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John "The Penguin" Bingham running resume

At 43 years old, John Bingham began the transition from 240-pound coach potato to athlete. At age 60, this popular writer and speaker has become the Pied Piper of the second running boom. John is the prototypical Renaissance man. From motorcycle mechanic to graduate advisor, from freelance musician to marathon pace leader, John brings a relentless spirit for living into everything he does. His humorous insights bring hope and inspiration to legions of fans.

Magazines

Between May 1996 and December 2009, John wrote The Penguin Chronicles, a monthly column in the US, UK and Australia/New Zealand editions of Runner's World magazine.

Publications

Major Events Appearances

• Boston Marathon
• Chicago Marathon
• Flora London Marathon, 1997-2004
• Rock and Roll Arizona
• Honolulu Marathon
• San Francisco Marathon
• Columbus Marathon, Columbus, OH
• Road Runner Akron Marathon
• White Rock Marathon, Dallas, TX
• Cowtown Marathon, Ft. Worth, TX
• Myrtle Beach Marathon
• Marine Corps Marathon
• New York City Marathon
• Walt Disney World Marathon
• Suzuki Rock 'N Roll Marathon
• Country Music Marathon
• Rock and Roll 1/2-Marathon
• Indi Mini 500 1/2-Marathon
• Motorola Marathon
• Vermont City Marathon
• Florence, Italy, Marathon
• Wineglass Marathon
• The Last Marathon, Antarctica
• Bloomsday Festival, Spokane, WA
• Athens Marathon
• Summer Tours* 1997 Big Red Tour, 8 weeks
• 1998 Firebird Tour, 12 weeks
• 1999 Family Truckster Tour, 21 weeks
• 2000 Millenium Tour, 20 weeks
• 2001 Penguin Odyssey Tour, 20 weeks
• 2002 No Need for Speed Tour

Points of Interest

• Recipient of 2000 RRCA Jerry Little Memorial Journalism Excellence Award
• Rode a motorcycle 3,500 miles and then ran the Suzuki Rock 'N Roll marathon
• Completed a marathon by running 433 laps around a boat in Antarctica
• One of the founders of the Rock and Roll 1/2-marathon
• Honorary race director of the Country Music Marathon

What no one knows

• John has an earned doctorate in Education from the University of Illinois
• John was the Associate Dean of the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College
• John was a professional musician and worked with Frank Sinatra, Cher, and others