On The Run With Beards And Dun

Beards and Dun return to the mic for a jam packed episode. They fill us in on what they've been up to with Dun spending the summer back in the Midwest, and Beards spending it out on the boat. We get their thoughts on current events as well as some events from the past, a sneak peek for future plans, and so much more!

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 Abel 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 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.

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?

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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".