Saturday, September 9, 2023 • Detroit Lakes, MN • Course Map
First organized in 1996 as a tribute to hometown hero and legendary marathon runner Dick Beardsley, the half marathon & 5K event that bears his name is unique not just for its famous host but also for the famous runners who attend and participate each year.
Running the race has been everyone from Carrie Tollefson and Alberto Salazar to Joan Benoit Samuelson and Frank Shorter, who was the marathon gold medalist in the 1972 Summer Olympics and has served as the race’s special guest and speaker in past years.
Following an out-and-back loop course that takes runners around Detroit Lake, from which the city gets its name, the race is run entirely on paved surfaces and features views of the water for nearly the entire route.
The starting line lies at the Kent Freeman Arena in People’s Park, from which participants make an initial brief run along city blocks northward and then return back to the lakeshore, where they begin the lion’s share of the course that takes them around the lake.
Runners will cross the finish line back at People’s Park, just a stone’s throw from the starting line.
The race draws several hundred runners each year for both the half marathon and the 5K, many of whom no doubt come out to experience what’s it like to run with one of the country’s and the world’s true running greats.
Beardsley is the two-time winner and still record holder of Duluth’s famous Grandma’s Marathon, and has also won the London and Napa Valley Marathons. He also holds the fifth-fastest men’s marathon time in history (and the fourth-fastest ever in the Boston Marathon, for his 1982 race there).
The city of Detroit Lakes itself is just as much of a draw for runners from outside the local area, as it boasts more than 400 lakes within 25 miles of the city center.
Race Weather & Climate
Located in the northern half of the state and about 50 miles from the border with North Dakota (and the city of Fargo), Detroit Lakes is known for its mild, pleasantly warm summers and sometimes bitterly cold winters, when temperatures regularly reach the single digits and often drop below zero.
On race day (Sept. 9), the average low is 51ºF and the average high is 74ºF.
Past Results
- 2022 Half Marathon Results
- 2019 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2018 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2017 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2016 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2015 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2014 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2013 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2012 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
- 2011 Dick Beardsley Half Marathon Results
Course Map
See the race route map for the Dick Beardsley Half Marathon here.
Starting Time
- 7:30 AM – half marathon, 25K
- 8:00 AM – 10K
- 11:00 AM – 5K
Fees
- $65 and up for the half marathon
- $69 and up for the 25K
- $45 and up for the 10K
- $39 and up for the 5K
Registration
To reserve your spot in the 2023 running of Detroit Lakes’ Dick Beardsley Half Marathon, Relay, 10K or 5K race, register online at EnMotive.com here.
Official Race Website
Facebook Conversations
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