Around 1,000 Racers Partake in Dick Beardsley Races in Detroit Lakes

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – Around 1,000 racers turned out for the 25th Annual Dick Beardsley Half-Marathon in Detroit Lakes, Saturday.

Racers departed from the Kent Freeman Arena on a cool Saturday morning as Beardsley cheered them on. Organizers added a 25k to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event.

The Dick Beardsley Half Marathon was developed to honor former Detroit Lakes resident and marathon legend, Dick Beardsley, and as a tune-up for the Twin Cities Marathon.

Beardsley is most well-known for his race in the 1982 Boston Marathon dubbed the “Duel in the Sun” as he battled world recorder holder Alberto Salazar down to the finish line. Both broke the American record: Salazar won a record time of 2:08:51; Beardsley’s time was 2:08:53, finishing 1.6 seconds later, placing second.