If you aren't familiar with Mr. Beardsley, he is a running legend that hails from the great state of Minnesota, like myself. He still owns the fifth fastest marathon time for a US male. He won the London, Napa and Grandma's Marathons, but is probably best known for his very close second place finish to Alberto Salazar in the 82 "Duel in the Sun" Boston Marathon. He actually lived in my hometown in MN for a while, but that was before I was a runner myself. You may remember that I saw him at Grandma's Marathon earlier this year and he signed my bib for me. He is just an incredibly inspiring guy and I look forward to any opportunity to see him. He went through a lot of trials and hardships after his competitive running days and came out on the other side with a positive attitude and a desire to share what he has learned with others.
Dick got stuck in traffic from O'Hare getting to the store, but arrived only a few minutes late, changed and went out for a nice easy run with about 15-20 folks including myself and my friend Brian. The run felt great. Brian and I ran about 5 miles at a nice tempo. Afterwards we met back up at the store and he talked with the group for about 45 minutes. If you have never heard him speak, regardless of whether you are a runner or not, you should check him out. He is a fantastic speaker with a lot of funny and touching stories. After speaking with the group he signed some books for people and special New Balance posters printed just for the event. It is very cool and I look forward to hanging it up. Thanks to New Balance for making his trip possible. Please bring him back again soon, and thanks to Mr. Beardsley for being such a great, inspiring guy. It made my week.
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