Dick Beardsley

Dick Beardsley
File:Dick beardsley florist2.jpg Dick Beardsley - Motivational / Inspirational Speaker
Born	(1956-03-21) 21 March 1956 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nationality	United States
Occupation(s)	Long Distance Runner, Author, Motivational speaker
Website	Official Website

Dick Beardsley (born March 21, 1956 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American long-distance runner best known for his close finish with Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon.

Running career

Beardsley ran his first marathon in 2:47:14 at the 1977 Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Hurley, Wisconsin. In subsequent marathons, he steadily lowered his times: 2:33:22, 2:33:06, and 2:31:50. Beardsley is the only man to have ever run 13 consecutive personal bests in the marathon, and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the feat.

In 1980, seeing that the qualification time for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon was 2:21:56, a mere 10 minutes faster than his best time, Beardsley entered the Manitoba Marathon in Canada and made the Trials by 2 seconds. At the Trials he ran 2:16:01 for 16th place, continuing a streak of PRs (personal records) that eventually spanned 46 months and 13 marathons. He was so encouraged that he decided to try running full-time for the next four years with the aim of making the 1984 U.S. marathon team. It was the height of the 1980s running boom, and running shoe companies were looking for the next Bill Rodgers. Beardsley managed to secure a sponsorship from New Balance, which signed him for $500 a month and all the shoes he could wear out. Now a professional runner, Beardsley took 10th place at the 1980 Nike/OTC Marathon in Eugene with 2:15:11. Six weeks later he took 9th place at New York with 2:13:55. In January 1981, Beardsley took 2nd place at the Houston Marathon with a 2:12:48 PR and less than a month later took 3rd at Beppu in 2:12:41. Eight weeks later, Beardsley ran the first-ever London Marathon in 2:11:48 (another PR), tying for first place with Norway's Inge Simonson. Three months later, Beardsley ran what he considers his breakthrough marathon, a 2:09:37 win at Grandma's. In the wake of his successes at London and Grandma's, New Balance doubled his stipend to $1,000 per month. Beardsley was thrilled. His PR spree ended, however, when he took second in the '81 Stockholm Marathon (2:16) and the '82 Houston Marathon (2:12). Then came Boston '82 and Beardsley's famous "Duel in the Sun" with Alberto Salazar, where he ran 2:08:53 and once again took second by a mere 2 seconds. Two months later he again won Grandma's in 2:14:49, but came out of the race with Achilles tendon problems; the injury persisted and later in the year he managed to take only 30th place at New York with a 2:18:12. Beardsley had the tendon surgically repaired in 1983 and hoped to recover by getting a "bye" into the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, but he was turned down. He went into training and re-injured the tendon in a futile attempt to qualify for the Trials at the Los Angeles Marathon in early 1984. The tendon was operated on again, and Beardsley took several years off from competitive marathon running to build his dairy farm and his fishing guide business. But the call of an Olympic team surfaced again in 1986, and Beardsley returned to training, qualifying for the Trials with a 2:16:20 at Napa in March 1987. The '88 Trials were a disappointment to him finishing in 45th place in 2:27:21.

Achievements

He holds the third fastest marathon time by an American born man. The world-class marathon competitor of the 1980s was a two-time Olympic qualifier runner and was joint winner of the first London Marathon in 2:11:48 (29 March 1981) together with Inge Simonsen (Norway).

His finish time of 2:09:37 at the 1981 Grandma's Marathon is still the course record. Beardsley placed second (2:08:53) on the heels of Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon, which at the time, broke the Boston Marathon course record and the American record.

In 1995 he founded the annual Dick Beardsley Half Marathon of Detroit Lakes, held in September of every year (Dick Beardsley 1/2 Marathon, 2 person relay, 5K Run/Walk, and Kids 1K). Beardsley currently works as a motivational/inspirational speaker.

From 2007 to 2010 Beardsley owned and operated the Dick Beardsley Running Company in Fargo, North Dakota. In May 2010, ownership of the store was transferred over to another entity, with Beardsley no longer involved.

