I am going to share a secret with you.
One of my true supporters over the past 35 years, no matter what project I’ve been working on, has been Jeff Benjamin.
Jeff Benjamin is RunBlogRun’s senior writer for the East Coast. Jeff Benjamin is the Mayor of Staten Island Running. Jeff Benjamin is a high school history teacher. Jeff Benjamin is the son of Jack Benjamin. Jeff Benjamin is the husband of Roseanne Benjamin, who loves her husband and supports his positive addiction to running and the Staten Island Running Association and their two daughters, Amanda and Brianna. I remember Amanda and Brianna with their dad at various running and running events. It truly is a labor of love.
Jeff Benjamin is my friend and has been for all these crazy years.
I was so proud of him last Wednesday night when he brought Billy Mills (1964 Olympic gold medalist, 10,000m, last American to do it), Bob Beamon, 1968. Shorter, Olympic gold medalist marathon (1972), Olympic silver medalist (1976)), Bill Rogers, 4-time winner of NYC (1976-1979) and Boston (1975, 1978, 1979, 1980) and bronze medalist, former World Cross athlete, Jones Cross-Marathon. (1984-2:08:05, winner of London, New York and Chicago, plus 2:07:12 in 1985, missing the WR by one second), Tony Steynings (1976 and 1980 Olympic rider, Team GB), Bill Jackunis, 1976 Olympic title holder, Olympic world supreme title holder, Olympic champion in the Olympic supreme title. 1987 and 1991, 3000 meters, Jeff Smith, Team Great Britain, 1984 and 1985 Boston Marathon winner, New York Marathon runner-up, 1983, Agee Wilson, 2022 and silver medalist at World Indoors, 2016 and 2018. 2024 Olympian Ali Wilson, former WR holder, 400m, Olympic silver medalist (1988) and Olympic gold medalist, 4x400m (1988), Butch Reynolds and 1956 Olympic coach Reynolds, Olympic coach Eli Scribeer and the 1956 Tracy Sundlun.
At this dinner, the Staten Island Runners Association celebrates Staten Island’s top runners of all ages and inspires them to keep running, jumping and throwing.
This writer has been to dinners and awards clubs that don’t have such an esteemed roster of sports legends. Jeff Benjamin, his wife Rose Ann, friend Tony Gulata and SIRA work tirelessly to put this event together and bring together this outstanding group of Olympians. The aim is to celebrate the sport and inspire the next generation.
Here’s how long the sports brand’s CEO and former 2:17 marathoner (Boston) Marc Bossardet:
“Jeff Benjamin gives this next generation a sense of sports history, especially from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the golden era of our sport. Jeff Benjamin is inspiring the next generation of athletes and coaches in our sport.”
There are simply amazing people in our sport who do amazing things day in and day out to inspire the current and future generations of the sport and tell the stories of the greats who came before us and on whose shoulders we stand.
Jeff Benjamin is such a person.
What a great event!
As I nodded off in my Lyft back to Manhattan Island, I considered the inspiring evening a fun and odyssey journey to get to Stanta Restaurant.
For me it started at 3.30am in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. I drove 45 minutes to Dane Country Regional Airport for a 6am direct flight to Newark. I took a Lyft into Manhattan checking into my FurnishedQuarters apartment. Around 4 p.m., I hopped in a cab to meet Tracy Sandlin, another heckadul of our sport. For those of you who don’t know the term Whackadoodle, I define it as an absolute eccentric with a heart of gold who loves activities for no apparent reason. Both Jeff Benjamin and Tracy Sundlun are, in the vernacular, “bikers,” and I’m honored to support their eccentricities.
Then Tracy took me on the subway to the Staten Island Ferry. Since the subway machine wouldn’t accept cash or credit cards, Tracy gets out, and I’m not making this up, a subway ticket with some money left on it, which thankfully allowed us both on the subway.
From said subway, we headed to the Staten Island Ferry, a great New York institution where you can ride for free (I love this ferry), and then Tracy negotiated with a taxi driver who smiled and took us to his car. From there we headed to Stanta, a curious Staten Island institution that has iconic status on the island.
Legends and Youth Gala exceeded expectations.
Bob Beamon, Billy Mills and Dave Wattle were among the inspirations. Billy Mills, 86, spoke for 30 minutes and everyone was enthralled.
Well done Jeff Benjamin and his band of merry pranksters who inspire and celebrate all that is good about our sport.
I hope to return.
