Duel in the Sun

There are some races where it doesn’t seem right that someone has to lose.

The 1982 Boston Marathon is a good example. On a hot day, Dick Beardsley (joint winner of the first London Marathon) ran neck and neck with Alberto Salazar for virtually the whole race, miles ahead of the rest of the field. Salazar went into the race as the overhwelming favourite, with Beardsley the underdog. Beardsley followed his coach’s advice to ‘sink your teeth into Salazar’s butt and not let go’.

You can see footage from the race here. Beardsley describes the race here (click ‘Duel in the Sun’).

John Brant has written a book about the race, Duel in the Sun.

It’s a compelling book.  The account of the race is written in a semi-fictional style - imagining the runners’ thoughts during the race. It intertwines a description of the race with the runners stories after the race. Neither of them were able to run at the same level again and both suffered significant personal problems.

Salazar collapsed after the race and was taken to hospital to be treated for dehydration (he hadn’t drunk anything during the race) and heat exhaustion. His performances declined and he began to suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome - reaching the point where he could barely run at all.

Beardsley suffered a series of injuries, and then had a series of accidents. He became addicted to painkillers and was caught forging prescriptions.

They have both since recovered, and started running again, both breaking three hours for the marathon. Beardsley is now a motivational speaker and Salazar is coach of the Nike Oregon Project.