Richard Stephen Benyo (born April 20, 1946 at

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Jim Thorpe is a borough and the county seat of Carbon County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is historically known as the burial site of Native American sports legend Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe is l ...

, 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 ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in Em ...

Magazine, and Anderson World Books, Inc. Benyo is the author of 17 books and has written extensively about running, health and fitness.

Life and work

Benyo earned his B.A. at Bloomsburg State College (now

Bloomsburg University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...

) in 1968. He did academic work at George Mason University in

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

. 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. 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

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. In 1989, Benyo and his running partner, Tom Crawford, became the first to complete the run from Badwater in

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

(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. Benyo has authored 17 books on running, health, and fitness and has served as the running and fitness columnist for the

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

(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. 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 Hal Higdon (born June 17, 1931) 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 ...

. 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 Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Publications

* Benyo, Richard, (1978) ''Return to Running'',

World Publications World Publications (Anderson World Books, Inc., Anderson World Publications, Anderson World, or Bob Anderson Publications) was a book and magazine publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and ...

, * Benyo, Richard and Rhonda Provost (Benyo Press Staff), (1981) ''Runner's World Indoor Exercise Book'', Anderson World, * Benyo, Richard and Rhonda Provost, (1982) ''Runner's World Advanced Indoor Exercise Book'', Anderson World, * Benyo, Richard, (1983) ''The Masters of the Marathon'', Atheneum, * Benyo, Richard and Rhonda Provost, (1987) ''Feeling Fit in Your 40'S/How to Get the Most from the Best Years of Your Life'', Atheneum, * Benyo, Richard, (1989) ''Exercise Fix'', Human Kinetics Publishers, * Benyo, Richard, (1991) ''The Death Valley 300: Near Death and Resurrection on the World's Toughest Endurance Course'', Specific Publications, * Benyo, Richard, (1992) ''Making the Marathon your Event'',

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, * Benyo, Richard, (1998) ''Running Past 50'', Human Kinetics Publishers, * Benyo, Richard, (and Joe Henderson) (2002) ''Running Encyclopedia'', Human Kinetics Publishers,

References

External links

Marathonandbeyond.com
Accessed September 22, 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Benyo, Richard 1946 births Living people People from Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania American exercise and fitness writers American health and wellness writers American magazine editors Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania alumni American male ultramarathon runners