Running Times Magazine for a Buck

I just set up a new subscription for Running Times - probably the best race-oriented running magazine on the planet - and was slightly stunned at the cost. A buck an issue.

I'm no economist and the business I run is smaller and serviced based but I can't figure out how they're going to make any money like that unless the ad revenue is just out of sight.

I knew Sidney Harman purchased Newsweek - the whole operation, not just a copy - for a buck and probably over-paid but Running Times is a quality publication. It's apples and lemons.

The top article that caught my eye? History, in the form of a 17 year old girl, breaking a 31 year old record in the 800 meters.  Mary Cain dueled the National Champion to the finish line.

"That last 100 I saw Alysia there and I said 'That's our national champion. I am getting on her and she's going to pull me (under) that two minutes.' I just tried to fight it out," Cain said. "When I crossed the line and heard I broke two (minutes), I was ecstatic."

Imagine Montano's feeling, as the high school junior pulled even and slightly ahead. Montano dug a little deeper and beat Cain by less than a tenth of a second. Afterward, Montano took the red orchid out of her hair and pinned it over Cain's ear.

For runners at the high school level, there is no better magazine - both for technique and training but also motivation and a chance to cheer. Running Times is it.