing led him to a career in magazine and book publishing for more than twenty years...
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. Robert Rodale of Rodale Press
Rodale Press
Rodale, Inc., is an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties. Rodale is headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania and also maintains a satellite office in New York City, on Third Avenue....
, purchased Runner's World and the editorial offices moved to Rodale's base in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...
. Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson (runner)
Joe Henderson is an American runner, running coach, writer, and former chief editor of Runner's World magazine. He currently writes for Marathon & Beyond magazine, and since 1982, a weekly column entitled "Joe Henderson's Running Commentary"...
did not move to Emmaus, and stepped down as editor, though he remained associated with the magazine until 2003. Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
bought the running log, which was published under the Runner's World name for decades after the sale.
Not long after buying Runner's World, Rodale bought The Runner, and merged the two magazines, 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 #1 on Adweek
Adweek
Adweek is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1978....
's Hot List, #6 on Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
s "A-List"; been recognized for having the "Creative Team of the Year", and most notably has been nominated three times for National Magazine Awards. Also, since the redesign, the magazine's circulation has increased from 525,000 to 650,000 at a time when most consumer magazines' circulations have declined, and advertising pages and revenue remain at an all time high. The vice-president and publisher of Runner's World's United States' edition is Christopher Lambiase and its editor is David Willey.
In February 2007, Rodale acquired Running Times magazine with the objective of getting the magazine back on its original mission to serve the front of the pack.
International circulation
Since the early 1990s, Runner's World has expanded outside the United States, currently with 14 international editions. The first was a United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
edition wholly owned by NatMag Rodale, a joint venture between Rodale Inc. and The Hearst Corporation in the UK. Editions in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
/New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
/Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
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.
See also
- Bob AndersonBob Anderson (runner)Bob Anderson is an American runner, photographer, publisher and film producer. He is the founder of Runner's World magazine. A desire to find information about running and racing led him to a career in magazine and book publishing for more than twenty years...
- John BinghamJohn Bingham (runner)John Bingham is an American marathon runner and author, nicknamed "The Penguin", who has achieved widespread recognition for promoting the walking of long-distance race courses to the general public....
- Browning Ross