On The Run With Beards And Dun

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun sit down and have a conversation with Jeff Benjamin. Jeff has written for more than 30 years for American Track and Field magazine along with RunBlogRun.com. He is also a columnist for SILive.com's monthly "On The Run" column. He is also a member of the College of Staten Island Sports Hall Of Fame for cross country and currently teaches a college course in Sports Business Management at the college. A passionate (some would say fanatical) follower of the sport of running, his subjects have included Sebastian Coe, Jim Spivey, Joe Newton, Tom Fleming, Bill Rodgers, Marty Liquori, Rod, Dixon, Jim Ryan, Bob Beamon, Dave Wottle and Abelf Kiviat. In 2023 Benjamin was honored with the Annual James Dunaway Award by the Track and Field Writers Association for journalism excellence.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun sit down with Keith Brantly, who could easily be considered one of the most successful long distance runners in US running history. Keith is a 5 time Olympic Trials qualifier, has represented the US in 12 international competitions, is an 8 time US champion, and an incredibly nice guy.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun sit down to talk with Jake Barraclough. Jake is a British runner who like Beards, wants to see how good he can get in marathon running. The similarities between he and Beards are scary. Their training, outlook on life, and joyful spirits enable them to break the mold and find their true potential.

Beards and Dun return to the podcast this week with guest Don Kardong. Don has had an exciting running career from marathon winner, Olympian, author, Road Runners Club of America President, and race director. Don's passion, knowledge, and sense of humor make for a whole slew of great stories.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun get together after a brief hiatus to swap stories about training and staying active during the harsh Midwestern winters. Beards gives us an update on his health, and they also touch on some current events; what does baking soda have to do with running?

Beards and Dun sit down together to give everyone a quick update on what's been going on with Beards and to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and donations to the GoFundMe that was set up for Beards. Stay tuned as Beards and Dun will be back soon with more full length episodes. If you would like to make a donation you can donate to the GoFunMe directly from our website or you can search Dick Beardsley at gofundme.com.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun sit down to talk with John Conley, Race Director of the Austin Marathon for 19 years. John has seen it all and learned (sometimes the hard way) what it takes to pull off the massive undertaking of coordinating all the moving pieces that go into the planning and execution of a marathon.

Some people set a goal to run a marathon. Gary Saxton set a goal to run a marathon after he turned 50. Not only did he run one marathon (or longer) after age 50, but he ended up running 100 of them! Some people say they don't have time to train. Gary is an inspiration; he underwent major back surgery and had a heart attack while accomplishing his goal. His book: 100 Marathons After 50 has valuable life and running lessons for everyone. 

Beards and Dun get a chance to sit down with the the one and only Toni Reavis on this weeks episode of the podcast. Toni is a pioneer in the world of running broadcasting. From starting the Runner's Digest radio show in 1977 to hosting ESPN's Road Race of the Month through the 80's and 90's, Toni truly is the "voice of running" in the US. Toni has met and interviewed pretty much everyone who is anyone in the world of running, and is one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the world of all things running.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun have the privilege to sit down with the real life Walter Mitty, Bart Yasso. Bart personifies to a tee, the adventurist personality type. Working for Runners World starting in 1987, Bart developed the ground breaking Runner's World Race Sponsorship Program, which ultimately involved 7000 races and four MILLION runners per YEAR. From a Bun Run with a nudist colony, developing the the Yasso 800, and a "mile high" mix up, the stories Bart can tell could be an entire podcast series on their own.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun got the pleasure of visiting with running legend Benji Durden. With modest high school and college credentials, Benji went on to become an Olympian and a Road Runners Club of America's Hall of Fame member. His running career includes being ranked in the top ten American marathoners for SIX consecutive years and being ranked 7th in the world in 1982.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun get to know a new friend, Mike Beeman. Mike has run the Boston Marathon an impressive FOURTY SEVEN times consecutively! Starting out as a basketball player and later achieving a personal best time of 2:35:42 in the marathon, as well as twice running the length of New Hampshire (248 miles) for the Make A Wish Foundation, Mike has some amazing stories to share.

Beards and Dun get together this week alongside Beards' college coach John Fulkrod. Coach Fulkrod was the men's and women's cross country coach, men's and women's track coach, and tenured chemistry professor for 38 years between the University of Minnesota-Waseca and Duluth. They discuss Coach's career as well as reminisce with stories from his time as Beards' coach.

