The word "were in running" is spelled as /wər ɪn ˈrʌnɪŋ/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The first sound is the "schwa" sound, which is a neutral vowel sound. The "r" sound is pronounced with a slight trill, followed by the vowel sound "i" as in "bit". The stress is on the second syllable, which is pronounced with the "uh" sound as in "butter" and the "n" sound. The final syllable is pronounced with the "ing" ending, which is pronounced with the "ih" sound as in "sick".