Kansas City Marathon

I was in Kansas City back in 1990 to speak at the Kansas City Marathon, it was a wonderful event, but the Kansas City Marathon in 2008 was incredible! Many changes have been made since 1990 and one of the biggest was the title sponsor Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors.

I arrived in Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon and race volunteer, Lisa Fleming picked me up, what a wonderful person she is! I stayed at the host hotel, the Kansas City Hyatt Regency.

Thursday morning I was up early for a run and then Lisa picked me up at 8:30 and we headed for Waddell & Reed. I gave a talk to many of the 250+ volunteers from Waddell and Reed. It is absolutely amazing to me that so many volunteers from one company come out to support the runners! Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Bob Williams introduced me after saying a few words to his staff. Bob was so excited they were involved with the race and is a very motivating person himself!

I gave a 30 minute talk that went very well and helped with handing out door prizes to everyone that was there.

After my talk at Waddell & Reed, I met the kids race director Steve Koranda who took me over to the Nobles Prentis Elementary School where I spoke to all the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. I love talking to the kids as they are all so wide eyed! The kids were great and had many questions after my talk!

After my visit to to the school I headed back to the hotel and the race expo where I said a few words to everyone as the expo opened.

Lisa then picked me up and we headed over to the Johnson County Community College where I spoke to high school cross-country runners and their coaches and parents. My talk went very well and afterwards I answered questions and had pictures taken.

Friday morning I was up early for a run and then off to the race expo where I gave a talk at 10:15 and answered questions, right after my talk I went and spent time in the Runner's Edge booth signing books and talking to many of the people attending the expo.

From 5-7 PM they had their pasta dinner, the $15.00 price tag was a great bargain as they had a wonderful pasta dinner! At 6 PM I gave my keynote talk to a packed pasta dinner crowd and it went very well. Afterwards I signed books and chatted with many of the folks and had lots of pictures taken.

Saturday morning I was up very early for a run. I was scheduled to run in the half marathon but because of the knee injury I have (surgery is set for Nov. 17) I decided against it. I can run without too much trouble if I keep it slow and not to far. I knew if I entered the half the competitive juices would start flowing and that would not be good for my knee! The race started at 7 on a clear cool morning. I arrived around 6:45 and met Bob Williams from Waddell & Reed. I was asked to say a few words to the 7000+ runners they had, they were fired up to get going!

Not only do they have a full marathon but also a half marathon, marathon relay, 5K, and a 1.2 mile kids run. They had over 500 kids participating! That was so exciting to see all the kids!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone that made my visit possible, but especially Lisa Fleming (volunteer extraordinaire!) and Bob Williams (from the title sponsor Waddell & Reed) You folks really know how to put on a incredible fun event, keep up the GREAT work you do!

Royal Victoria Marathon

Laura presenting me with a beautiful drawing!

Dylan was wonderful to meet at the Pasta Dinner

Laura and Jill

Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens

Rob Reid and I at Frontrunners

What a gorgeous city Victoria, BC is! I've been to the Royal Victoria Marathon three times now to speak, but it was my wife Jill's first time and she also loved it! We took off from Austin last Thursday morning and flew to Denver, then onto Vancouver, then finally landed in Victoria. My good friend and race director Rob Reid picked us up at the airport and we headed to the VIP reception. Rob is one busy guy! He owns Frontrunners Footwear, a running specialty store, the New Balance running specialty store, and is also running for Mayor of Victoria! I've known Rob for a number of years, and he would be a outstanding mayor for the City of Victoria!

After the VIP reception, Rob took us back to our hotel to check in. We stayed at The Fairmont Express Hotel, what a beautiful place!!!

Friday morning Rob and I went for a nice easy run along the ocean front then after breakfast, Jill and I went to Rob's Frontrunners store where they were having a press conference for the race.

Afterwards, one of Robs good friends, Brian, took Jill and I to Butchart Gardens.......unbelievable! If your ever to Victoria it's, the gardens are a must see!

At 3, I helped Rob open the beginning of the expo, there were people lining outside the door waiting to get in! I gave my first talk at the expo at 4:30 and it went very well! Friday evening Jill and I went out with our good friends Mark and Jenny Stinson from Chicago/Boise. Mark was getting ready to run his first marathon in almost 5 years, we enjoyed a great meal and even better conversation.

