Kenyan beats Beardsley?s 32-year-old Grandma?s Marathon record
With the legendary Dick Beardsley cheering him on, Dominic Onodoro on June 21 beat the Grandma’s Marathon course record the Minnesota native had set in 1981, at the height of his incredible career.
Cool temperatures helped set the stage for Ondorno, who broke free from the lead pack around the 20-mile mark and surged to the finish line in Duluth, Minn., in a time of 2:09:06, 31 seconds ahead of the record.
Beardsley was gracious in his praise. “I tell you, it was a pretty sight to see,” Beardsley said in an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “If I didn’t say it was a little bittersweet, I’d be lying but … he pretty much smoked it.”
Read the full Star Tribune coverage here, and check out this interview with Beardsley from 2008, full of wisdom and insight from a man who battled drug addiction after injuries slowed his chase to the top of his sport.