Hantsport’s Richard Beazley’s career took place when road racing was a high profile sport. He competed against the best men in Nova Scotia who were on par with the best in Canada and the Eastern US including six Hall of Famers. His career was limited due to financial restraints brought about by the Great Depression in the 1930’s.

He worked 8 to 12 hours a day and practiced his running after work, often after dark. Beazley competed in the Halifax Modified Marathon, the premier race in the Maritimes, and the Maritime Ten Mile Championship 13 times, finishing second on three occasions (1938, 1939 and 1940). He also ran in the Boston Marathon in 1938 placing 40th of 180 runners.

Beazley’s career was abruptly curtailed by World War II. He enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1944 and was killed in action on February 26, 1945. The Dick Beazley Memorial Race has been run every year since 1947.

A Gee Ahern article notes “No runner is more deserving of a spot on the wall where so many track stars are displayed in the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame than the late Dick Beazley. Dick Beazley was a remarkably good road racer in Nova Scotia for more than a decade, and his memory and legacy have promoted the sport of road racing for over 50 years.” Richard “Dick” Paul Beazley is an Original member of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.