Saturday morning up early for a easy run, then over to Frontrunners where I delivered a talk to some of the folks that were in a training program to get ready for the race. We had a lot of fun and took lots of pictures. After our talk, we went over to the showing of Spirit of the Marathon. What a great movie this is! Afterwards, Jill and I found a nice little cafe where we had breakfast. There are neat little cafes on every corner and they all seem to have great food!

I gave my next talk at the expo at 12:45 to a full house, the crowd was wonderful, afterwards I spent about a hour at the Russell Books booth and signed books and took pictures with folks, really enjoyed that!

Jill and I had a little time to explore downtown Victoria before we had to be at the pasta dinner at 6. You talk about a incredible pasta dinner, I think its probably the best one I've ever been to! It was sold out with about 300 people. New Balance provided over 30 door prizes and I also gave a short 15 minute talk and had everyone fired up for the race on Sunday.

Sunday morning I got up early and did a easy 5 miler and met Jill back at the hotel at 7AM to get her warmed up for the 8K race she was going to run. They had almost 2500 runners in that race. Jill wanted to break 50 minutes and she smashed it with 47:17, and I am very proud of her! I ran it with her and she did awesome! She was racing her friend in Austin, Laura Nye, who was doing a 5 mile race at the same time. Laura had her game face on and beat her, running 45:41.

After the 8K, we had a quick breakfast then headed on over for the start of the kids 1K run. They had over 900 kids on a perfect morning for running! We then went down to the finish area and helped with making sure all the kids got paired back up with their parents.

We then spent some time at the finish line watching the marathoners and half marathoners come in.

Jill and I had a wonderful time and would like to thank everyone that made our visit such a special one! A very special thanks goes out to Rob Reid, Cathy, Laura, Brian and Norma, Steve King, and of course the great folks at New Balance for making our trip all possible!

If you're looking for a beautiful fall get away to run a marathon, the Royal Victoria Marathon is the place to be! Next year will be their 30th anniversary so I'm sure it will be extra special!

Here are all of the pictures that we took this weekend!

Team Spiridon

Last night for the second year in a row, I had the chance to spend time with Team Spiridon here in Austin. Rob Hill is the founder and director of Team Spiridon. Team Spiridon is a training group here in Austin that gets folks ready to compete in races from 5K's to marathons and triathlons!

Rob does a great job with this group and he is a huge supporter of the Dick Beardsley Foundation!

We met last night at a wonderful restaurant called Little Mexico 6:15 and headed out for a nice 3 mile room with many of the group including my wife Jill. It was a beautiful evening for a nice run!

After our run we enjoyed each others company and a great meal, then it was time for me to speak. My talk went well and I really appreciate everyone for coming out and supporting Rob and the Dick Beardsley Foundation!

After my talk I sold and signed copies of my book "Staying the Course" and had a nice visit with many of the members of Team Spiridon.

Many in the group are training to run the Austin Marathon in February, Team Spiridon members will also be raising money for two different charities, one of those being the Dick Beardsley Foundation! I can't tell you how much that means to Jill and I!

Thanks Rob and Team Spiridon for a wonderful evening, keep up the awesome work!

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon

What a wonderful time I had at the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee! I arrived on Thursday afternoon and was picked up by race volunteer Dennis Wantland. Dennis made sure I got everywhere I needed to be during my visit. I can't thank Dennis and his wife Julie for everything they did for me, you talk about nice people!

Besides being in Milwaukee as their invited guest to speak, I also had been training all summer long to race the Lakefront Marathon, needless to say I was very excited, although my excitement to run was a little tempered because I had hurt my knee a couple of weeks before, not running, but goofing around in the Atlantic Ocean and I got hit in the right knee by a big wave! My doctor said I could give the race a try and see what happens, more on that later!

Friday I was up early for a nice easy 3 mile run as I was in my last couple of days tapering. It was then down to the lake front where I was greeted by 2000 Milwaukee elementary school kids who were there to get pumped up about leading a healthy active lifestyle! I, along with some others, got up on the stage and said a few words and then it was off for a mile and a half walk with all the kids, it was wonderful!

