Featured Publication: Women’s Running Magazine

An exciting new opportunity has opened up for freelancers interested in writing about running, fitness, and travel. Formerly titled Her Sports + Fitness, Women’s Running magazine published its first bi-monthly edition this month (January 2009) and greatly encourages freelance submissions.

Browse through the online issue and contributor guidelines and you’ll see that the magazine is looking for freelance writers to submit well-researched, lively articles for women on the move.

You don’t have to be a woman to write for this magazine (I’m about to pitch an article there, myself), but do keep in mind that stories should focus on women who are passionate about running. Show the editor that you can use compelling language, avoiding clichés and filler. The editors also mention that they’re not looking for stories in the first person. Look through the first issue to get an idea of what types of articles fit their requirements.

Though it’s a sport magazine, Women’s Running has a destination section called Get Out There, where you can send travel-related pitches. Articles for this section should be up to 1,500 words, highlighting a destination or trip that provides a variety of leisure activities for women and/or their families, such as snowshoeing, windsurfing or yoga.

Although the contributor’s guidelines mention that the Get Out There section is penned by experienced travel writers, I certainly wouldn’t let the word “experienced” deter you if you have a great running/outdoor/travel story to pitch.

Glancing through the first edition of Women’s Running, you’ll also notice several smaller, travel writer-friendly sections that look like a great way to break into this magazine. One, called Get Tropical, talks about participating in races in warm, sunny destinations such as Orlando, Florida, Bermuda, South Carolina, and Huntington Beach, California, to get away from the snowy winter in northern American cities.

Other departments listed in the contributor’s guidelines include:

** Fitness (1,200-1,500 words)
** Health (1,000 words)
** Sports nutrition (1,200 words)
** Healthy recipes
** Beauty tips (1,000 words)
** Advice on alternative methods of aerobic exercise (1,000 words)
** Profiles of inspirational runners

The magazine also pays handsomely for photos.

Query before sending in your article. Pitch your idea by email to Editor-in-Chief Kristin Harrison, here.

TIP: Research the staff at Women’s Running on their website. A scan through Kristin’s bio in the magazine’s “The Team” section can give you some clues that might help you get published. For example, you can see that she’s run a marathon, does triathlons, yoga, cross-training, loves travel and adventure, and freelances for The Washington Post’s travel section. If I had good story ideas about any of her interests, I wouldn’t hesitate to pitch them to her.

[Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]