Richard Stephen Benyo (b. April 20, 1946, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania) 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.
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Richard 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 (lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and one of the hottest place on Earth), to the peak of Mt. Whitney (at 14,494 feet highest point in the contiguous United States) and back, a total distance of 300 miles. He chronicaled 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 Rich 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.