Friday afternoon I had the opportunity to speak a couple of times to a large group of students at Brookfield East High School and the boys and girls cross-country teams, the kids were super! A big thanks to teacher and Coach Kim who helped make it all possible!

After my high school talks it was back over the the Lakefront Marathon Expo and I gave a short talk along with Jen who is from the Detroit, Michigan area and has a written program for getting kids into a running program.

Friday night it was on to In-Step Running for a VIP reception for many of the team leaders who help with volunteering for the race. We had a wonderful time, I told a few stories, had pictures taken, and answered questions from the folks that were there.

Saturday morning Dennis picked me up at 6:30 and it was off to the local FOX TV station for a interview, then back to the expo center and a nice fun run with about 10 other folks for about 3 miles then off for my favorite meal of the day, breakfast!

Saturday afternoon I gave two different talks to a full house, sold and signed books and had a super time just chatting with people!

On Saturday evening it was out to supper with Dennis and Julie along with others including race director Kris Hinrichs. What a energized person Kris is! She along with her volunteers do a amazing job!

Sunday morning was the perfect day for a marathon! They were talking rain but not til later in the day. Dennis picked me up at 6:30 and off we went, north to the Grafton, Wisc. high school. The race started there and the school was open for everyone to get into before the race started.

At 8AM the gun was fired and off we went on a gorgeous morning! It was about 42 degrees, sunshine and no wind! I felt really good for the first 5-6 mile and was in a nice group of guys running 6:15-6:20 pace. By 7 miles my right knee started to really bother me, by 8 miles I noticed a limp, by 9 I'm really hobbling, and at 10 miles my day was done! Running means to much to me to try and hobble in just to finish and perhaps really wreck my knee, so I saw race volunteer Judy and she was kind enough to give me a ride back to my hotel.

The hot shower along with breakfast felt good, and then it was over to the finish area to help with the awards.

I had such a great time in Milwaukee! Thanks to everyone who made my trip there such a memorable one!

If any of you are looking for a great fall race, that is not too big, really well organized, and is run on a beautiful course, the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon is the one to run!

Lake Tahoe Marathon

Robert E. Decelle family. Mom Ludine, and her daughters, April and Karen

As you can see by the title, it says Lake Tahoe Marathon, that's only a small part of the great things happening there! I've known race director Les Wright for a number of years seeing him at many race expo's throughout the year. Last week I was the guest speaker at his races, what a wonderful time I had!

I flew from Austin into Reno, Nevada and then took a bus for the one and a half hour trip to South Lake Tahoe. I stayed at the Horizon Casino Resort which is in Nevada but only two blocks from California! It's a two hours time change so by the time I got in and unpacked I was whooped from traveling all day!

Wednesday morning it was up early for a track workout, I was a little worried about the altitude (6500 feet) and how it would affect my workout. I wore my heart rate monitor and to my surprise, it was like I was running back home in Austin! (It really hit me the next day though!) After my track work out I went to Les's home where I did a fun run on the mountain trails with Les and a bunch of other runners that were in town, it was gorgeous!

The rest of Wednesday was spent walking around town and doing a little sightseeing.

Thursday morning I was up early for a nice run, and my quads were killing me! It felt like I had just got done running a downhill marathon! I was later told by my good friend Bart Yasso from Runners World Magazine that because I had done a hard workout the day before in high altitude that's why my quads felt the way they did, makes sense to me! After my morning run I quickly jumped into the car and went to the local golf course where I was the invited guest to play 18 holes of speed golf! In speed golf you can carry up to 3 clubs and you run the course. I played with just one club (5 iron) and at 9AM I took my first shot and off I went! It was the most fun I'd ever had playing golf! It took me just a little over 45 minutes and I shot 116 for 18 holes, I should play golf like that all the time!

Thursday evening I was the guest speaker at the "Triple Marathon" banquet. What's the Triple Marathon you might be asking? On Friday they run a marathon, on Saturday they run a marathon, then on Sunday they run their last one as part of the regular Lake Tahoe Marathon! Then there was the Super Triple......a marathon Friday, marathon Saturday, then at midnight Saturday they ran the entire 72 miles around Lake Tahoe!!!

