Dick Wilson wasn't a member of the KU MadDogs, but many of us knew him and ran with him, or ran well behind him in most cases. Dick was one of the two finest runners in the area (along with Paul Heitzman) after he moved to Lawrence in the early 1990s. He was a regular running buddy of Mike Ott's until Mike's death in 1996. The two of them went to many races together, and though Mike was perhaps the best all-around MadDogs runner ever and 14 years younger, Dick probably beat Mike more often than not. Because Dick wasn't a member of our group, we don't have records of his times except in races where our members also took part. Check the 1990s tabs under the Races link and see how Dick and Mike (and Paul) fared in their races together. Running Times magazine ranked Dick in the top 3 nationally several times in his 5-year age group.

Dick ran many big races around the country. Locally, a few highlights are his 17:58 5K and 38:18 10K as well as his two half-marathons (Indianapolis and Las Vegas) in 1:24 -- all of these at age 64. A couple of other races that stand out are the 1994 Hospital Hill Half-Marathon (and we all know what conditions there are like), where he ran 1:27 to beat a large group of MadDogs (all but Erica Larson, a future two-time Olympic marathon trials qualifier and 40 years younger). He also beat all 12 MadDogs who ran the 1992 8.2-mile Sandrat Trail Run, including our speedy 20-something.

Memorials may be made to three funds in Dick's memory (see obituary below). See also this link for more details about Dick's running career. I welcome anything you might have to provide a fuller picture of Dick.--Dick Lipsey.