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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Dick Beardsley: Running Icon

Posted February 14th, 2008 at 3:49 PM by Stephanie Lowe

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation, Success Stories, Special Features, Interviews

Eleven years since an addiction to narcotic pain killers could have ended his life, Dick Beardsley is now a motivational speaker, coach and – once again – a competitive runner.

Beardsley, 51, grew up in Minnesota, but recently moved to Austin, Texas, where he and his wife, Jill, started the Dick Beardsley Foundation. The Foundation raises money for people with chemical dependencies and educates children and young adults about their health. Beardsley travels to schools to speak about his experiences with a drug addiction.

“I was really close to going to sleep one night and not waking up,” he said. Beardsley was regularly taking 80-90 pills every day by the time he was caught forging his prescription. “You do things you would never think about doing. All that mattered to me at the time was to get the drugs.”
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