Despite some technical issues Beards And Dun manage to get a conversation going with former SDSU Coach Jay Dirksen. Jay coached for SDSU from 1969 to 1977 before coaching in Illinois, Missouri, and 28 seasons for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, retiring in 2011. Jay has won numerous marathons including the inaugural Paavo Nurmi Marathon, The Drake Relay, and the Twin Cities Marathon just to name a few.

Beards and Dun finally get a chance to get together to record a new episode. Beards gives an update on what's going on with his knee, Dun tells about his run in with a dog, his experience with Hurricane Helene, and they discuss highlights from the Twin Cities Marathon.

Beards and Dun are back together this week for a bit of an update episode. Beards gives an update on what's been going on with his knee [content warning, squeamish listeners beware], and Dun talks about his return to the running game as a volunteer coach for Mars Hill University along with some anecdotes about his and Beards' training and coaching at SDSU.

[We are sorry to say we experienced technical issues about 28 minutes into the episode, our apologies for the audio quality from that point on] Dun flies solo again this week as Beards continues to deal with medical issues, however Dun's college room-mate Randy Fischer is just the guy to fill Beards' shoes. Randy was a state champion track runner in high school, an All-American in college, running varsity all for years at SDSU and was on two national cross-country runner-up teams. Randy ran for the Nike shoe company and went on to run 54 marathons with two sub 2:20 and 30 sub 2:30 times. He has won 7 marathons and still holds the course record at the Brookings Marathon having ran it 5 times in total. Randy is a "shoe in" if South Dakota ever creates a Hall Of Fame for distance runners and coaches.

This week on the podcast Dun is joined by guest host Brad Cordts to discuss the Olympic Track & Field events while Beards takes a short break to address some health concerns. Brad Cordts is an SDSU alumni running track with Rod Dehaven, has 30 marathons under his belt including 19 consecutive Boston Marathons, and has attended 10 Olympic Trials, 3 Olympic Games, and 2 World Championships. Who better to discuss the 2024 Olympic Track & Field results with!?

Beards and Dun sit down this week with Scott Keenan, who for 37 years starting in 1977 was the race director for the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth Minnesota. Both Beards and Dun are past competitors of the marathon with Beards holding the course record for 33 years! They discuss the history of the race from its founding and how its evolved over the years, as well as sharing stories of their own experience with the race.

Beards and Dun get together again to continue their training series, this week they discuss interval training. Interval training has been a proven training method to increase cardiovascular endurance and Beards and Dun use their knowledge to break down what it is and how to utilize it as well as sharing stories of their own experiences with interval training.

Beards and Dun are back after a short summer hiatus. This week Beards and Dun kick off a multi-part series of training advice. Starting the series off with the long run. They get to the heart of the importance of long distance training and they both share stories and insights from their own personal experiences.

With Beards heading to the Grandma's Marathon this week to provide commentary for the race he and Dun review Beards' rise from the 1980 Olympic Trials, New York, Houston, Beppu, and London Marathons to his 33 year held course record at Grandma's Marathon in 1981.

On this week's episode Beards and Dun sit down with the one and only Patti Catalano Dillon. She once held the American records for the 8K, 15K, 10 mile, 20k, 30K 1/2 marathon and marathon (first American women to break 2:30) and the world records for the road 20k, 30k and 1/2 marathon. She ran 48 races in 52 weeks and won 44 of the races! She also won the Honolulu marathon 4 times, finished 2nd at the Boston Marathon 3 times, won the Newport Marathon 5 times (each in a new course record) and signed a pro contract with Nike in 1980. She was undoubtedly the "Queen of the Road".

This week Beards and Dun get the privilege to sit down and talk with the great Greg Meyer. Greg once held every American Road Racing record for the 8K, 10K, 15K, 10 mile, 20K, 25K, 30K and held the world record for the 10 mile and 25K. He is the winner of both the Chicago Marathon and the Boston Marathon. Greg is also the first runner to ever run both a sub 4 minute mile AND a sub 2:10 marathon.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun revisit Dun's transition from running to cycling in the early 90's. From 24hr race events to endurance events such as RAAM (Race Across America), RAW (Race Across The West), the Hell And Back double crossing of South Dakota, and everything in-between, over the past 33 years Dun has cycled 226,266 miles (just shy of the 238,900 miles from the Earth to the Moon) in 5,291 rides, averaging 24.8 miles per ride!

