All photos: courtesy of Richard Munch. View full-sized image.
World-class roller coaster marathoner Richard Rodriguez has died. He was 67.
With no online obituary, general information has been lacking, as the print media did not cover this news. Only his Staten Island (New York) high school's Facebook page mentioned his passing in several postings in July 2025. He was a popular attendee at school reunions, updating his former schoolmates with stories about his latest endeavors. Scott Shelkin, Richard's friend and attorney, now living in Chicago, was helpful in providing some details. He revealed that he died on June 16, 2025, in his Manhattan (New York) apartment of an apparent heart attack. The funeral was held August 8 in Calverton National Cemetery, near Riverhead, New York. Shelkin also indicated that he has a surviving sister living near Chicago.
Born on December 12, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York, the Rodriguez family eventually moved to Staten Island. In 1975, Richard took great interest in Michael Boodley's 1001 rides on the Coney Island Cyclone. Two years later the 101-hour marathon record at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, ultimately peaked his interest enough to contact Coney Island officials about doing a follow-up to Boodley's record. Two months later, in August 1977, the 19 year old set a new record, riding 103 hours and 55 minutes on the then 50-year-old Cyclone. The new endurance record stood for less than a year, when he broke the record again, at 110 hours, on Swamp Fox roller coaster in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Over a 35-year span, Richard remained busy accumulating additional records, including marathon events in the United States, Canada, Germany and Great Britain. Several times he successfully competed against other marathoners, who rode simultaneously with Richard but in different locations across the globe. He appeared to take coaster riding in stride, typically only complaining about extreme weather conditions. Few knew that he suffered from diabetes and used many of his events to raise funds for both juvenile diabetes and muscular dystrophy. At the end of his coaster career, he claimed 17 endurance records, although not all were recognized by the Guinness World Records organization. He regrettably found no new riding opportunities after 2012, mainly owing to his expectation (he called it “his mission”) to ride more than 2,000 hours over a full summer season. I imagined he could accomplish that if he could find a park willing to participate, but ultimately no park would commit to such a publicity stunt.
His fascination with Guinness records allowed him to venture into other fields. In Quebec (Canada), Richard rode a Ferris wheel for 41 days, a new record in 1983. He also planned two other record-setting events, one involving a solo trans-Atlantic balloon flight and the other, crossing the Atlantic alone in a sailboat less than six feet in length. Without a sponsor, neither effort was ever accomplished.
In a 2014 letter to me, Richard maintained that he had some serious health issues but never elaborated. He also mentioned that in the early 1990s he enlisted in the military as an Army specialist, working in the Stars and Stripes Defense Information Program. If he did have a resumé, it might have included degrees from several higher education institutions, including Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Loyola and Harvard. According to various articles that covered his events, he was a teacher at a Chicago high school and lectured at both Loyola and Fordham universities.
Reviewing all his marathon efforts, the last record recognized by the Guinness officials could be considered his finest achievement. In August 2007 Richard survived 405 hours and 40 minutes at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, alternating sessions between Big Dipper and Big One. Although he took part in several more endurance marathons for even more hours, none of those efforts was acknowledged by Guinness, as marathon rules had changed. Richard may have inadvertently hurt his chances to continue because the record was now so far out of reach. In fact, no one has attempted to challenge his Guinness record since that time.
Richard Rodriguez and Richard Munch in the early years of their friendship (left) and more recently at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando (right).
Richard was certainly an interesting character in my life. I rode with him overnight during his first marathon on Cyclone in 1977, and ever since we have been somehow connected. He would pop into my life and then disappear mysteriously for years. Sadly, I knew something was wrong when he didn't show up at the IAAPA Expo last year (2025). Our brief meetings at the show were something of a yearly tradition, where he would track me down multiple times during the day, just to say hello and catch up. Each time he would request a photograph together, part of a custom he expected for over a decade.
I never knew if he ever had a serious relationship with anyone, although he said he appreciated riding with his fan base during each event. I really think he was a private man who enjoyed the almost yearly experiences of riding the rails. He looked forward to summer and enjoyed his time at the parks, then went back to teaching during the off season. I had always urged him to write a book about his life, covering all the various marathons and records. It certainly would have been an interesting read.
Richard will be missed for his uncanny appearances at events, his handwritten letters and, most of all, his continued interest in roller coasters, or what he joyfully called his “summer hobby.” He once suggested that he was an “adventurer,” much like Charles Lindbergh. In a sense, he had the same spirit, and all the records prove that he was certainly not a faker. In fact, I was always amazed at his ability to ride continuously without any apparent effects on his health, as far as I know.
I will miss him, especially our little chats each year in Florida. Rest in peace, old friend.
Richard Munch
#ACENews