Dick Beardsley (born March 21, 1956) is an American
long-distance runner
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
Within endurance ru ...
. He tied for first place with
Inge Simonsen in the inaugural 1981
London Marathon
The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...
and finished second to
Alberto Salazar by one second 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 1981 he and
Norwegian Inge Simonsen intentionally crossed the finish line together holding hands in a time of 2:11:48. According to Beardsley, "It was a big deal for both of us because neither one of us had won a marathon before."
His finish time of 2:09:37 at the 1981
Grandma's Marathon stood as a course record for 33 years until it was broken in 2014. Beardsley placed second (2:08:53) on the heels of
Alberto Salazar in the 1982
Boston Marathon, breaking the Boston Marathon course record and the American record.
In 2003 he started the Dick Beardsley Marathon Running Camp, which used to be held each September at Rainbow Resort in
Waubun, Minnesota, but which are now held at
Lake Bemidji, Minnesota.
Beardsley is one of the subjects of the book ''
Duel in the Sun'', published in 2006 by
John Brant. His
memoir
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...
, ''Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race'', was co-authored by Maureen Anderson and published in 2002 by the
University of Minnesota Press.
In 2007, Beardsley was featured in the documentary movie
Spirit of the Marathon.
In 2010, Beardsley was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame.
Drug addiction
In November 1989, Beardsley nearly died in a farm mishap; he 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 and knee surgery in 1995.
["Life - Dick's Accident"]
Dick Beardsley Foundation website["Who is Dick Beardsley?"]
Tacoma City Marathon
After each of his injuries, Beardsley was prescribed medication for the pain. Over four years, he developed an
addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
to the medication. He was arrested September 30, 1996, for forging prescriptions
and sentenced to five years' probation and 460 hours of community service. Beardsley spent nine days in a
psychiatric unit where he was prescribed
methadone. He was released for outpatient treatment, returned to inpatient treatment where he quit methadone, and again began outpatient treatment.
His first day of chemical-free sobriety was February 12, 1997.
Beardsley started the Dick Beardsley Foundation in October 2007
["Dick Beardsley to attend First Annual Thunder Bay Marathon"]
Thunder Bay Maraton website, September 2010 to provide assistance to individuals suffering from chemical dependency who are unable to pay for a 12-step treatment program. The foundation's goals are to educate the general public about chemical dependency. It allows Beardsley to speak about his own experience in overcoming addiction.
Personal life
Beardsley married Mary in 1979. They adopted one son, Andrew. They later divorced and Beardsley moved to Austin, Texas in 2007 and remarried. In August 2010, it was reported that Beardsley and his wife had filed for
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
. Beardsley's wife Jill said that they filed to consolidate
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
debt.
In 2023, Beardsley started a podcast with his friend and fellow marathon runner Mike Dunlap, called On The Run With Beards And Dun.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Dick Beardsley websiteDick Beardsley Half Marathon & 5k Run/Walk (Detroit Lakes, Minnesota)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beardsley, Dick
1956 births
Living people
American male marathon runners
London Marathon male winners
Track and field athletes from Minneapolis
Sportspeople from Fargo, North Dakota
20th-century American sportsmen