Staying the Course
A Runner's Toughest Race
Dick Beardsley and Maureen Anderson
For a brief moment in the early '80s
Dick Beardsley became the most famous runner in the world--by
losing a race. In the 1982 Boston Marathon, Beardsley finished
two seconds behind Alberto Salazar in a contest often called one
of the most memorable in marathon history. It was the closest
finish ever at the world's premier marathon, and both runners
broke the course and the American records.
Staying the Course recounts the stunning race that made Beardsley a celebrity and the difficult years that followed, including his recovery from a near-fatal farm accident, his subsequent addiction to painkillers, and a very public arrest for forging prescriptions. His story of overcoming extreme obstacles speaks to anyone who loves competition, who has survived catastrophe, or who has pursued a seemingly impossible goal. Honest and engaging, Beardsley recalls his rise from Minnesota small-town kid and mediocre runner to celebrated athlete. He gives an exhilarating description of the Boston race and its unexpected obstacles: he was sideswiped by a bus, hobbled by a charley horse, and derailed by a motorcycle cop.
Never self-pitying, Staying the Course is inspirational, and demonstrates just how much can be endured no matter how long and arduous the race--and the value of what is learned along the way.
Dick Beardsley is a professional speaker and running coach. He broke numerous marathon records and still holds the records for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth and the Napa Valley Marathon.
Maureen Anderson is the host of The Career Clinic radio show and is an award-winning journalist. Her latest book is The Career Clinic: Eight Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love. She's also the co-author of Left for Dead: A Second Life After Vietnam, which won a 2006 Minnesota Book Award.
Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race is published by the University of Minnesota Press.
Cover photo: Joey McLeister. Used with permission from the Duluth News Tribune.