Runners World goes 'trail mad'!
I have to admit to not being an avid reader of the world’s most popular running magazine. In the past I saw the publication as more of an advisory mag, helping those running newbies obtain shoe, race and training advice for road races, marathons, the odd off-road or charity event…
Part of the reason for starting this little project was that I never felt that there was a outlet that purely dedicated itself to fell, cross country and trail running.
When faced with series of long train journeys this week I decided to buy RW as it seemed one of the only options on a news stand swimming with car, fashion and ‘gossip’ mags. (Who buys all that crap?!). Imagine my pleasant surprise when I flicked through the mag to find a rag oozing with trail and off-road features, brand ads, runner profiles and reviews.
From the very first ads for Skins, Gore, Garmin, to an ‘athlete feature’ on Andy Symonds, editorial on cross country running, countless images of people running on varied terrain, race reports almost completely dominated by off-road events and the shoe test? Trail shoes! (Although I was a little disappointed that the winning choice went to road runners favourite Asics:-)
Sure the mag still has a tilt towards road and marathon, however RW – under the guidance of editor Andy Dixon – seems to be repositioning itself, targeting the off-roaders. Why? Well we in the know understand that shuffling along in a field of 40,000 charity runners isnt the most fulfilling of sports for many ‘runners’, we also know that the mental cleansing of running in wild, open and unspoilt terrain cannot be gained on the road or in the mad urban world that we live in.
Perhaps Andy and the RW crew are coming round to the same conclusion?
