When Time Warner's Sports Illustrated for Women went out of business in December 2002, almost half a million subscribers were left in the lurch.

Its demise followed that of another magazine that catered to female athletes, Conde Nast's Women's Sports and Fitness, in September 2000.

But stepping up to the plate to fill the gap less than two years after Sports Illustrated for Women struck out is Her Sports.

Based in St. Petersburg, Fla., with its editorial office and its creative department in San Diego, the bimonthly Her Sports will publish its eighth issue next month.

"We wanted to reach out to all those women who want to lead healthy lifestyles, whether they're dedicated athletes or want to sign up for their first 5K," said 1990 San Diego State graduate Christina Gandolfo, the magazine's editor in chief.

Gandolfo, former editor at the Encinitas-based monthly Triathlete magazine, knew there was a market just waiting for Her Sports. She notes that the core of the magazine's readership is thirtysomething career women interested in endurance, adventure and action sports, as well as older athletes who came to sports later in life.

Many of the magazine's readers, Gandolfo says, have felt ignored by most of the health and fitness magazines currently available.

"When (SI for Women and Women's Sports and Fitness) were gone, there was a collective sigh, like 'Oh no, we finally got something like this and it's being taken away,'" said Gandolfo, 37, a longtime multisport athlete who has run the Union-Tribune Race for Literacy several times as well as the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and many other races. She's also a swimmer and cyclist who squeezes in Pilates and yoga when possible.

"(Her Sports founder and publisher) Dawna (Stone) conceptualized the idea and myself and (creative director) Kristin Mayer felt that void. We weren't happy that something that was so well-received by readers was taken off the market. We launched a team effort, we brainstormed and started focus groups about what women want, what they need."

High on the list of what they felt women want and need is balance. And the magazine has stuck by that, advocating a harmonious lifestyle, stressing the importance of physical fitness and emotional well-being.

Gandolfo notes that "sports can serve as a metaphor for challenges we meet head-on in everyday life. If you can win the physical and mental battle of finishing a 10K, anything in life is attainable."

Unlike other fitness-related magazines, Her Sports employs real athletes for its covers, not professional models.

"That came about from us looking at the newsstands and being frustrated as athletes," said Gandolfo, who grew up playing softball and tennis, before taking up adventure sports in her college years.

"A lot of the women on the covers of fitness magazines are skinny but they aren't fit," she said. "I can't relate to that! So with us, even if we have a woman on the cover who has a trim, defined body, that's still real. You don't feel turned off by it. We want to inspire women to do it right. The women you see in the pages of Her Sports are real women. It's the 'If she can do it, so can I' way of thinking. Even if a particular woman is on a different level fitness-wise, you can draw encouragement and motivation."

Her Sports also shies away from stories on team sports, which SI for Women tended to cover, and instead showcases individual athletic endeavors. It shuns articles advocating dieting for beauty's sake and focuses on healthy ways of eating for life.

Each issue of the magazine includes columns by Stone and Gandolfo, features on women from the U.S. and Canada who are biking, running, surfing, hiking (and more), as well as articles on nutrition by registered dietitians. Workout wear and gear, and first-person stories meant to enlighten and inspire are included.

A recent issue offered hints on keeping fit while pregnant; others rated road bikes, sports watches, sunscreen and snacks from a typical vending machine. The most recent issue delved into the survival story of 32-year-old Dotsie Cowden, who overcame an eating disorder and has become a successful pro cyclist.

While it's pulling in big-time advertisers such as Ford and Reebok, is online at hersports.com and is available at Borders, Barnes and Noble, REI, some Whole Foods stores, and Sports Authority as well as by subscription, Gandolfo says Her Sports is a grass-roots magazine. It intends to stay that way.

"Our goal is to compete with magazines out there that are 20 times our size," said Gandolfo, who notes that Her Sports employs seven full-time staff members.

Gandolfo grew up in Orange County, went to high school in the Palm Springs area and came to San Diego in 1985, majoring in journalism at SDSU, then worked for the Coronado Journal.

After the Journal stint and working for a trade magazine called Fitness Management, she worked her way up to one of the top spots at Triathlete. But after five years there, she decided to leave and dedicate herself to the editing of a book called "The Woman Triathlete," published in December. The book features an all-star cast of female triathletes and coaches offering advice on the sport.

Her Sports is written in much the same vein.

"Women all over are wanting to find ways to be more active," said Gandolfo.