Matt Benner writes cross country novel
By Jennifer Archibald Staff writer

Benner

Matthew (Matt) Benner is a local teacher, coach, and now, a published author.

His book is titled "Tales of the 5K." It will be officially released on Sept. 24.

With 200 pages and 28 chapters, Benner said the book is mainly for teenagers and adults.

"It should appeal to anyone interested in running," he said.

The book is about "John," a senior at a small high school and captain of his cross country team. It's about all the challenges the team faces - not just the opponents, but the injuries, conflicts between team members, legal technicalities, etc. Ultimately, there is a David versus Goliath showdown. There is also a contest between the cross country team and the football team to determine which sport is tougher.

Benner ran cross country at Lewis Cass High School and at Franklin College, and he's now junior high head coach for both the cross country and track teams at Carroll Jr.-Sr. High School.

He said his book characters and what happens to them were influenced by what he's experienced and seen as a runner and coach. He quickly added that the story is fiction and the characters do not represent real people.

"In fact, some situations in the book are the opposite of what happened in real life," he said.

This is Benner's first book. He said it took him a year and a half to write. He wrote in

his spare time - when he wasn't coaching, or teaching third grade at Carroll Elementary.

He first thought about writing a book after he took a teaching workshop on writing four years ago.

"When I first started writing, it was just to get a book written," Benner said. "I didn't think about getting it published."

Once it was written, he decided to look online for a publisher and chose PublishAmerica. Advance copies can be ordered from www.publishamerica.com/sh opping/index.htm. After the book is released, Benner said it will be available at limited bookstores and from online book sites. He plans to donate a copy to the Flora-Monroe Township Public Library.

He autographed some of his books at the Caston cross country invitational on Saturday and plans to do the same at Carroll invitationals on Sept. 6 and 10.

Writing his first book was only the beginning. He said he has two more books in the works. One is a children's book about healthy lifestyles. The other is another cross country novel, although he said it's from an entirely different angle.

Benner, his wife Amber, son Kaden and daughter Kaitlyn live in Walton.