On this episode of the podcast Beards and Dun sit down with the one and only Rod Dixon. From his start in running as a 4 year old, to initially making an "enemy" of Steve Prefontaine, helping to inspire a new generation as he was personally inspired by Sir Edmund Hillary, to helping shoe company's learn what the needs of runners are. The stories are pure gold. [Please forgive us for some unforeseen technical issues that lead to less than ideal recording qualities.]

This week Beards and Dun sit down to reflect on the training principles discussed with previous guest Joe Henderson. Dun breaks down Long Slow Distance (LSD), or Zone 2 training, and gets to the heart of productive training and overall good health.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun have the pleasure to get together for a conversation with Joe Henderson. Joe is the most prolific running writer of all time. From being the first full time employee of Runner's World magazine in the 1970s, a career spanning over 30 years, to authoring or co-authoring 30 books on running. Joe is credited for coining the term "Long Slow Distance", which has been implemented as a necessary part of training for many world class athletes.

This week Beards and Dun get a chance to sit down with author Lori Sheldon and her husband Kevin. Kevin was a cross-country and track team-mate of Beards and Dun from their SDSU days who seemingly overnight went from a model of good health to being faced with needing a heart transplant. Lori's book Change of Heart tells the story of Kevin's five year health battle from her perspective with the goal to provide other caregivers and family members facing long medical crises the perseverance to overcome uncertainties.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun get together to have a conversation with the one and only Doug Kurtis. Doug has over 200 sub-3 marathons under his belt, he holds the world record for most marathons finished under 2:20:00 (76 btw), he also holds the world record for most marathon victories (40!)! This is an episode you definitely don't want to miss!

"The most interesting man in the world". One is fictional, one is real. On this weeks episode of the podcast, Beards and Dun sit down to speak with William "Doc" Wenmark. Bill has 104 marathons under his belt, 21 Leadville 100 mountain bike finishes, 2 full Iron Man Triathlons, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Bill is also the Founder, and former President, CEO, and Chairman of NOW Care Medical Centers, as well as founder and president of ALARC, the largest marathon running club in the United States. We could spend hours writing up his list of accomplishments, but instead give this episode a listen and we'll let you decide why he is in the running for "the most interesting man in the world".

On this special edition episode of the podcast Beards and Dun sit down with author Marc Pollina to discuss his book "The Boston Marathon Handbook", personal histories with the race, and all things Boston Marathon leading up to the event this coming Monday. Marc is an 18 time Boston finisher (going for number 19 on Monday). His insight and knowledge of the Boston marathon and marathoning in general, make this book the one resource you should have to make your marathon running goals a reality.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun get a chance to speak with the one and only Richard Benyo who joins us via phone call to discuss his amazing history with the sport of running. Rich Benyo was the editor of Marathon & Beyond, the author of more than two dozen books, mostly in the areas of fitness, health, and running, and a veteran of 37 marathons. In 1989 he and his running partner Tom Crawford became the first lunatics to run from Badwater in Death Valley (lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and hottest place on Earth) to the peak of Mt. Whitney (at 14,494 feet the highest point in the contiguous U.S.) and back, a distance of 300 miles.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun sit down to catch up on what they've been up to and discuss some current events. From Dun's recent trip to Tucson, AZ, memories shared with Bob Bartling, the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, to news of the Bargmann Endowment at SDSU, there's lots to talk about.

This week on the podcast Beards and Dun had a chance to sit down with author Brad Fawley to talk about his upcoming book The Frontrunner. Brad was a two-time NCAA All-American at 5000 meters and cross country. We talk to Brad about how he got started running and his process and motivation to write this page-turning novel. Brad was even gracious enough to give a few sneak peaks from the novel!

On this episode of the podcast Beards and Dun visit with the legendary Bob Bartling. Bob is a very fit and sharp 97 years young!! His story is amazing! He was an outstanding high school athlete, a WW II veteran, a successful businessman and he returned to athletics (running) in his 40's and he hasn't stopped. He owns a 2:45 marathon best in the 34 marathons he has completed. He was the driving force behind the Prairie Striders Running Club as its first president and then treasurer for the next 40 years! He also established the first Nike shoe dealership in the state of South Dakota in 1971.

