Pitching RUNHER Magazine

We’re working on assigning stories for Issue 002, and we’re interested in hearing original article and photo feature ideas from writers, photographers, illustrators, and other creatives.

What We Do (And Don’t) Cover

First and foremost, RUNHER is a space for narrative, longform storytelling around female, trans, and nonbinary athletes. We primarily focus on road running, but will be including stories around track (and field!), trail running, and ultrarunning as well. (Please note that we are a US-based publication, but do consider international stories depending on the angle.)

RUNHER was created to prioritize deeply reported stories about women’s running that invite readers to immerse themselves in the sport and its community. Think of RUNHER as a gateway to the sport: a place where new fans of women’s running will be as engaged as long-time supporters.

Features around competition, community, and culture are the cornerstones of this publication. We’re looking for:

• Thought-provoking deep dives into issues affecting female athletes
• Profiles of interesting and inspiring women in the running community
• Ambitious articles exploring provocative ideas and big questions women face in the running space
• Explorations of less-covered corners of the running community
• Trend reports on gear and fashion as they relate to women’s running

For Issue 003, we’re especially interested in exploring topics including track and field; adaptive running; the business and financial side of women’s running; the politics of women’s running; how running/track and field is evolving at the youth level; and narratives featuring female runners 70+.

Please keep in mind that we are not looking for prescriptive service stories (i.e. SEO content) or gear reviews and roundups, and will be prioritizing reported features over single-person profiles and first-person essays.

What We Pay

Features range from 1,000 to 3,000 words and we pay between  $0.50 to $1 per word, depending on the scope of the story and the writer’s experience.

Photography

RUNHER will also include features where images drive the narrative, with limited text or other elements for context. We’re looking for photographers to submit art that captures the raw, emotional side of women’s running. Rates to be determined.

How Do I Submit My Pitch?

All story and art pitches should be submitted through our submission form:

RUNHER Pitch Submission Form

The submission period for Issue 002 has closed.

Please submit one pitch at a time, with as many details you can provide, including a suggested headline, clear angle, and proposed sources. Please do not send pitches via email, direct messages on social media, or LinkedIn (they will get lost!).

Please be specific in your pitches. If you're going to pitch:

• examining recent research → cite specific research examples
• referencing documented cases → share examples of the cases you’ll reference
• centering the voices of X women from different backgrounds → include examples

drawing on expert insights → what specific experts will you reach out to?

These don't need to be your final sources, but including specific examples of who and what you might include in the story shows that you're confident in the subject area.

We promise that we read everything and will do whatever we can to get back to as many people as possible, but we are a very small team. If you haven’t heard from us in two weeks, please follow back up (if you don’t hear back after that, you can assume we are passing on that idea).