My talk went very well and I had everyone laughing and nice and loose for their big endeavor over the next few days.

Friday was another nice sightseeing day for me, the Lake Tahoe area is stunning in its beauty!

Saturday I gave two different talks at the race expo then on Saturday night was a guest on the "Pasta Cruise" out on Lake Tahoe for the runners....incredible! While at one of my talks I met April Carter along with her sister Karen and their mom Ludine. We got to talking about things and I find out that her dad is Robert E. Decelle, it made the hair on the back of my head stand up and I got goose bumps! In 1982 I was awarded the Robert E. Decelle Award for the outstanding distance runner in the United States. That award has always meant a lot to me but even more now that I know who the man really is and what its all about! Here is a little information on Robert E. Decelle and his brave son, I'm very touched!

Captain Robert DeCelle Jr.
Robert Jr.

Born in 1945, Bobby was always active in a variety of activities. He earned his Eagle Scout award, outstanding track runner for Alameda High School, running 1:58 in 880 and 4:20 for the mile. He served as a Missionary to Japan for the LDS church and upon his return was drafted into the army in 1966. Bobby graduated from Officers Candidate school in 1967, attended flight schools for helicopters in 1968. In 1970 he was assigned to So. Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star with 5 palms.

On February 15, 1971 while attempting to draw fire away from ground troops, his helicopter came under heavy fire. Though he was critically wounded, he managed to fly from the scene, saving his crew members and his helicopter. He was awarded the Silver Star, National Order of Vietnam, and the Purple Heart award. He passed away February 21, 1971 in Bien Hoa due to complications from his injuries. The Lake Tahoe Relay was then named in his memory.

Vietnam fort named in honor of Robert Jr.
Robert DeCelle Sr. Marking the Course

Robert E. De Celle, Sr. Robert E. De Celle Sr., De Celle Memorial Tahoe Relay founder and president, passed away in 1997, two weeks after the 33rd annual relay had taken place. He was 78 years old. Bob was an active participant in the sport of running for all of his adult life. His interest was kindled when he discovered the running talent of his son. Robert, Jr., for whom the Relay was named, after he died of wounds received in Vietnam.

He began a long career in the administrative areas in U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country through many position in the AAU. Some of his accomplishments included: Traveling over 10,000 miles to measure and certify courses, such as the Dipsea, and reinstating the Bay-to Breakers. He increased the number of long distance events from 10 to 46 in the PA AAU, and campaigned to allow women to compete in distance events.

Bob was an Administrative Assistant at the 1968 & 1972 Olympic Games, Team leader to World Cross Country Championships in Morocco and South East Asia, and Liaison Officer to the Pan American games in Columbia. He was meet Director for the Oakland Indoor Invitational, and the list goes on…

Bob was also active his entire adult life in the Boy Scouts of America, earning his Silver Beaver, and in improving his beloved city of Alameda, Ca.

The De Celle family feel that Bob's most significant contribution to running was his devotion to high school athletes and their programs, in improving the quality of these programs, and in making sure that the high school arena had a voice in the sport at large.
Bob's spirit and influence will live on in the De Celle Memorial Tahoe Relays in this year, and in the years to come. We will miss him!

Bob's daughter April Carter will serve as the race director.

What a incredible family!

Sunday morning it was up early for a nice 12 mile trail run in the forest and then time for me to take the bus back to Reno for my flight home.

My huge thanks goes out to Les and his staff for the wonderful time I had! I once put on a 10K race years ago and said never again, that's a lot of work!

For Les and his staff that would be like going on a vacation! Here is a list of the events they put on over a period of 3 days:

Friday: Kayak and Swim

Saturday: Bike, Tahoe Triple, Tahoe Super, Triple A la Cart and Marathon

Sunday: 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, 20 Miler, Marathon, 72 Mile Ultra, Triple Marathon,

Marathon Relay, Swim Triathalon and Kayak Triathlon

Thanks again Les, keep up the great work you do promoting health and fitness, you are a true winner and inspiration!