This week Beards and Dun sit down with and get to know Ben Olson. We had a chance to visit with him about his running career so far, which includes his Olympic Qualifying race (2:16:04) and his Olympic Marathon Trials race effort the week prior to this episode. After a stellar career (both athletically and academically) at South Dakota State University, Ben is willing to see where his running may lead. If you don't know who Ben Olson is right now, you will in the future, as he has the potential to become a well known name in the running world.

On this special early release episode of the podcast, Beards and Dun get together to discuss the Olympic Marathon Trials. The 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials take place this weekend (February 3rd) in Orlando, Florida, providing an opportunity to talk about the history of the Olympic Marathon Trials, their own stories qualifying for the trials, as well as looking at this years field of competitors to give their take on the outcome.

Beards and Dun return after a short hiatus to sit down and talk with the one and only Frank Shorter. The conversation ranges from his early running, to his drive to be the best, to his relationship with the late Steve Prefontaine and much more. This is one you don't want to miss!

Beards and Dun get together to continue their story telling in this weeks episode. Dun gets pulled over in a van full suspicious looking people, the two of them swap horror stories of their worst races, Beards plays a prank on Dun, and they recount their run ins with the terrifying Japanese pine beetle. Prepare for an episode full of laughter with these stories and more.

Join us for this special Thanksgiving edition of the podcast where Beards and Dun sit down to share some laughs with funny memories from their early days. An angry trucker, a determined wiener dog, good samaritans, and the "big fella" are just a few of the subjects on todays episode.

This week Beards and Dun get together to discuss Dun's experience at the 1983 Boston Marathon. Dun gets fired up for the marathon by entering the Inclement 25k, now the Ron Daws Memorial 25k, winning himself a unique prize. Follow along while Dun goes through the marathon from prerace events to the exhilarating finish landing Dun his Person Best time in the marathon and qualifying for the 1984 Olympic Trials.

Beards and Dun sit down with Ron Tabb this week to discuss his amazing running career. Join us as we follow his journey from humble beginnings to his rise to world class status.

Beards and Dun sit down this week to discuss their training and workouts from the early days of their running careers up to their peak performances. They talk about not just the physical aspects of training but the mental aspects as well.

Beards and Dun reunite for this weeks episode after a brief stint in the hospital for Beards. We get an update on what's been happening with Beards before hearing how the rest of 1982 played out. Between running the Black Hills Marathon and the Twin Cities Marathon, Dun was joined by Beards in Thunder Bay, and Beards took a swing at the New York City Marathon.

Dun sits down with current SDSU Cross Country and Track Coach Rod DeHaven while Beards takes a much needed recovery break. Rod has an outstanding running career, from his first race at 10 years old (the Jack 15) to becoming the only American athlete to run the 2000 Olympic Marathon in Sydney, AU. Join Dun as we hear about Rod's incredible journey.

Beards and Dun get the ball rolling this week with a discussion on current events. Beards and Dun talk about performance enhancement, the good and the bad, before they tell the saga of the One Hour Run.

Something a little different this week as Beards And Dun spend some time outside of the "recording studio". This week we want to showcase a couple speaking engagements Beards and Dun have had in the past. Beards recounts his first couple attempts at the marathon at the 2013 Napa Valley Marathon in Napa, CA, and Dun chronicles his attempt at the Race Across America (RAAM) during the 2011 TEDx event in Sioux Falls, SD.

This week Beards and Dun get together to talk about Beards' performance at the 1982 Grandma's Marathon in Duluth MN. Expectations are high after Beards' incredible finish at Boston just a few months prior, even Dun is ready to set a PR. Also, Dun recounts how a 1979 8 miler resurfaces and makes the headlines in Rock Rapids IA: Boston Runner Was Here.

On this weeks episode of the podcast Beards and Dun get together to discuss the aftermath of the 1982 Boston Marathon. From the podium to the press room and back to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, hear the inside scoop of the whirlwind following Beards' incredible finish in Boston.

The long awaited for epic has finally arrived! Join Beards and Dun as they discuss the historic 1982 Boston Marathon, the Duel In The Sun. From the night before and every step to the finish, listen in as Beards' recounts one of the most famous marathons ever run.