Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race
by Dick Beardsley, Maureen Anderson

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Book Reviews of Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race

Book Review: Take a chance on this book. You won't regret it.
Summary: 5 Stars

I picked up my copy at the Boston Marathon Expo this year (my first marathon). Dick Beardsley was there and signing copies including mine. He didn't just sign it, but he wrote a personal message in every single one. Took the time to talk to everyone, asked me about my marathon coming up, etc. For several minutes.

So I figured, "OK, he's a nice guy but his book is probably not going to be memorable." But it was. The man thoroughly loved running from the beginning like few people ever do. It fires you up to hear him talk about it. Yes he was talented, but he did an amazing amount of work because he just plain loved it. He simply trained himself to world class level.

My favorite part was how he got shoe company sponsorship. At the time (around 1980) he was not much of a marathoner compared to the talent this country had (back then he'd "only" done 2:20 - fantastic by my standards but not by theirs, I guess). Still, he simply made his way into a shoe convention that was closed to the public and talked to shoe company reps (giving them his resume) until one of them (New Balance) took a chance to him. And when other companies tried to buy him off after he started doing well, he stayed loyal. Just a straight shooter.

I was there (in Wellesley Hills) for his famous "Duel in the Sun" with Salazar. His description of the race is worth the price alone. At the time he'd done 2:09 but most people didn't know who he was. We all knew about Alberto Salazar and Bill Rodgers, but "Beardsley?" Who was that? Yet here he was, this unknown, taking it right to the best marathoner in the world for the entire race. Never giving an inch. What an epic race.

Finally, he holds nothing back when talking about his subsequent problems with injuries, accidents, and addiction. Throughout it all, he's just the same guy. Straightforward, incredibly nice and a huge running fan.

Look, clearly this isn't Shakespeare. I give it 5 stars not because it's Pulitzer material but because it is well written and it grabs you. Yes, I bought it because I like running books, but it's more than that. It's part running book, part through-hell-and-back book. It's a straight ahead story of a genuine guy who made amazing achievements and came through astoundingly hard times. He doesn't brag or hide his mistakes or faults. He just tells you what happened and what he was thinking and you keep turning the pages.

I'm normally somewhat cynical, but you can't be about Dick Beardsley. You just like him too much and want him to succeed. After reading this, I was so fired up to train for my next marathon, I couldn't believe it. And this at was 2:00 A.M. two days after Boston when my legs were dead.

Incidentally, Beardsley ran Boston "easily" this year, just for fun and only finished a couple of minutes behind me!

-Joe O'Leary

Summary of Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race

Staying the Course recounts the stunning race that made him 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 accosted by a fan, sideswiped by a bus, hobbled by a charley horse, and derailed by a motorcycle cop. He also writes with great candor of his retirement from marathoning to run a dairy farm, the accidents that followed, his addiction, the humiliation of his arrest, and his struggle to sobriety.

Never self-pitying, Staying the Course is inspirational, demonstrating 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, fishing guide, and radio announcer. He broke numerous marathon records, and 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.

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