Forums >General Running>Runners' World Paywall
Anyone else come up against the new paywall at RW? I like some of their articles, but not enough to pay for them ($50/year for full access).
#RunEveryDay
That's steep for digital access!
Half Fanatic #9292.
Game Admin for RA Running Game 2023.
I haven't run into it because I'm not interested in RW content but if I was $50 per year would seem fairly inexpensive. How much should you pay if you "like some of their articles"? The writers of those articles are presumably doing it for a living, right? What's a fair number to you?
Runners run
Interval Junkie --Nobby
I don't know -- a year of the actual paper copy is $20 (if you get the usual discounts). Do they have the same articles?
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
I don't know what "fair" even means in this context. RW is a business and free to charge whatever they wish. Any number they charge is fair.
RW is only mildly interesting to me, so I'm not willing to pay anything. If anything, they have done me a favor because I will now waste less time reading their site.
In this context "fair" means that both parties feel they are getting the right value in the exchange. So you're saying that your fair price for RW content is zero dollars (the same as mine). This doesn't bode well for their survival but frankly I'm a little surprised they've kept the lights on this long. With Facebook and Google gobbling up nearly all of the online add revenue and nobody willing to pay for content there isn't much of a business model there.
Signed up just to discuss this.
I was somewhat alarmed by the paywall popping up because the site itself is replete with ads. Most of their articles are also, basically, sneaky workarounds to peddle shoes, watches, sports bras, etc.
Are the articles themselves worth $50 a year? I wanna say no, not really. For a while now, the content has shifted from informative to click-bait. They had an article a couple weeks ago contemplating whether fruits were healthy (spoiler: they are.) There was also a lengthy piece from a woman who was savagely jealous of another woman she saw in a coffee shop wearing a pair of $800 Balenciaga running shoes.
Simply put, it was the kind of fluff you'd put up with from a site already plastered with ads. But to suddenly presume - and without much warning - that anyone would want to pay anywhere from $5 a month to $50 a year is wild.
Are we there, yet?
Haven't been to the RW site per se, but I get emails from them and none of the articles in the emails require any payment or subscription.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Mmmm Bop
On the rare occasion I’ve flicked through a RW mag I’ve always assumed that it’s geared towards novice/beginner runners... which I guess is a bigger market if you look at the average race times these days.
You can buy a copy of Brad Hudson’s ‘Run Faster’ book for as little as $8 and that has more running info in the first chapter than a years worth of RW content.
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
kween
On the rare occasion I’ve flicked through a RW mag I’ve always assumed that it’s geared towards novice/beginner runners... which I guess is a bigger market if you look at the average race times these days. You can buy a copy of Brad Hudson’s ‘Run Faster’ book for as little as $8 and that has more running info in the first chapter than a years worth of RW content.
Those race times may belong to beginners. Or they may belong to old timers who have slowed down considerably.
Yes, I am off topic.
Nolite te bastardes carborundum.
Those race times may belong to beginners. Or they may belong to old timers who have slowed down considerably. Yes, I am off topic.
I have the utmost respect for the old timers who were competitive before all the adverts of gels/sports drinks/non cotton tops/Vaporflys
My point is that running is a LOT more popular now...maybe that’s because of social media, every race I go to is loads of people taking selfies and wearing the latest watch and running gear and not really that bothered about getting knowledgeable/faster at running.
Hmm, I didn't run into a paywall. I went to the homepage, clicked on & was able to read a story about how Emily Sisson fuels herself during marathon training (spoiler alert: it's carbs). Maybe you only get a certain number of free articles before it blocks you?
I think RW has always targeted beginners, as it's a bigger audience. And there's only so much advice to give; they get to keep repeating it for the continuous influx of newcomers. And haven't races always been this way? IDK, I've been doing this for maybe 7 years. OK the social media component has increased. But seems there is always a small group of people racing seriously, and a large group of people walk-jogging, and/or with strollers/kids/dogs, etc. It's all that revenue that keeps so many races in business, so I don't begrudge them, because it creates that many more options for people who just want to race. Even if we end up with another medal to put in a box under the bed.
Dave
Hmm, I didn't run into a paywall. I went to the homepage, clicked on & was able to read a story about how Emily Sisson fuels herself during marathon training (spoiler alert: it's carbs). Maybe you only get a certain number of free articles before it blocks you? I think RW has always targeted beginners, as it's a bigger audience. And there's only so much advice to give; they get to keep repeating it for the continuous influx of newcomers. And haven't races always been this way? IDK, I've been doing this for maybe 7 years. OK the social media component has increased. But seems there is always a small group of people racing seriously, and a large group of people walk-jogging, and/or with strollers/kids/dogs, etc. It's all that revenue that keeps so many races in business, so I don't begrudge them, because it creates that many more options for people who just want to race. Even if we end up with another medal to put in a box under the bed.
i don’t begrudge anyone. 🙂
I had a banner at the bottom of the page about coming close to exceeding my free articles. I read one about how runners don't run in certain neighborhoods in Baltimore (if you ever watched Homicide, The Corner or The Wire, you know) and another about a local Paraylympian. Last year I got a paper subscription that was essentially free, not sure if it was from the Coke rewards or lottery ticket rewards. I didn't bother to renew.
I paid $2 for a used copy of Hudson's book. The shipping was more than the book. Well worth the money.
Runs in the rain
I should think that if you pay for a subscription ($20 a year) you should be entitled access to digital copies as well and for a bit more an archive of all the articles they ever printed. I occasionally purchase the magazine, but I agree that almost any running book will provide much more running guidance. I sometimes find their articles when searching online for information and have not had a problem reading them.
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!