Hearst Launches Magazine Aimed at Sarcastic Runners
/
A new running magazine will hit newsstands next month, Dumb Runner has learned, and it takes aim at a very specific audience—runners who are “total wise-asses.”
“Sarcastic Runner,” published by Hearst Magazines, will debut with a combined January/February issue and will publish 10 times per year, according to Hearst.
“We already address the larger running audience, with ‘Runner’s World,’” said Moses Harry Horwitz, a Hearst spokesperson. “With the launch of ‘Sarcastic Runner,’ we will speak directly to a segment of that audience that has, until now, been underserved.”
“That segment is dedicated runners who are also chronically sarcastic,” Horwitz said. “It’s a market that no other running outlet has really spoken to.”
Sarcasm, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain.”
The inaugural issue carries stories on marathon training, easy-to-make vegan snacks, and other standard running magazine fare, including shoe and gear reviews. All of it, however, is presented with an air of sardonic detachment and witty cynicism.
A coverline reading “ESSAY: Running Saved My Life,” for instance, is followed by an eye-roll emoji.
The magazine, which will also be available online at SarcasticRunner.com, will retail for $5.99, Horwitz said.
Asked whether Hearst was aware of DumbRunner.com, Horwitz paused, Googled it on his phone, and was silent for several moments.
“Shit,” he said.
