FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Lifetime Achievement Award Honors
Joe Henderson
December 9, 2022 - Joe Henderson will be honored with the annual
MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022
Road Race Management Race Directors' Meeting in Hollywood, FL. The award is
made for contributions to the sport of road running over the course of a
lifetime. Scores of nominations were received that read like a Who's Who of
running. The 10-member committee had the difficult task of reviewing the
nominees.
Phil Stewart, Editor and Publisher of Road Race Management said: "Joe truly
has been the troubadour of the sport for multiple generations, extending
all the way back to the pre-running-boom days when his writing first showed
up in Runner's World Magazine on a regular basis. Since then, he has made
running fun and accessible to the masses through books, newsletters, and
speaking engagements across the country for nearly 50 years. Joe's down to
earth enthusiasm drew countless newcomers into the sport, while his gentle
writing style guided and inspired legions of runners who were already out
on the road, trails and track."
Joe Henderson was a high school state champion in track and cross country
in Iowa, where he began running at age 14. After high school, he ran for
Drake University. His writing career began at the Des Moines Register, and
he went on to write for Track and Field News and then became editor of
Runner's World. It was Joe who talked Dr. George Sheehan (New Jersey
cardiologist) into writing a column for the magazine, becoming RW's most
popularly read writer. Later Joe published a book about his friend Dr.
Sheehan, Did I Win?
Joe left RW in 1977 and devoted more time to his individual writing. He
moved to Eugene, and eventually worked as an editor and writer for the Nike
magazine Running until its demise, at which time he wrote for RW again. He
was the executive director and newsletter editor for the International
Runners Committee, a group of international movers and shakers in the
running community, with the purpose of seeking inclusion of women's
distance events – 5,000m , 10,000m and marathon – into the Olympic games.
The committee was successful in its mission in large measure due to Joe's
persistence and leadership.
Joe published a newsletter, Running Commentary, and has written more than
twenty books. He coached running classes and taught writing classes at the
University of Oregon and trained marathon teams in Eugene. He is a two-time
recipient of the RRCA Jerry Little Memorial Journalism Award (1978 and
1996), among numerous other awards. He co-authored The Running Encyclopedia
with Richard Benyo. He has made appearances as a keynote speaker at running
expos and events across the nation and is recognized as one of the world's
foremost authorities on running.
Joe suffered a stroke 3 years ago and, as with his athletic and writing
skills, he has persevered and has now almost fully recovered.
The award will be presented on December 9 at the Road Race Management Race
Directors' Meeting keynote dinner. Although Joe will be unable to attend,
he has prepared a video acceptance.
Road Race Management (www.rrm.com) is a member-based organization that
publishes a digital newsletter and many other publications designed for
race and industry professionals and conducts a prestigious annual national
race directors' meeting and trade show in Florida. MarathonFoto
(www.marathonfoto.com) combines the industry's best logistics and customer
service, all supported by cutting-edge technology, to create images and
videos to celebrate and inspire athletes.
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