Beardsley is one of the subjects of the 2006 book, Duel in the Sun by John Brant. His memoir, Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race, was published in 2002 by the University of Minnesota Press.

In 2009, Beardsley was inducted into The Running Event Hall of Fame and received a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010, Beardsley was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame.

• All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing the United States
1981	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	2:11:48
	Grandma's Marathon	Duluth, United States	1st	2:09:37
1982	Grandma's Marathon	Duluth, United States	1st	2:14:50

Injuries

In November, 1989 Beardsley nearly died in a farm mishap which required five months to recuperate. Between July 1992 and February 1993, he was involved in three serious automobile accidents, each requiring hospitalization for back and neck injuries. While on a hike, he was hurt after falling down an embankment when the path collapsed. He underwent three back operations in 1994, then had knee surgery in 1995.

Drug addiction

After each of his injuries, Beardsley was prescribed medication for the pain. Over four years, his body developed a tolerance for the drugs, requiring higher doses to achieve the same effect. He was in denial that he had a drug problem, but his addiction caused him to forge prescriptions at drug stores to satisfy his need for pills until he was arrested on September 30, 1996. He was sentenced to five years probation and 460 hours of community service.

Rehabilitation

Beardsley spent nine days in a psychiatric unit where he was prescribed methadone to replace the pills. He was released for outpatient treatment, then back to inpatient treatment where he quit methadone, and outpatient treatment again. His first day of chemical-free sobriety was February 12, 1997.

Dick Beardsley Foundation

Beardsley started the Dick Beardsley Foundation in October 2007 to provide assistance to individuals suffering from chemical dependency who are unable to pay for a 12-step treatment program. The foundation seeks to educate the general public about chemical dependency and allows Dick Beardsley to speak to people across the country about his own experience in overcoming addiction.

Current running and speaking

Since 1996, Beardsley has turned his life around. In spite of a series of accidents, Beardsley has managed to restart his running program. He ran the 2000 Napa Valley Marathon in 3:23:05, and he trained in 2001 to try to break 3:00 at Grandma's to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough performance there. He succeeded, running a 2:55:39. Beardsley called this Grandma's his "biggest triumph." He completed five marathons in both 2002 and 2003. He also returned to Boston to run in 2002, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his "Duel in the Sun" with Alberto Salazar. In March 2004, Beardsley ran a 2:43:58 at Napa, his best times since before his farm accident. Up until the summer of 2008, Dick was still a very competitive masters running, completing his marathons in less than 2:50:00

Beardsley is also once again a member of Team New Balance.

Beardsley works as a motivational / inspirational speaker, and oftentimes is the keynote speaker at events including races, schools, corporations, non-profits, prisons and drug treatment centers.

In 2002, the University of Minnesota Press published his memoir, Staying the Course, a Runner's Toughest Race, co-written with Maureen Anderson.

In 2002, Beardsley also received the Minnesota Meeting & Events Assoc. "Best Speaker Award."

He started the Dick Beardsley Marathon Running Camp in 2003, which is held each September at Rainbow Resort in Waubun, Minnesota.

Beardsley moved from Minnesota to Austin, Texas in 2007 and in November, remarried his wife, Jill, who had lived in Austin since 1983. Their family now includes his son Andrew and Jill's children, Christopher and Matthew, as well as three dogs and three cats.

In January 2009, Beardsley had a total knee replacement on his right knee, due to an infection. Today, Beardsley not only is still running, but maintains his active lifestyle by adding biking and swimming to his routine.

In August 2010, it was reported that Beardsley and his wife filed for bankruptcy. Beardsley's wife said that they filed to consolidate IRS debt.

Further reading

• Staying The Course: A Runner's Toughest Race, Dick Beardsley, ISBN 081663758X; published by University of Minnesota Press, January 2002

External links

• Dick Beardsley website
• Dick Beardsley Foundation
• Dick Beardsley Half Marathon & 5k Run/Walk (Detroit Lakes, Minnesota)