Event Description
The 2020 Fort Wayne Running Club Annual Meeting and Banquet will take place Sunday January 26th at the Parkview Mirro Center. Our 2020 Keynote Speaker will be marathoner, prescription drug abuse survivor, fisherman, author, and motivational speaker Dick Beardsley.
The 2020 Annual Banquet will honor members, volunteers, and outstanding area high school athletes. Please join us for our pre-banquet festivities beginning at 2:30 pm with a runners social, display tables and Dick Beardsley meet, greet and Staying The Course book sales. The banquet program and dinner will begin at 4 pm.
2:30pm Check-in
2:30- 4 pm Runners social, display tables, club membership sales and Dick Beardsley meet, greet and Stay Then Course book sales
4pm Banquet Commences
Awards for 2019 FWRC Points Series and Ironrunners
Awards for outstanding high school runners with the "Chris Brown Male and Female High School Runners of the Year"
Awards for FWRC Don Lindley Volunteer of the Year, Barbie Scrogham Spirit of Running, Golden Shoe, Joe Ziegler Breaking Barriers, Extra Mile and President's Award
Staying The Course Speech by Marathoner, Prescription Drug Addiction Survivor, Fisherman, Motivational Speaker and Author Dick Beardsley
A New Balance 5 km public run with Dick Beardsley will take place Sunday morning January 26, at Fleet Feet with check in beginning at 9 am and the walk/run starting at 10 am
Dick Beardsley is a compelling motivational/inspirational keynote speaker at Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, conferences, conventions, corporate events, fundraisers, galas, sporting events, prisons, schools and drug treatment centers.
Dick is referred to as a running legend in the United States and is best known for his incredible race in the 1982 Boston Marathon. That race, on a very hot day, was dubbed the "Duel in the Sun" as he battled world record holder Alberto Salazar down to the finish line. Both broke the American record: Salazar won in a record time of 2:08:51, Beardsley’s time was 2:08:53, finishing 1.6 seconds later, placing second. He was at the height of his professional running career.
In November of 1989, tragedy struck Dick’s life. While using an auger to lift corn into a bin on his Minnesota farm, Dick became entangled in the machine; it began to literally tear him apart. Not expected to live or walk—much less ever run again—he managed to survive.
But that was just the first of a series of events that would forever change his life. During the next few years, Dick was involved in a severe car accident, later he was hit by a truck while running, later still, he rolled his vehicle in a snowstorm, and finally while hiking one day, the ground gave out and he fell off a cliff! Each time he ended up in the hospital and had multiple surgeries to try and put him back together. Due to all the large amount of pain medication he was taking, he became addicted—and that's when his life really started to spiral out of control. It has been a long and difficult road back, but Dick has been celebrating every day of his sobriety since February 12, 1997.
For more questions contact Judy Tillapaugh at tillapau@pfw.edu
Banquet fee is $30 for non FWRC members
$20 until November 1st for members
$25 until January 1st for members
$30 for January 1st and on for members
