Women's Running

keeping it real

MAY 5, 2019, STEPHANIE BRUCE_won the women’s race at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Pittsburgh, securing the second national title of her career and earning a new personal best with a time of 1:10:44. The following day, she tweeted: “Won a national title yesterday. Today my son yelled from the hallway “mom I pooped in my underwear!” So back to real life.” Why am I starting my first editor’s letter with that anecdote? Well, for starters it’s hilarious. But more importantly, it’s a refreshing reminder as we head into the hectic months of summer. During the making of this issue, I moved out of my New York City apartment (where I lived for nine years); went to my little brother’s college graduation in Ohio; took a family vacation to Hilton Head; bought…

women’s running

Editor-in-Chief Jen Ator Digital Editor Erin Strout ART & PHOTO Art Director David Allen CONTRIBUTORS Contributing Writers Lauren Bedosky, Caitlin Carlson, Kiera Carter, Amy Goodson, Heather Irvine, Matthew Kadey, Hillary Kigar, Susan Lacke, Emily Long, Natalie Niemczyk, Gab Porcaro, Nicole Radziszewski, Sarah Wassner Flynn Contributing Artists and Photographers Brad Kaminski, Dierdre Rooney, Julia Vandenoever, Sam Wells MEDIA Director of Production & Circulation Heather Arnold Director of Marketing & Audience Development Dave Trendler Digital Operations Scott Cropper Digital Director, Strategy & Operations Anna Horsch Manager of Operations & Human Resources Ilana Coenen ADVERTISING Sales Director Shannon Standefer, sstandefer@pocketoutdoormedia.com ACCOUNT SERVICES Account Manager Erin Hays A PUBLICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ANDY PEMBERTON EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ERIN BERESINI CONTROLLER GREG ABRAHAMSON STAFF ACCOUNTANT SUSANNE MIDDLETON OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR ILANA COENEN…

womensrunning.com/mag

BIG NEWS! Jordan Hasay Aiming For American Record This Fall WHILE MANY OF HER U.S. PEERS MAY SKIP THE FALL MARATHON SEASON to prepare for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February, Jordan Hasay is going for a record-setting performance in October at the Chicago Marathon. A member of the Portland-based Oregon Project coached by Alberto Salazar, Hasay is the country’s fastest woman at 26.2 miles. In an announcement in May, race off icials said the 27-year-old will go for Deena Kastor’s American record of 2:19:36, set at the 2006 London Marathon. Hasay has come closest to the mark when she finished the 2017 Chicago Marathon in 2:20:57—just her second attempt at the race distance. “I love the fast course and exciting atmosphere, which I believe can lead to an attempt at the…

the latest

TO SCREEN, OR NOT TO SCREEN? That is not the question. A small pilot study, recently published in the medical journal JAMA, was conducted to determine whether the active ingredients of four commercially available sunscreens are absorbed into blood circulation. Participants were assigned to a spray or lotion that contained avobenzone, oxybenzone or octocrylene, or a cream that contained ecamsule. By the end of day one, people using the ecamsule cream had levels in their blood considered statistically significant. Out of the other three chemicals, especially oxybenzone, volunteers showed significant levels that remained in the body for at least 24 hours after sunscreen use ended. So does all this mean you shouldn’t be lathering up this summer? Absolutely not. Additional research is needed to determine whether there are true medical implications of absorption of these…

there’s no stopping now

It was late afternoon in mid-July, and I had been on the move for 30 hours already in the middle of Death Valley National Park. It had hit a record high of 128 degrees. I had been running since 10:00 the previous morning. Each step was overwhelmingly painful. My feet and ankles were a complete wreck—with enormous blisters. My feet swelled so much that I had to borrow my friend’s shoes, which normally would have been two sizes too big for me. I was at mile 96 of a 135-mile race—a race known as “The World’s Toughest Foot Race.” According to my original plan, I should have been approaching the finish line by then. And while I had taken heat training very seriously, all of a sudden, my upper body felt…

lindsay flannagan

AFTER BATTLING INJURIES in 2017, Lindsay Flanagan, 28, has slowly been making her way back to the front of the pack—and she doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. In less than two years, the former University of Washington star broke 2:30 for the first time (2:29:28 at the 2018 Frankfurt Marathon) and earned her first top 10 finish at a World Marathon Major (placing ninth at the Boston Marathon). The latter was especially significant: It earned her the new IAAF Olympic qualifying standard, which gives her a crucial leg up at next year’s Olympic Trials in Atlanta. Did you always want to do the marathon? College is funny because it only goes up to 10K and I always wanted to run a little bit longer. I knew I wanted to do half…