Something Newsworthy...

"In our January issue, we have a short Q&A with the fastest woman to complete the Grand Slam in 2009. That's the type of coverage we would probably do in the future. So if you would win the entire Slam or set a course record or accomplish something that was newsworthy, we would consider covering that. Hope that makes sense."~RW Rep

I had received an e-mail from RunnersWorld magazine as they were looking for some photo's of a local half marathon they had saw on my blog that I have run. I didn't have any pictures from them, but while I had their attention I thought I'd pitch an idea to them. I made sure they knew that I was just an "average" ultra-marathon runner. Not the fastest, not the best... but have a hell of time telling folks about the journey. The journey right? That little notion that this blog has become quite a bit about. So I pitched the idea a little further telling them that in 2010 I planned to run the Grand Slam of Ultra-Running and I would LOVE the opportunity to share my summers journey with their readers as a way to inspire others to reach beyond what they think is possible. To dare to challenge the impossible and to find their Human Potential.

Above is the response that I got.. words like SHORT Q&A with the fastest woman... Really? That would be Carolyn Luckett from Utah with a time of 121:29:26; some 42 hours slower then Ann Trason's record of 79:23:21 set in 1998. Congrats to Carolyn for being the fastest woman in 2009... yet only being able to be recognized by running's PREMIERE magazine with a short Q&A being stuffed into the January issue some 4 months after you've even completed the series.

"That's the type of coverage we would probably do in the future..." Really? Wow.. the only type of coverage you are willing to give the fastest growing sport in America is a Q&A from the fastest woman of the 2009 Grand Slam.. and yet you continue.."So if you would win the entire Slam or set a course record or accomplish something that was newsworthy..." Now I must stop. Define Newsworthy... is being the first person to run across New Hampshire at it's widest part... newsworthy? Is running 4 one hundred mile races in 4 months NOT newsworthy? Because I see all kinds of "newsworthy" articles in your magazine which of late includes I'm a Runner: Sarah Palin Really? I've had enough Sarah Palin to last me into my next lifetime and how is her being a runner Newsworthy? And to even insinuate that someone need break a record or WIN something to consider it newsworthy... I was left speechless.. or was I?

So I wrote:
"Hi RW,

This is very disappointing. Trail running, especially ultra-running, is one of the fastest growing sports in our nation. When you think about the ideals of running such long distances.. you have the opportunity to reach out to your readership with the ability to inspire millions to try something beyond what they initially believed to be possible. This is, in essence, whats inspires us all to run in the first place... the belief that indeed "We can."

I've been a reader of Runners World for quite some time.. I would hope that it's time for Runners World to communicate to the arm chair runner that "Human potential" is endless and within us all. Running... is not about who did what the fastest, who did what the most times... who did what for whatever charity. Running is about the journey.. within and without. I hope in the future your publication can begin to recognize this. A problem in our running communities is that we spend FAR too much time focusing on who is "The Best" and not enough time focusing on those middle and back of the pack runners. THEY are the ones who make these races even possible... it's time we celebrate them and their journeys. So while you folks focus on who ran the Grand Slam faster... I respectfully feel you are missing the larger picture. This, is in essence, why there is a rift between ultra runners and road runners. Two different cultures and two totally different focuses.

I look forward to bringing my inspirational journey to another publication.

Thanks for your time
John Lacroix"

I wrote to TrailRunner with the same pitch... I got no response.

Maybe I'm the one that is wrong here, who knows.. maybe you do? But in the end, I feel very strongly about what I said to my "friends" at RW. It's time to get away from all this DK, Jurek, Meltzer, Trason, Kimball and whoever else is sponsored by The North Face mumbo jumbo (no offense to you folks respectfully). What about those middle and back of the pack runners. The ones who while the race winner is showered, stuffed with a hot meal and slumbering away in bed.. then maybe getting up in the am, reading the paper over coffee and limping their way back to the finish to get their award...they are still out there running. Still enduring a magnificent journey and THEY ALL have a story to tell. So no.. maybe my story in 2010 won;t be anything special, nothing to write home about... but I think these magazines are missing the BIG story. That journey... A to B and everything in between. I should not that I am not upset or bitter that they declined my idea.. I could care less. I wasn't writing for them before and won;t be in the future either (obviously)... but I was kind of insulted with their response.. Newsworthy.. I think in 2010, I'm going to rip a Runners World magazine in half at every single finish line I cross.. just to show them what I think of "Newsworthy."

If you don't blog.. now is your time. Tell the world your story. What got you here. Why did you dream it? Why did you try it? How did you do it? THAT is what life is all about... I don't care how fast you were. No one else does either.. I'm more interested in how it changed you and why on god's earth you'd choose to do it again and again.

"HP" is alive in us all.. Tap it!
SJ