Dear Runners World

Below is a letter that I wrote to Runners World after the publication of their November issue.

Dear Runners World,

I love your magazine every month I wait in great anticipation for it to arrive in my mailbox and November's issue is probably the one I get the most anxious for. I run the Marine Corps Marathon every year and every year just around the time your magazine comes out for November my taper begins and I get excited to have your magazine to distract me and pump me up for the big day. This year was no exception. I waited patiently for the magazine and when it arrived I snuggled down into my couch and began reading it. Cover to Cover and I have to say, I was kind of let down. You had great coverage on the NYC marathon and why shouldn't you, next to Boston it's the best. It's the biggest, it's New York City for crying out loud. I'm from NY trust me I LOVE my city but what about Marine Corps. Yes I know you put in a small two page article on the UK marines vs. the US marines but what about the whole race, the Marines behind the race, the countless runners that run on behalf of marines that are overseas fighting for our freedom. The Marine Corps is not NYC. It's not the biggest, it doesn't attract the big names, it doesn't have the big prizes. It's not supposed to. It's the People's marathon. It's a marathon that you can still go on line and register for just because you want to run a marathon. You don't need to win a lottery number or have a fancy qualifying time you just have to decide you want to run and get signed up before registration closes. You run 26 miles with Marines who serve you with their lives and they stand there and continue to serve by serving you water at a water station. You get to run side by side with men that are there to preserve your freedom and you get a chance to thank them. You may run behind a woman with a picture of her husband who is overseas right now serving you with his life and you get to come up next to her and thank her for her sacrifice. This marathon is more than just 26.2 miles through an amazing city it can be life changing and moving and yet you write two pages about the competition between the UK marine runners and the US marine runners?

You were able to make an illegal immigration story your headline in September asking us to feel pity for a man who is outright breaking the rules of this country by living here illegally and yet you can't even dedicate a few pages to honoring a race run by the very people who fight for your liberties. I'm sorry but shame on you. I saw on my twitter feed that you guys were in Chicago meeting readers at the expo, I'm sure you'll be in NYC but I haven't seen anything yet about you guys coming to MCM. Why? It's the 8th largest race in the world. It's run by 30,000 average joes and those average joes are the very people who buy your magazine, maybe you've come before and I just haven't noticed in the 5 years I've been running MCM and if that's the case, my apologies but if that's not the case, I would challenge you next year to honor the Americans that serve you. Come to Marine Corps, come to the Army Ten miler and watch your life be changed. Enjoy having the opportunity to say thank you to someone who goes out and risks their life so that you have the freedom to write your magazine articles. I don't think you'll be sorry.

I hope someday that I'll actually gain access to the NYC marathon through the lottery but even when that finally happens (if it ever happens) you better believe I'll still be running MCM the weekend before because once you run it, you'll never want to miss it.

PS - this year is also MCM's 35th anniversary. Would have been a great year to see some coverage.

Wishing all of you runners with marathons still to come the very best.

-Jennifer-