The History of Running Magazine | Everfurther Events

The History of Running Magazine

When Running Journalism Was Bold, Literary, and a Little Unhinged.

Most runners today have never heard of Running Magazine.

That’s surprising — because for a brief period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it represented one of the boldest experiments in endurance sports journalism.

While most publications focused on mileage charts, race results, and gear reviews, Running Magazine asked deeper questions:

Why do people run?
What kind of personality embraces endurance?
Is there a thin line between discipline and obsession?

“For a short window, running journalism treated runners not just as athletes — but as a culture.”

The First Running Boom

The late 1970s saw recreational running explode in the United States:

Marathons grew dramatically.
Community road races multiplied.
Fitness culture went mainstream.
Shoe companies like Nike were expanding rapidly

Most magazines responded with practical content: training plans, physiology, race recaps.

Running Magazine chose a different lane. It leaned into storytelling, psychology, humor, and counterculture voices. Running wasn’t just exercise — it was identity.

Nike’s Early Involvement (Yes, Really)

One of the most fascinating chapters: Nike helped financially support the magazine for part of its early life. At the time, Nike was still building its brand and deeply embedded in running culture. Supporting a running publication made sense.

But this wasn’t a typical corporate publication. Under editor Paul Perry, the magazine sometimes:
Questioned running culture
Published unconventional writers
Explored the psychology of endurance
Prioritized storytelling over product promotion

The Irony. A major athletic brand helped fund a magazine willing to challenge the sport’s assumptions. That level of editorial risk is rare today.

Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Running Journalism

In 1980, the magazine made a decision almost unimaginable today:They sent Hunter S. Thompson to cover the Honolulu Marathon. The result, published in April 1981 as: “The Charge of the Weird Brigade”I

It wasn’t a race report. It was Gonzo Journalism

applied to endurance sport:

Cultural observation
Humor and satire
Anthropological curiosity about runners
Classic Ralph Steadman illustrations
That article later expanded into the book

The Curse of Lono (1983).

“Less race recap. More anthropology of a strange tribe that voluntarily runs long distances.”

Ken Kesey, Beijing, and Running Across Borders

Another surprising contributor was Ken Kesey, the counterculture novelist

behind One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

When China began cautiously opening to Western visitors in the early

1980s, international marathons — including Beijing — became cultural

crossroads.

Kesey wrote about this moment not simply as sport, but as human

connection through endurance. Stories circulated among runners at the

time suggesting Western athletes formed unusually close relationships

with Chinese runners, some of whom had limited opportunities to travel

internationally.

There were even persistent rumors that efforts were made to help a

Chinese runner leave the country — part documented interaction,

part running folklore shaped by Cold War tension.

Regardless of the literal details, the broader truth remains: Running sometimes crosses boundaries politics cannot.

Cultural Impact: International running events in the early 1980s often acted as informal diplomacy, creating connections where official channels struggled.

Why Running Magazine Didn’t Last

Despite strong writing and ambitious vision, the magazine faced challenges:

Many readers wanted practical training advice
Advertisers preferred predictable content
Literary journalism is expensiveThe sport was rapidly commercializing
As Nike grew into a global marketing powerhouse, experimental storytelling became harder to justify financially.

Eventually, more conventional running publications dominated.

What It Left Behind

For a brief period, endurance journalism was:

LiteraryCuriousSlightly rebellious
Deeply humanIt treated runners not just as consumers, but as explorers.
And that idea still resonates.

“Endurance sports have always been about more than performance — they’re about identity, community, and a touch of madness.”

Launching an Endurance Culture Series

This story is part of a broader conversation worth continuing: Future topics we’ll explore:

The psychology of endurance athletes
Counterculture roots of ultrarunning
Community vs competition in modern racing
The evolution of trail running culture
How endurance sports shape identity

Because endurance isn’t just physical. It’s cultural. And that culture deserves exploration.