Huntsville Track Club 50th Anniversary Banquet

The following is information about Dick Beardsley who is the keynote speaker for the Huntsville Track Club 50th Anniversary Celebration Banquet at the Roundhouse on September 4.

Beardsley was a sub-2:10 record breaking marathon runner, motivational/inspirational speaker, author and the survivor of five life threatening events. Beardsley ran his first marathon in 2:47:14 in 1977 and lowered his personal best 13 times in a row which is in the Guinness Book of World Records. In 1981 he and Norwegian Inge Simonsen crossed the finish line together in the time of 2:11:48 for a winning tie in the London Marathon. 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. He also won Grandma's Marathon in 1982.

Beardsley placed second (2:08:53) on the heels of Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon, foiled by a motorcycle that cut him off near the end, finished two seconds behind Salazar. It was the closest finish ever at the world's premier marathon as both finished under the Boston Marathon course record and the American record. The race is often called one of the most memorable in marathon history and resulted in John Brant authoring the book Duel In The Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon. Dick Beardsley was inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2010.

The story of Beardsley's running career is the stuff of legends, but it is the story that comes after that takes the listener to another level – he is a true survivor having looked death straight in the eyes numerous times. Beardsley’s life is a story of hope and redemption. His story of overcoming extreme obstacles speaks to anyone who loves competition, who has survived catastrophe, or who has pursued a seemingly impossible goal. That is the story for September 4 at the HTC 50th Anniversary Celebration Banquet.

His memoir, Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race, was co-authored by Maureen Anderson and published in 2002 by the University of Minnesota Press.