It’s always nice to see a new running mag, but I fear Men’s Running may hit the wall sooner than you can say “Grease up my nipples”. Not only is it laced with dated, sub-Loaded fnarr-fnarr phraseology like that (it’s aimed at ‘runners with balls’, would you believe), but by taking the monogendered approach it’s also depriving itself of half its potential readers and a fair chunk of its potential subject matter. Avoiding repetition is hard enough for Runner’s World, which can at least throw in the odd feature on running while pregnant, which sports bra to buy and why those beastly men insist on spitting so much. Besides, I’m not convinced that the kind of muscle-worship and preening to which this new title panders is actually that common in running circles, which are largely populated by scrawny characters with a healthy lack of interest in their appearance. Wild Bunch Media, who have launched Men’s Running, already do a title for women runners, so they have a vested interest in this division of the sexes. But nearly all running clubs and road races welcome runners with or without balls, and I’d have thought the whole subject is largely gender neutral. Oggi oggi oggi – why, why, why?
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