Dick

Society of American Florists 124th Annual Convention, Palm Beach, Florida

Beautiful Sunrise
Beautiful flowers from Columbia that was presented to me
Where Jill and I were all day!
If not at the pool, we were here!
Jill and I

My wife Jill and I caught a very early 5:30 AM flight from Austin and landed in Palm Beach around noon on Tuesday Sept. 16. We picked up our rental car and headed for the Hilton Hotel on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and headed right for the beach, you talk about incredible blue water! I enjoyed the beach with Jill for a couple of hours then went back to our room to get ready for a run. I hit the roads around 3:30 PM, I thought it was hot and humid in Austin, my gosh it pales in comparison to Palm Beach!

I did a 10 mile loop around this large inlet from the ocean, thank goodness I was able to get water a couple of times during my run! My 10 mile run went well but I got a large blister on the ball of my left foot, I'd forgotten my orthotics at home and had to wear some new inserts, I developed a hot spot and it turned into a pretty good blister, I won't forget them again!

After my run and shower, Jill and I went out to Charlie's Grill, a small family restaurant that had incredible seafood! A good night sleep, up for a good track workout, and then off to The Breakers where the Society of American Florists 124th Annual Convention was being held.

No doubt The Breakers is the nicest place I've ever stayed before! It's 140 acres right on the Atlantic, which is beautiful! As we were driving down the lane to The Breakers, it was breathtaking! Jill was so excited that she was hyperventilating!

After unpacking we went and toured the grounds, five swimming pools, 18 hole golf course, beautiful white sand beach, and stunning buildings!

We then changed into our swimsuits and spent the next few hours on the beach and near one of the pools, the ocean was so blue and the water was around 85 degrees.

Wednesday night I had a chance to check out the ballroom where I would be giving a talk the next morning as the Keynote Speaker. We then went for dinner with Blanche of Powell, Kohne Associates. She is the one that booked me as the keynote speaker, what a very nice down to earth person! As Jill says, she's adorably cute. After dinner it was back to our room where I finished going over my talk for the next morning.

Thursday morning I was up very early for a nice run and to get ready for my talk. We arrived at the ballroom at 6:45 AM for a sound check and I got to meet some of the great folks from the Society of American Florists.

Things got underway at 7 with a wonderful breakfast and a short awards program, then it was time for my keynote address. My talk went very well and what a great group of folks it was to talk too! I always have butterfly's before I speak and this time was no different, once I started speaking the butterfly's were gone and now it was down to business!

The nice thing about doing a talk early in the morning is I now had the rest of the day to enjoy the beautiful Breakers! Jill and I spent the rest of the day by the pool and the beach and really enjoyed ourselves! I went for a nice afternoon run and then Jill and I dined on some more great seafood!

When we returned to The Breakers, we had the chance to go into the ballroom that was full of the most beautiful flowers and arrangements we have ever seen! The aroma of all those flowers was amazing!

Thursday morning I was up at 3:30 for my morning run along a road that went parallel to the ocean, the moon was almost full and it was gorgeous!

No cars, no people, just me and the ocean! It was then off to the airport for our flight back home to Austin.

I can't thank the Society of American Florists enough for having me as their keynote speaker! Jill and I had a wonderful time! We met some wonderful hard working people, keep up the great work you all do!

Thanks again for the incredible time Jill and I had!

Dick

P.S. Here are all of the pictures Jill and I took. Enjoy!

P.S.S. I can't for the life of me figure out how to make the paragraphs from looking spaced wrong. Please just ignore!

New Balance Elite Dealer Conference & More

Moose and Jacoby!

Dave Shelbourne and Dan Green of New Balance
Fenway Stadium!
Maudsley State Park
Surprise Katrina!
Big Pig!

The fine folks at New Balance continue to amaze me at their support of specialty running stores across the country! Last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, New Balance hosted their annual Elite Dealer Meeting in Boston at Hotel Commonwealth. Over 100 elite dealers were there to learn about the new products coming out and how to make their stores that much better and what a success the meeting was!

