Not only is Dick a best selling author, but he is one of the world’s most extraordinary, respected, and compelling motivational / inspirational speakers, and often times the keynote speaker at major events, including corporations, non-profits, schools, races, fundraisers, prisons and drug treatment centers.  Really, anywhere motivation and inspiration is needed.  Dick is also an accomplished TV commentator and radio announcer.   

For a brief moment in the early '80s Dick Beardsley became the most famous runner / athlete in the world - by losing a race. In the 1982 Boston Marathon, Beardsley, foiled by a motorcycle that cut him off near the end, finished two seconds behind Alberto Salazar in a contest often called one of the most memorable in marathon history. It was the closest finish ever at the world's premier marathon, and both runners broke the course and the American records.

The story of Dick's running career alone is the stuff of legends, but it is the story that comes after that draws people in and keeps them listening. Dick is a true survivor.  After retiring from running, Dick had a series of near fatal accidents that left him addicted to pain killers. His story of overcoming extreme obstacles speaks to anyone who loves competition, who has survived catastrophe, or who has pursued a seemingly impossible goal.