Have to go with the numbers. The biggest it girl is going to have the most social media followers. We are looking for the runner most known to the general public. You being a fan of running is going to skew your perception.
I don't think that they need to have the MOST number of social media followers, but they should have quite a few. Leachman, who some people are trying to say is the new "it girl" has literally zero followers. Being just fast isn't enough.
Agree. And it is not just followers. Compare the volume of threads on LetsRun about Leachman vs what there used to be about Touhy when she was in high school. Leachman just isn’t a dominating presence. That of course can change, but right now her mindshare is pretty limited.
Ya'll need to bring some definitions to this thread.
"It girl" a young woman who has achieved celebrity because of her socialite lifestyle.
Or: Noun. a young woman with sex appeal and a magnetic personality. an extremely popular and attractive young socialite or celebrity.
Idk if this is the right definition or not, but if it’s what we’re using then there’s a clear answer: Emily Cole.
Maybe you haven’t heard of her but ask a high school or college runner and you’ll realize she’s a celebrity in that world. Solid but not amazing runner (made NCAAs in the steeple) and huge following because of her looks and personality on social media.
I'm also liking that picture of Anna Hall a few posts up. I've seen better pictures of Hall but still stunning. The poster said she should be on a Wheaties box. Hell, she could be on the cover of a fashion magazine.
I'm showing my age here, but no female distance runner today remotely approaches the star power and 'It' Girl status Mary Decker Slaney achieved after her stirring 1500 and 3000m wins at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki. Mary was damn talented (a teen wunderkind who became world-class from 800m to 5000m), and attractive in a wholesome girl-next-door sense (an image she lost to an extent after her controversial and much-hyped race against Zola Budd at the LA Olympics in '84). Her exploits at Helsinki earned her Sports Illustrated magazine "Sportswoman of the Year" recognition, back when SI was IT as far as serious sports journalism went (in spite of its annual swimsuit edition). By the time the LA Olympics arrived, ABC-TV had relentlessly promoted her and Carl Lewis as two of the biggest faces of the Games, back when there were still only 3 major U.S. television stations, no internet, and cable TV was still finding its way.
What a glorious conceit it is to pick a Sportsman of the Year. Can anyone really study the ranks of different champions and record setters and know who did
Parker Valby all the way. An “it girl” is defined as a young woman who is attractive, popular, and has a great personality. No distance runner fits that description better than Valby.
Not sure I’d say she has a “great” personality - she is a bit odd/wooden in interviews. That said I am a big fan, she is tougher than nails.
I'm also liking that picture of Anna Hall a few posts up. I've seen better pictures of Hall but still stunning. The poster said she should be on a Wheaties box. Hell, she could be on the cover of a fashion magazine.
I'm also liking that picture of Anna Hall a few posts up. I've seen better pictures of Hall but still stunning. The poster said she should be on a Wheaties box. Hell, she could be on the cover of a fashion magazine.