Local Runner Skips 8-Page ‘Runner’s World’ Article Because Frankly It Seems Like a Real Downer
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A local woman thumbing through “Runner’s World” magazine yesterday quickly flipped past a lengthy feature article, Dumb Runner has learned, deeming it at a glance “a real downer.”
The article, which covered eight full pages, opened with a somber two-page spread comprising a black-and-white portrait of an expressionless young woman next to a headline reading “END OF THE ROAD.” A subheadline read, “Two years ago, Lauren Ipsum was a new mom and an Olympic hopeful. Then the unthinkable happened.”
The reader, Deborah Dratch, 39, an avid runner and longtime “Runner’s World” subscriber, scanned the opening spread for less than two seconds before deciding to skip it.
“Ugh,” said Dratch.
Dratch told Dumb Runner she immediately knew she wouldn’t read the article.
“Life is depressing enough right now,” Dratch said. “Who needs this?”
Pressed on whether the article might actually have been uplifting if she’d given it a chance, Dratch stood firm.
“Look at it,” she said. “Come on.”
“Plus, I caught some snippets of the story as I paged past it.”
Those bits of text, according to Dratch, included phrases such as “the diagnosis was devastating” and “wound up in a very dark place.”
“No thank you,” Dratch said. “The world is a very dark place. I just want to see some shoe reviews or something.”
Reached for comment, a Runner’s World spokesperson said the magazine was nominating “End of the Road” for a National Magazine Award.
