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Richard Stephen Benyo (born April 20, 1946 at Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American journalist and veteran distance runner. He is the editor of Marathon & Beyond Magazine, a magazine devoted to marathon and ultramarathon running. He is also the former executive editor of Runner's World Magazine, and Anderson World Books, Inc. Benyo is the author of 17 books and has written extensively about running, health and fitness.
Benyo earned his B.A. at Bloomsburg State College (now Bloomsburg University) in 1968. He did academic work at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Benyo became interested in road racing after participating in college cross country. Following college, he became a newspaper editor for the Lehighton Times-News from 1968–1972. [1] In 1972, Benyo was awarded the "Best Local Column Award" from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association .
From 1972–1977, Benyo worked in an editorial position for Stock Car Racing magazine before joining Bob Anderson as executive editor at Runner's World magazine. During this time he authored and co-authored books and magazine features.
Benyo is a serious long-distance runner who over the past 20 years has competed in distance races-from 400 meters to ultramarathons. He has completed 37 marathons. [2]
In 1989, Benyo and his running partner, Tom Crawford, became the first to complete the run from Badwater in Death Valley (the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and one of the hottest places on Earth), to the peak of Mount Whitney (at 14,494 feet highest point in the contiguous United States) and back, a total distance of 300 miles. He chronicled the event 1991. [3]
Benyo has authored 17 books on running, health, and fitness and has served as the running and fitness columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle (1985–1990). He has also contributed to numerous general circulation magazines.
In 1998, Richard Benyo was named Journalist of the Year by the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). In 2004, Benyo and his running partner, Tom Crawford, were inducted into the Badwater Hall of Fame. [4] In early 2005, Running USA inducted Benyo into its Hall of Champions.
Benyo's latest book—written with Joe Henderson is The Running Encyclopedia. He also serves on the staff of the Dick Beardsley Marathon Running Camp.
In 2006, a commemorative book was released in honor of the Boston Marathon. The book, edited by Benyo, contains several articles by widely known runner and writer, Hal Higdon. [5]
Richard Benyo's wife, Rhonda Provost, became the first woman and the eighth runner overall to successfully complete the Death Valley-to-Mt. Whitney double-crossing in 1995. She has co-authored publications and articles with him. They currently reside in Sonoma County, California.
An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 50 kilometres (31 mi) to over 100 kilometres (62 mi). 50k and 100k are both World Athletics record distances, but some 100 miles (160 km) races are among the oldest and most prestigious events, especially in North America. Around 100 miles is typically the longest course distance raced in under 24 hours but there are also longer multi-day races of 200 miles (320 km) or more, sometimes raced in stages with breaks for sleep. While some ultras are road races, many take place on trails, leading to a large overlap with the sports of trail running and mountain running.
Dean Karnazes, is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public.
The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as "the world's toughest foot race". It is a 135-mile (217 km) course starting at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California's Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July, when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures can reach 130 °F (54 °C). Consequently, very few people—even among ultramarathoners—are capable of finishing the race.
Jeff Galloway is an American Olympian and the author of Galloway's Book on Running.
Joe Henderson is an American runner, running coach, writer, and former chief editor of Runner's World magazine. He currently writes for Marathon & Beyond magazine, and since 1982, a weekly column entitled "Joe Henderson's Running Commentary". He has authored and coauthored more than two dozen books about the sport of running and fitness, including the best-selling Marathon Training.
Bob Anderson is an American runner, photographer, publisher, film producer and businessman. He started running on February 16, 1962 and has been running since then. He currently is logging on average 50 miles per week of running and walking. In 2012 he ran 50 races to celebrate 50 years of running. He averaged 6:59/mile. A movie called A Long Run covers the event. He was the founder of Runner's World magazine. A desire to find information about running and racing led him to a career in magazine and book publishing for more than twenty years.
Hal Higdon is an American writer and runner known for his training plans. He is the author of 34 books, including the best-selling Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. He has worked as a freelance writer since 1959, and has written a variety of subjects including a children's book that was made into an animated feature. He has contributed to Runner's World magazine longer than any other writer. He ran eight times in the United States Olympic Trials and won four World Masters Championships. He is one of the founders of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA).
John Charles Foster was a long-distance runner born in Liverpool, England. At first a cyclist, who didn't start running until he was 32, he represented New Zealand in the men's marathon at two Summer Olympics at Munich, West Germany (1972) and Montreal, Canada (1976). He made the team for the 1975 International Cross Country Championships, where his country took the title. A resident of Rotorua, he won the silver medal in the marathon at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch with a master's world record time of 2:11:18.6 at the age of 41. Two years earlier, he had set a world record for 20 miles at 1:39:14.
Fergus (‘Ferg’) Hawke is an international ultra-distance runner, residing in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Madina Ulfatovna Biktagirova is a retired long-distance runner. She competed for both Belarus and Russia.
David Goggins is an American ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, public speaker, and author. He is a retired United States Navy SEAL and former United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party member who served in the Iraq War. His memoir, Can't Hurt Me, was released in 2019.
Ákos Kónya is a Hungarian ultramarathon runner from Oceanside, California.
Valmir Nunes is a Brazilian runner. A former world record holder, he currently holds South American and Brazilian Ultramarathon records.
Eleanor Robinson is a British former ultramarathon runner and two-time winner of the IAU 100km World Championships. She was the first woman to run over 150 miles in a 24-hour endurance race. She was the winner of the first Badwater Ultramarathon in 1987. She was twice bronze medallist at the IAU 100 km European Championships.
The Napa Valley Marathon is an annual marathon, half marathon, and 5K in Napa County, California. The USATF-certified marathon course begins in Calistoga at the northwestern tip of Napa County, and then traverses the Silverado Trail, ending in downtown Napa. The race's course is primarily rolling hills or flat as it moves through rural California Wine Country. The Napa Valley Marathon has been run in March since 1979, accepts only about 3,000 runners, and is widely considered one of the most scenic marathons in the United States. The men's and women's winners of the race win their weight in wine.
Mónica Fernández, better known as Toti Fernández is a triathlete and ultramarathon runner, lecturer, author, entrepreneur and mother. She won the 2000 and 2001 Ultraman events.
Michele Graglia is a model, author, fitness coach, and ultra marathon runner. His book Ultra was published by Sperling & Kupfer in May 2017. Originally from Taggia, Liguria, Italy, Graglia became an international model represented by Major Model Management in New York and the now defunct Irene Marie Model Management in Miami, FL, where he was initially discovered. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Gerald Tabios is a Filipino long-distance runner and Ultramarathon runner. Among his most notable races in the United States is the Badwater Ultramarathon. This is an annual race that stretches 135 miles through Death Valley, California in July and ends after a steep climb of Mount Whitney. In the world of Ultramarathons this race, where temperatures often reach 130 °F, is frequently coined "The Toughest Foot Race in the World." Tabios is a 7-time Badwater 135 finisher.
Judy Shapiro-Ikenberry is a former long distance runner. Shapiro-Ikenberry won the 1967 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Las Vegas Marathon, and was the first USA Marathon Championships winner for women in 1974, at the AAU National Women's Marathon. She also won the 1977 US National 50-Mile Track Ultramarathon Championship.
Thomas Joseph Osler is an American mathematician, former national champion distance runner, and author.