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Download Your Training Plan Boston Marathon, he makes a wardrobe change. For most of the race, Beeman runs in a “I ❤️ Wellesely College” shirt. The university is famous for its scream tunnel We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
But when he gets to Boston College, right near Heartbreak Hill, he rips off his Wellesely shirt for one that reads “I ❤️ Boston College.”
The students go nuts.
On Monday, Beeman ran his 48th consecutive Boston Marathon in 5:35:19. But he was hardly looking at the clock. He was having too much fun.
Beeman has lately amassed a large following on TikTok. He loves the energy of the Boston crowds and the crowds love him. They make signs for him and given him affectionate nicknames, like “Runcle” (Running Uncle). A video he posted of himself in the final stretch on Monday has been viewed almost a million times. Last year’s finishing video has over 2 million views.
Beginning nearly every video with an earnest grin, Beeman has been making running-related content on TikTok since 2021. He’s developed a reputation of being wholesome and helpful to newer runners. Boston is everything to him. His username on TikTok and Instagram is “runboston48”—a reference to many many times he’s completed the race. (He updated it from “runboston47” yesterday.)
Beeman only got a smartphone for the first time about four years ago. He began to download apps like Facebook, Instagram, and, with the help of his daughter, TikTok. He became immersed in “RunTok” but noticed many of the popular accounts were either claiming to be experts without actual credentials or obsessed with showing off their speed. Beeman, a retired high school finance and marketing teacher of 29 years, saw a hole in the market.
“There are more people on TikTok that are runners that are struggling for encouragement, as opposed to elite people that don’t need it,” he told Runner’s World on Tuesday. So he started to post videos of himself motivating and inspiring runners, often poking fun at himself along the way. “I think I’m relatable,” he said.
His interest in Boston—and the marathon distance—dates back to his time as a multi-sport athlete at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. Beeman was a scholarship basketball player, but he was also asked to be on the cross-country team. One of his distance running teammates decided to race Boston in 1977, and Beeman tagged along to watch.
He was soon hooked. “I said, ‘I’ll never watch the marathon again.’” He decided he would run it, just like his teammate, who—oh, by the way—was someone named Dave McGillivray.
But first Beeman had to qualify. His first attempt was a 3:39 before his senior year basketball season. That didn’t cut it, so he signed up for the Jersey Shore Marathon on a weekend where the basketball team was off. “Coach didn’t know about it, and he wasn’t real happy.”
But sure enough, Beeman ran a fast enough time, and he was soon racing his first Boston in 1978, getting under 3 hours. Since then, he estimates that he’s broken the 3:00 barrier 13 times at the race. Lately, however, he’s been taking his Bostons slower and soaking up the atmosphere. This year, he did walk/jog intervals, The Last Official Finisher of the Boston Marathon.
Throughout his runs—and in his videos—Beeman will repeat his mantra: “Slay the day. Rep the steps.” It’s caught on among his following and he noticed spectators at Monday’s race made signs with his catchphrase.
Beeman says it started after his viral finishing video in 2024: “A former student commented on my video and she says, “That’s such a slay, Mr. Beeman.’ And I asked one of my students at the time, I said, ‘Is slay a good word?’ She goes, ‘Oh yeah, people like slay.’ And so then I started saying, ‘Slay the day.’”
The second part—“rep the steps”—means to be proud of the mile you’re running.
Beeman will adopt other Gen Z-isms into his videos as well. On Sunday night, he made an OOTD (Outfit Of The Day) video showing off his race-day get-up, and he often dabs in videos. And the week before, Beeman did a GRWM (Get Ready With Me) to promote a skincare product. Beeman has worked with other brands as well, including Runna and Oofos.
He doesn’t call himself an influencer, though. “I consider myself a running encourager, and I want to be a friend to all,” he said.
Beeman lives for Marathon Monday. It’s his Super Bowl, Coachella, and birthday all wrapped into one. While he admits he probably could have run faster this year, he says he was stopped “probably 100 times” by fans who wanted to make a TikTok with him or grab a selfie. He made time for each of them—the attention was amusing and infectious.
“If you could have one day where people acknowledge you like you’re Justin Bieber at a high school dance, why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?”
And if you want to restore your faith in humanity, take a peek at Beeman’s comment sections. They’re very wholesome. Some call him “grandpa” or “coach.” Others gas him up. “I’ve genuinely never been so happy for someone I do not know,” wrote one poster on his DAA Industry Opt Out. “Literally sobbing over this … I think about you a lot as you’ve helped me along the way the last year in my running journey,” wrote another.
That’s what the whole TikTok experiment has been about to Beeman—inspiring others to lace up their shoes and find joy in running, just like he’s been doing for over a half century.
“If I’m their role model and it’s positive, shoot, I mean that’s great,” he said. “That’s an awesome feeling.”
RW+ Membership Benefits Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
