She Is Building RUNHER Magazine

When Nobody Would Tell The Women’s Running Stories

Ashley Decided To Build RUNHER Magazine

Every once in a while you meet someone who says I’m going to take a risk and bet on myself.

That’s exactly what happened who Ashley Mateo, founder of RUNHER Magazine, is. She and I recorded an episode of the Fireside Chat for the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network which led to us chatting about print media, women’s running stories in RUNHER magazine and so much more.

Ashley did’t have a goal of launching a magazine. She started as a freelance journalist pitching stories about women in running. Stories about Olympic champions, groundbreaking performances, and the real experiences of female athletes.

You know… the kinds of stories that make you stop scrolling and say, wait, how did I not know about this person?

But there was a problem.

Editors kept saying NO.

The no didn’t come because the stories weren’t good. NO became the common response because they didn’t think people would care.

That’s the moment Ashley decided to bet on herself.

Betting On Yourself In Running Media

Instead of waiting for someone else to green-light those stories, Ashley built a platform where those voices could exist.

That platform became RUNHER Magazine, a quarterly print publication focused on long-form storytelling in women’s running.

Yes… PRINT.

In a world where everything moves at the speed of a thumb swipe, Ashley leaned into something slower. Something more intentional.

Holding a magazine feels different than reading another headline online. It asks you to pause. To sit with the story.

And when you go to print, there’s no edit button.

Trust me, as someone who lives in the media world, that pressure is real. Run Tri Bike started as a print magazine plus I’ve spent years working at The Dallas Morning News and for TravelHost. Hitting post on an IG piece of content doesn’t come close to the stress of telling the printer that your magazine is ready to go.

But that pressure also raises the standard.

Running Stories That Include Everyone

One of the things I love about RUNHER is how intentional it is about representation.

The magazine highlights stories from women, trans athletes, non-binary runners, and BIPOC communities across the sport of running.

But Ashley made something very clear during our conversation.

These stories aren’t just for women. They are written by women because there are experiences that only women can have. Think of pregnancy and menstruation.

The truth is, the future of running is largely driven by women. Now, there is a place for those stories to be told which will yield a brigher future.

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The Debate About “Real Runners”

Like most conversations in running these days, we eventually drifted into the cultural debates happening in the sport.

Things like the LA Marathon off-ramp option or the idea that someone who runs a 2:57 marathon somehow deserves more space in the sport than a charity runner raising money for a cause.

Here’s my take.

The best stories in endurance sports rarely happen at the front of the pack.

They happen at mile 22 when someone decides not to quit.

They happen at a community run where someone shows up terrified and leaves feeling like they belong.

That’s the part of the sport metrics will never capture.

The Human Side Of Runners

Of course, this is Fireside Chat.

Which means we eventually moved away from journalism and into the truly important topics.

Food.

Rapid-fire food questions, to be exact.

Because every runner has opinions about post-run snacks, and Ashley is no exception.

But those moments remind me of something important.

Everyday athletes aren’t just VO₂ max numbers, Strava segments, or finish times.

They’re writers, artists, parents, entrepreneurs, dreamers, and storytellers.

Running is something they do.

It’s not the only thing they are.

And sometimes the people telling the stories change the sport just as much as the people running the races.

Ashley Mateo is leading the way for women’s stories to be told because she took a risk, bet on herself and launched RUNHER magazine.

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