“There’s a lot of work that goes into this, and we take it really seriously.” —Sarah Lorge Butler
Welcome to the first-ever Ali on the Run Show roundtable! I was thrilled and honored to get to have this conversation with four of the women leading the charge reporting on the women’s running industry: Erin Strout (Women’s Running), Sarah Lorge Butler (Runner’s World), Lindsay Crouse (The New York Times), and Alison Wade (Fast Women). On this episode, we talk about what it’s like covering professional women’s running — both the highlights and the challenges. We talk about whether the four of them are competitive when it comes to breaking major stories, like Lindsay’s recent “Dream Maternity” piece in the Times. They open up about their relationships with the best-known professional runners, and sound off on the current state of the industry as they see it. They also share their perspective on how to cover the industry critically and thoughtfully while also wanting to support runners of all abilities and advance the sport.
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What you’ll get on this episode:
- Are these women friends, competitors, or both? (4:45)
- Lindsay talks about the reaction to her “Dream Maternity” stories (6:00)
- Finding the balance between being critical and wanting to elevate and advance the industry (17:00)
- How the Fast Women newsletter comes together every week (19:30)
- On reading the comments (23:50)
- What is the current state of the women’s running industry? (24:40)
- Who do these women love interviewing, and what are their relationships with the pros like? (33:30)
- What is the biggest struggle right now when it comes to covering women’s running? (48:30)
- How to measure success in reporting (56:00)
What we mention on this episode:
Erin Strout on Episode 73 of the Ali on the Run Show
“Nike Told Me to Dream Crazy, Until I Wanted a Baby,” by Lindsay Crouse for The New York Times
“Allyson Felix: My Own Nike Pregnancy Story,” by Lindsay Crouse for The New York Times
“7 Pearls of Wisdom From a 103-Year-Old World Record Holder” via Women’s Running
Lauren Fleshman on Episode 103 of the Ali on the Run Show
Des Linden on Episode 100 of the Ali on the Run Show
Sara Hall on Episode 144 of the Ali on the Run Show
“How the ‘Shalane Flanagan Effect’ Works,” by Lindsay Crouse for The New York Times
“How Emily Infeld Cross-Trained Her Way to the Olympics,” by Erin Strout for Runner’s World
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