Runner’s World Website Review

Runner's World magazine's website

"Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed."—Charles Schulz, Peanuts

Let's admit it: The Runner's World website isn't for everyone. If you have no interest in running or exercising, it's not for you. However, as a recreational runner, I jumped on the chance to review it. I am one of those crazy people who actually enjoy running, and when training for various distances from a 5K to a marathon, I have always found the information on the site useful, informative and inspiring. And I'm not the only one. According to Quantcast, roughly 1 million users visit the site on a monthly basis, so it definitely has appeal to this growing "niche" audience.

Runner's World was one of the first publications to successfully transfer print magazine content to an online platform rather than just repurposing articles. The site offers a wide variety of content mixed with tools that runners need in order to develop a successful training plan, an approach that's necessary since the topic is inherently an active one.

I have to confess that I had an alterative motive with my review ... I wanted to see if it would inspire me to run more! It is early summer, and with the days getting longer and more races open to run, I wanted to see if the site would help me get out there and hit the trails. Let's dive into the content to see if it worked!

Since Runner's World does have so much content, it's tough to truly do it justice in a short blog post, so I've broken it down into 10 key areas of the site, using the homepage as the guide.

1. Navigation - At first glance, the site is a bit crowded. I wasn't sure where to start—training, gear, stories, races. All the essential tools a runner needs to pick a race, develop a plan and train are there, but a lot of information is packed into a small space. It is helpful if you come to the site with a specific goal in mind (the carrot, if you will, in running terms); otherwise you can easily get lost wading through the content and various sections.

2. The lead story "Bart vs. Comrades" is a video story about the Chief Running Officer at Runner's World and his struggle to train for an ultra-marathon in South Africa despite having Lyme disease. The piece was about five minutes long and is part of a larger series. The video was good quality and engaging. I really wanted to come back to see if he finished the race!

3. Runner's World Daily - This is a daily posting of random information by the Runner's World staff. This section makes the content feel fresh and topical. The interesting thing about this section is that it doesn't always just talk about how great running is. A recent post called "Hitting the ‘Reset' Button" covered why it is OK to go on a break from running when it just doesn't feel right.

4. Racing News - Inspiration from the pros is important, but I question the prominence of this on the page since it is more of a passive topic versus the active items found throughout the site.

5. Video - The video section is largely made up of training videos. I watched a few, and they were very similar in content. Several of them were for treadmill workouts. I actually did try one of the "hills" workouts, which required me to increase the elevation at certain times within the workout. It was challenging and a welcome change to the typical treadmill workout. It did, however, break the elevation option on my treadmill!

6. Running Blogs - The site includes a host of blogs written by editors and "running celebrities." There is a good amount of interaction going on within the community.

7. Smart Coach - This is a pretty cool feature and is an excellent illustration of how a sponsorship section can be beneficial to both a user and an advertiser. Users are prompted to enter the time that they would like to run a specific race in and are taken to a corresponding race program.

8. Race Finder - This is one area of the site where I was disappointed. I live in Greensboro, N.C., which is a "smaller" city, but when I used this tool only a handful of races in my area appeared. When I used it for a larger metro area, there were many more options, so this tool is good if you live in a larger area.

9. The Loop - OK, let's face it: People who run long distances also like to talk about it, especially with other runners. This area was created to allow runners to chat and converse with one another. It is active and people appear to enjoy using it to post their stories.

10. Social Media - Runner's World currently has more than 75,000 Facebook fans and 34,000 Twitter fans. The site actively solicits user participation.

Other Interesting Tools
Route Finder - Very cool tool to find routes in specific areas. Evidently I'm not the only one who finds this tool helpful. See this review.

Personal Trainer - Another interesting tool that customizes a training program for the user. It does, however, come with a price tag.

Summary

All in all, the site is good; the tools throughout the site make the experience an interactive one rather than just a passive one. Runner's World has incorporated technology into the user experience that can help runners find valuable information they need to get on a plan and stick with it. Could things be reworked to improve the user experience? Yes, but the groundwork is there.

Did it inspire me to run more? Well, after the treadmill experience, I'm sticking to the trails for a while, but I did pick up the pace a bit and ran my fastest 5K race in years. So ... yes! In my case, it did inspire me to run more. As I read through the content, I wanted to put down the computer and get active!

Strength of Content: 8
Social Media Sophistication: 8
Ease of Use and Navigation: 6
Design and Layout: 6
Use of New Technology: 7
Overall: 35

Posted By: Emily Wright