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Valley Stream’s oldest runner dies

Bill Benson remembered for his warmth and passion

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William “Bill” Benson, a Valley Stream resident for more than 60 years and a distance runner renowned for persevering in the sport in spite of his age, died at home on July 19. He was 97.

“I thought he would go on forever,” said Mike Polansky, president of the Greater Long Island Running Club, of which Benson was a member for decades. “He was a fixture at races. He never seemed to get older.”

Benson had surgery for colon cancer and had been home from the hospital for five days when he died of complications, said his son, Don, of Valley Stream.

“I always knew him to be a wonderful person,” Don said. “He was never mad; he never said a bad word in his life that I heard him say.”

Polansky described Benson as a friendly person who set an example. He was “immersed in the sport” and closely followed national records, always keeping an eye on how Long Island runners fared, Polansky said. Benson “loved everything and everybody — he loved life,” he added.

The club held runs at Arthur J. Hendrickson Park to mark Benson’s 90th and 95th birthdays. “He was so appreciative,” Polansky said. “Most people would get embarrassed about something like that, but he joined in the fun. He was just a delight to be with.”

Friend and fellow runner Kathy Martin, of Northport, called Benson an ambassador for the sport who got her into it. “He was the finest gentleman you could ever meet,” she said. “His eyes just twinkled all the time.”

Ken Stone is the founder and editor of Masterstrack.com, a website devoted to all things track and field. Based in San Diego, he first learned of Benson when he heard that Benson had records in the 85-89 age group.

“I wish I had known him, because he had such a good reputation, from what I’ve heard,” Stone said. “His value to the sport is far beyond what he may have done in his own events.”

Stone called Benson a “good avatar of our sport” who introduced many people to it.

He was born in Brooklyn on June 19, 1919. He was on the freshman track team at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, in 1941. World War II interrupted his academic career when he was drafted. He returned to the college in 1946, and graduated the following year. But his running career was again interrupted, this time by his working career, as an agent for Liberty Mutual Insurance. Benson moved to Valley Stream in 1951, where he and his wife, Annette, raised three sons, Jeffrey, Don and Richard, in a house near the Gibson train station.

He was predeceased by Annette and Jeffrey. He is survived by Richard (Ellen) and Don (Faith); granddaughters Jocelyn (Jordan Licht), Alexandra (Robert McNeill), Jessica and Samantha; and great-grandson Greyson Asher Licht.

Benson kept meticulous records of the miles and races he ran. Since he took up running as a hobby at 60, he had logged more than 20,000 miles. He competed in 987 races, just shy of his goal of 1,000.

“His legacy is an inspiration,” Polansky said. “Nobody can possibly say, I’m too old to do this, I’m too old to do that.”