50 Years of RW Covers

Distance Running News launched with a cover story on the Heart of America Marathon, which has been held in Columbia, Missouri, since 1960. The magazine (which changed names to Runner’s World in 1970) only had two issues in its inaugural year.

Cherrie Bridges, a distance runner from Indiana State, was the first female to appear on the cover. Twelve years later, she gave birth to Shalane Flanagan, who grew up to become one of the top American distance runners.

A year before he won gold in the 1972 Olympic Marathon—and launched the running boom—a young Frank Shorter appeared on the cover while he was spending time training in Florida. In his RW interview he talked about his dream of one day running a marathon: “I kind of like to think that I have the natural ability and the stride and the wind for it.”

RUNNER’S WORLD SHOP: Show your love for running with our Vintage RW Logo Tee

RW’s first full-color cover highlighted the most important piece of gear in a runner’s life. Inside the magazine, a feature story made a relatively new connection between shoes and injury risk and also discussed shoe technology and trends, including a new Nike model called “The Waffle,” which was originally modeled on a waffle iron.

Reflecting the growth in the shoe market, RW complied an epic 60-page shoe guide. Shoes ranged in price from $14.45 (for the Saucony Venus No. 2, a women’s shoe) to $57 (for The Adidas Adistar 2000, a sprint spike).

Bill Rodgers (a.k.a. Boston Billy) has appeared on the cover of RW 11 times—more than any other person. This image was captured during the 1978 Boston Marathon, which Rodgers went on to win. He is famous for winning the legendary race four times over his career, including three straight victories from 1978-1980. Prior to the race, he told RW, “I’m about 86, maybe 90 percent. I’m a little leery of the distance since I haven’t been doing many long runs. I’ve averaged 133 miles a week over the past 10 weeks.”

In an era when most serious runners focused on long runs and speed intervals to get stronger and faster, RW introduced the idea that a regular yoga practice could also help improve a runner’s performance.

The Landers sisters, who appeared in several movies and TV shows during the late 1970s and 1980s, brought some glamour to RW for its first-ever “In-Depth Report” on women’s running. They told RW how running became a big part of their lives after moving to Hollywood. “At first running was just a way to keep in shape,” Audrey said. “It helped us tone up and lose a few pounds. But now we run for more reasons than just that. Mainly, it's fun. It also helps us deal with the stress of our jobs. We like to use running to sort out the problems of the day. Our daily run makes things just a little bit easier for us.” You can read the full article on their website.

When Joan Benoit Samuelson took gold at the very first Women’s Olympic Marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games, she proved that women were capable of going the distance. Prior to these Games, the longest distance women were permitted to run in the Olympics was 1,500 meters. Samuelson’s feat is credited for launching the female women’s running boom.

Whenever RW staffers go through back issues, this cover always generates some, um, attention. Duathlon champion Kenny Souza was known for his long mane and flashy (though skimpy) attire. “It’s what you do when you’re in your 20s and trying to score a date,” Souza told RW recently.

Oprah ran a marathon—Marine Corps Marathon in 4:29—and inspired many other first-timers to try the distance. This became RW’s best-selling cover for seven years. (And even more celebrities have graced our covers since.)

Marathoner and triathlete Sarah Reinertsen was one of RW’s Heroes of Running in 2004. A year later, she became the first female above-the-knee amputee to complete the Hawaii Ironman. This cover is on more readers’ walls, bulletin boards, and refrigerators than any other cover. The entire print run is now gone, so if you have a copy, hold onto it.

Thirty one years after his tragic and sudden death, Steve Prefontaine made his only appearance on the RW cover. During his brief 24-year life, “Pre” became an internationally acclaimed track star and running icon and hero. When RW compiled a special “The Best of Running” issue, Pre was crowned “Coolest Runner” for obvious reasons: “He raced hard and without fear. He had attitude and could pull off a perfect mustache.”

When the unthinkable happened at the Boston Marathon, RW dedicated a special issue to cover the bombings. After the April 15, 2013 race, some marathon finishers placed black tape on their medals to demonstrate their sorrow and solidarity, a powerful image editors thought conveyed the running community’s feelings about the tragic events.

The pages of RW underwent a dramatic redesign, and editors chose a cover that would highlight the magazine’s efforts to deliver the same trusted, quality content in a visually striking, fun format that would appeal to the modern runner.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of RW, editors knew they wanted to produce a special and memorable cover. The idea was to shoot one female and one male runner (a 50/50 split to represent the magazine’s current readership), both of whom personify the modern-day, social-media-engaged runner. But editors also wanted to acknowledge the influential decades of the magazine’s past. So Editor-In-Chief David Willey recruited comedian and dedicated runner Kevin Hart and professional runner and filmmaker Alexi Pappas, who dressed in throwback gear and accessories to represent the running booms of the 1970s and 1980s. A special gatefold design features the runners’ ’70s images first, followed by the ’80s, and then finally, their modern-day looks.