Runner Dick Beardsley was no stranger to the media limelight at the peak of his running career. A marathon record-holder, he became an inspiration to many in the world of sporting. But the toughest marathon he would ever face was after his retirement when a series of accidents and addiction to prescription painkillers sent him spiraling to rock bottom.
The Winning Streak
Beardsley, 66, grew up in the small town of Wayzata, west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a child, he spent a lot of time in nearby Bemidji, where he lives today. He made headlines in April 1981, when he won the very first London Marathon, tying for first place with Inge Simonsen of Oslo, Norway, who he still calls a friend today.On June 20, 1981, Beardsley won his first Grandma’s Marathon in a record time of 2:09:36. The record stood for 33 years before Beardsley won it again on June 19, 1982. On April 19, of that same year, he finished second in the Boston Marathon to world record holder, Alberto Salazar.
“He ran 2:08:51 and I ran 2:08:52,” Beardsley told The Epoch Times. “At the time, it was the closest Boston Marathon finish in history.”
The Nightmares Begin
Sharing more about the accident, he said, “I was unloading corn onto an elevator and I got caught in the power takeoff shaft.”The rotating mechanism mangled Beardsley’s body, breaking his right arm, left leg, and ribs on his right side. He was also speared by a piece of metal into his right upper chest. He barely recalls dragging himself back to the house yard with his one good hand.
“I had a couple of surgeries to put me back together and was in the hospital for a few weeks,” Beardsley said. “When I got home a couple of weeks later, I got a bad infection in my leg, and almost lost it, but they did more surgery and saved it. It affected me both physically and mentally for quite some time. I couldn’t do anything for a few months and I had terrible nightmares.”
Eventually, the nightmares faded away, Beardsley’s body healed from the immense trauma, and he stopped taking the painkillers he had been prescribed. However, in July 1992, he met with a bad car accident and underwent major spinal surgery. A short time after recovering, he was hit by a truck and went back into surgery. Not long after, he fell off a cliff while hiking.
After every injury, Beardsley—whose parents were alcoholics—was given prescription drugs to manage his pain.
He said: “It got to where I didn’t need them anymore, but I kept on taking them, and at that point, it was out of control. I was taking a cocktail of Demerol, Percocet, and Valium, and by the summer of 1996, I was taking upward of 80 to 90 pills a day.
Caught in the Act
Not long after, Beardsley’s forgery caught up with him. On Sept. 30, 1996, he was caught in a Kmart pharmacy in Moorhead, Minnesota, and taken to meet with two federal drug agents, to whom he confessed everything. He suspected he was in a lot of trouble and admits feeling “relieved” that it was over.“I knew the only way I had a chance to get better was to be 100 percent truthful and take responsibility for my actions,” he said.
Beardsley had kept exact records of where he got his prescriptions from and when he used them. His numbers were so massive that the agents could barely believe the drugs were for private consumption, but the fact that Beardsley had never sold or dealt the drugs kept him from a jail sentence.
He was taken to the former MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota for a 10-day detox. From there, he was moved to the University of Minnesota Hospital to begin a treatment program, and after three weeks he entered an outpatient treatment program in Fargo.
‘Please, God’
In the early stages of his treatment, Beardsley’s withdrawal was so excruciating that he struggled to dress and drag himself to group meetings, according to an interview with The Hope Report. He swears he would have cut off his arms and legs to relieve the pain if only he “had had access to a saw,” but still he was determined to learn how to recover.“One morning I’m crawling along the floor trying ... to get to my group meeting, and I blacked out ... I woke up laying in my own vomit. I remember looking up and saying, ‘God, please God, either just take me right now or please help get me better,’” he said.
That night Beardsley slept for the first time, for a short period of time.
Without his faith, Beardsley is certain he would not have lived to tell his tale. A church-goer since childhood, he told The Epoch Times, “Faith has always been a very important part of my life, even more so the past 30 years ... it was everything in my recovery!”
Seeing his progress in treatment, a judge was impressed and waived a hefty fine and instead asked him to fulfill 200 hours of community service, speaking to groups about his addiction. At first humiliated, the former runner would soon turn his platform into an opportunity to redeem himself and help others. He became a motivational speaker and penned a book, “Staying the Course.”
However, his struggles weren’t over. The presence of God was once again instrumental when Beardsley was floored by the sudden loss of his son, Andy, to suicide on Oct. 4, 2015. Andy was an Iraq War veteran and just 31 when he took his own life.
Beardsley said: “I’ll never completely overcome the loss of my son and I don’t want to. I talk to him every day, and what brings me joy, peace, and comfort is knowing that someday I’ll be able to hold him in my arms again and give him a big hug. If by sharing Andy’s death with others, it keeps someone else from taking their life, that is my goal.”
‘Don’t Ever Give Up’
Beardsley has been drug-free since Feb. 12, 1997, and claims he never once considered using drugs to numb the pain of Andy’s passing. Even through several surgeries—including back surgery and two knee replacements—Beardsley and his second wife, Jill, had a game plan: Jill collected his prescriptions, administered the correct doses, and kept the drugs with her at all times.For the past 25 years, the former marathon champ has been a motivational speaker—he’s traveled the world to share his story and shows no signs of stopping. He was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2010. He still runs six miles every morning, is a fishing guide for his own company, Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service, and runs Lake Bemidji Bed and Breakfast alongside his wife.
“Jill does all of the work and I am her sherpa,” he said.
When Beardsley looks back on his life, he is grateful for the good times.
He said: “When I wake in the morning I try to have a smile on my face, enthusiasm in my voice, joy in my heart, and faith in my soul. Those four things have helped me through many difficult times.
“Don’t ever give up!” he said, especially to those struggling with addiction; “if you need to be in treatment ten times or more, don’t ever give up. You can get your life back and it can be better than ever before.”
