You can't pin down a runner to any category. Nike said it best in their company motto—if you have a body, you are an athlete and that means everyone who runs is a runner. Despite our narrow perception of what a runner looks like, anyone who laces up their sneakers, no matter how far or how fast they go, is a runner. They are all ages, races, genders and sizes and they are all across the world. This week, many of them were rejoicing and singing the praises of Women’s Running, who, for their August cover model, chose to represent a plus-sized woman.
Runners don't have to look a certain way and editor-in-chief Jessica Sebor knows this. "Runners come in all shapes and sizes," she said. "You can go to any race finish line, from a 5K to a marathon and see that. It was important for us to celebrate that." The magazine was running a story about why your weight doesn't define you as a runner and chose Erica Schenk as their model. A model who looked so good in her shoot, they decided to put her on the cover.
Erica Schenk is 18 years old and a New York-based model. She is also size 18 and has been running for a decade. She doesn't "look like a runner" the way most people define things, but she and other full-figured men and women are out there running every single day. Just because someone is thin doesn’t mean they are fit or healthy and just because someone is heavier doesn't mean they aren't a real runner. Erica represents a large group of athletes who don't often get space in fitness magazines, and they were thrilled to see her on the cover.
These women are a small sampling of the people who felt accepted as runners when they saw someone like themselves on the cover of a major fitness magazine. The break from the narrow perception of fitness showed the world that you don’t have to look like a model to be considered an athlete. But Erica is just the latest to prove that weight doesn't determine fitness. Women's Running editor Jen shared her own story about looking fit but battling an eating disorder. Mirna Valerio is another example of a curvy woman who is a serious athlete.
Featured in Runner’s World, Mirna can run. She has completed over six full marathons and two trail ultra-marathons among many other shorter-distance races. She is currently training for a 50km (or 31-mile) race. She runs almost every day, sometimes twice a day, but still carries 250 pounds on her 5-foot-7 frame. She operates a blog called Fat Girl Running, detailing her life as a big woman running in rural Georgia.
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