A Local Runner and Nutritionist Is on the Cover of Runner’s World

Micah Risk on the cover of the October 2014 Runner’s World.

Maybe you’ve seen her running the city’s streets. Or, perhaps, you’ve seen her at November Project. Regardless, now, you won’t be able to miss her, because her face will be gracing newsstands across the nation.

Meet Micah Risk: mom, nutritionist, marathoner, and now, cover model.

Risk is on the new cover of Runner’s World, which hits newsstands Tuesday, as part of the magazine’s first redesign in six years. But she says that she was expecting to be in the issue, not on it.

“Originally it wasn’t supposed to be the cover, it was just a one-page feature,” Risk says. “They called me and said, ‘The cover we have right now doesn’t match our redesign. We like a picture our photographer took of you. Can we put it on the cover?’ It’s the ‘nutrition special,'” Risk says. But, the 29-year-old is no stranger to being in magazines. This is actually her second Runner’s World cover. The first she shared with other members of the November Project for the December 2013 issue.

Runner’s World explains on their website why they chose Risk:

Our cover subject, Micah Risk, isn’t an elite athlete or a model-runner. She’s a regular runner in Boston who has a job and a kid and a passion for staying fit and healthy. She also has a 3:18 marathon PR and a distinctive sense of running style—a “Street Style,” one of the new sections we unveil in the issue. The cover photo was shot as a profile in an urban environment, both departures for us. We chose this image for the cover because it felt simultaneously authentic and forward-looking. Like the contents of the issue itself, the cover is different—in a good way.

The most exciting part for Risk is when she got to tell her five-year-old daughter that she’ll be on the magazine’s cover, which was shot on the streets of Somerville. “I tried to keep it a secret as long as I could but then Runner’s World posted it online,” she says. “It’s amazing how people are reacting. I’ve been most excited about telling my daughter.”

Risk, who has a Master’s in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts, is also the cofounder of a new company called Lighter. “We are trying to address some of the lifestyle barriers that people have to healthy eating, things like time, money, knowledge, how to cook, how to buy groceries, etc. We are trying to address some of those big lifestyle barriers and make healthy eating a lifestyle choice,” she says.

Lighter, basically, is a curated grocery delivery service that ships three meals a day, plus three snacks. It’s sort of like a CSA, where you get a weekly box with produce, but this box also contains other groceries and recipes. “It’s flexible, and you are getting everything you need from the box,” Risk says. “We make recipes that are familiar in order to make it easier for people who are new to healthy eating.”

All of the meals cost about $5, which makes it much less costly than say a Blue Apron box or something similar. Plus, everything in the Lighter box is animal product-free, which is great even if you aren’t a vegan or vegetarian because you can add things in on your own.

“We are focusing on removing the barriers to healthy eating,” Risk says. “The average cost for a five-times-a-week package with three meals a day and three snacks is about $80 a week. That’s high quality whole foods including seasonal produce, fruits, herbs, whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa, and lean proteins. We focus on foods that we know have been shown in research to support health and longevity and reduce risk of chronic diseases. Plus, plant-based foods are more affordable. You are getting a ton of nutrients for the dollar. Every single box comes with a meal plan with recipes so that the customers know how to use everything in the box. There’s no food waste and all the recipes take about 30 minutes or less to prepare.”

For more information on Lighter, visit lighterculture.com.