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. According to the publisher it was created "to serve a rapidly growing community of female runners."
Contents
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.
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.
In 2004, Her Sports won the Florida Magazine Association's Charlie Award for "Best New Magazine."
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. According to RunningUSA, the rebranding tripled newsstand sales and dramatically increased subscriptions.
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."
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. "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.
Other
In 2016 Amelia Gapin became the first openly transgender woman to be featured on the cover of Women's Running.
Circulation
The magazine has a nationwide circulation of 105,000 (unaudited). The publisher estimates the readership to be 192,000.
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. Sponsored by Lady Speed Stick, Stone claims the Women's Half Marathon has raised more than $1 million for charity since 2009.