My wife Jill and I arrived around midnight on Tuesday. I got up and did a beautiful 10 mile run along the Charles River, we had a nice breakfast and it was off to the meetings. Last year I gave a talk, this year I signed beautiful posters that New Balance had made showing me winning the 1981 Grandma's Marathon. I signed posters for about 3 hours while Jill took pictures with me and many of the elite dealers.

Wednesday night we all walked over to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays. What an awesome ball park with so much history! Jill and I feasted on ball park food then took our seats with our good friends Dave and Ivette Shelbourne along with their daughter Katrina, you talk about Red Sox fans, the Shelbournes are the biggest!

What a game it was! It was all tied up at 1-1 after nine innings. Jill and I stayed until the 12th inning and then left as it was getting late. We watched the finish on TV from our hotel room and unfortunately, the Red Sox came out on the short end.

Thursday morning I was up bright and early for a 11 mile run with folks from the elite dealer conference, what a gorgeous morning for a run! After our run Jill and I took the train back to the airport where we rented our car and headed for Newburyport, MA

But before we went there, we stopped off at the New Balance Factory Store in Lawrence, MA; Jill now has more NB clothes than I do!

We stopped in for a quick visit to Whirlaway Sports for a quick hello to the owner, Dave. What a great store!

Newburyport is a splendid small town right on the ocean about 30 miles north of Boston. We checked into the quaint bed and breakfast place called the Essex Street Inn. Newburyport is a big tourist town and has many neat shops to go and browse around! I can see why people think New England is one of the most beautiful areas of the country!

After checking in, Jill and I both went out for a nice run and then off to dinner. We went to Michael's Harborside, it's right on the ocean and we had a marvelous dinner of fresh seafood.

Friday morning Jill and I went to Maudslay State Park for a great run on the trails through the forest, it was beautiful. After a nice breakfast we went over to the Shelbourne's and spent the afternoon with Ivette, Katrina, and their son Justin. Jill and I surprised Katrina by showing up at her elementary school. Jill had bought her a bouquet of flowers, Katrina was thrilled! Katrina and Jill started being pen pals last April, she just loves receiving things in the mail from Jill!

We then went over to Ipswich High School to pick up Justin and talk with Barry the principal.

I signed a one of the posters that New Balance had made just for the high school and gave it to Barry. I met Barry last April when I gave a talk at his school, he does a great job with the kids there!

After picking up Justin, we then went to Russell's Orchard and had homemade pastries and cider, walked through the barnyard area and fed the 700 pound pig an apple, boy was he big! Better the apple then me!

It was then onto Crane Beach. We walked along the beach and collected shells and took many pictures. Back to our B & B for a short rest then onto the Black Cow Restaurant for a great meal with the Shelbourne family.

Saturday morning I was up early to get my last 20 miler in before the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee that I will be running on October 5. I took off from Newburyport and crossed the Merrimac River and ran all along the river. I crossed a very old bridge at 10 miles and then ran back on the other side all the way into Newburyport, I have to say it was one of the most beautiful 20 mile runs I've ever been on!

After a nice breakfast with Jill and a little shopping in town, it was off to the Shelbourne's for a afternoon of visiting and a nice walk down to principal Barry's and his wife, principal Cheryl's house. What a place! Their home is a neat old farm house along with a mill that was built back in the late 1600's! It's incredible! A beautiful small river goes through their property and they are working on getting the mill working again soon and it will generate electricity not only for their home but also will provide electricity for some of the folks that live in the town of Rowley!

Saturday evening we were out to dinner with the Shelbourne's and some of their friends for some great pizza and to watch the Red Sox game. After supper we said our good byes and we went back to the Essex Street Inn for a good nights sleep and up early the next morning for a nice run in the rain and for our flight back home to Austin.

Jill and I would like to give the biggest of thanks to the folks at New Balance for making it possible for us to be there and take part in the Elite Dealer Meetings!

A double gigantic thank you goes out to Dave, Ivette, Justin, and Katrina Shelbourne for making our few days in Newburyport so special! Jill and I are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends like all of you!

Thanks a million!

Dick

P.S. Hi to Moose and Jacoby!

P.S.S. Here are ALL of the pictures from our trip!

Big Pig Eating!