Staying The Course

"There are faster and more decorated runners than Dick Beardsley, but probably none with a more compelling life story. You'll want to read this book in one big gulp, then return again and again for inspiration both on and off the roads." -New York Runner

"In the long run, Beardsley's book is a winner." -Pioneer Press

For a moment Dick Beardsley became the most famous runner in the world by losing a race. In the 1982 Boston Marathon, Beardsley, foiled by a motorcycle that cut him off, finished two seconds behind Alberto Salazar in one of the most memorable contests in marathon history. Staying the Course recounts that race and the difficult years that followed, including his recovery from a near-fatal farm accident, his subsequent addiction to painkillers, and a public arrest for forging prescriptions. His story of overcoming obstacles speaks to anyone who loves competition, who has survived catastrophe, or who has pursued a seemingly impossible goal.

Dick Beardsley is a professional speaker, fishing guide, and radio announcer. He still holds the records for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth and the Napa Valley Marathon. Maureen Anderson is a writer and award-winning radio journalist. She is coauthor with Jon Hovde of Left for Dead: A Second Life after Vietnam (Minnesota, 2005).

Contents Acknowledgements Introduction My Kind of Sport Getting My Hopes Up The Road to Boston The Boston Marathon A Change of Pace An Accident Happening The Toughest Race The Road to Recovery