Dr. David Beeland - Running Hobby with Eat More Chicken Children

David was born in Macon but grew up in Thomaston, GA where his parents worked in the local Martha Mills cotton mill.  David fondly recalls that the mill would shut down for 4^th of July vacation week facilitating annual family treks to Panama City Beach.  David was very active in 4-H in school.  He was a   4-H Central District Officer in 1985 and a Rock Eagle camp counselor in 1989.  David played trumpet and transitioned to baritone in the Upson High School band.  He has worked since the age of sixteen, initially at a Dairy Queen then Winn Dixie while in high school.  He continued working in the grocery business during his two years at Gordon Junior College in Barnesville. 

David’s college tenure continued at a satellite campus of Mercer University in Thomaston before transferring to the University of Georgia (UGA) in 1990.  In addition to working in the Gingko Tree Restaurant, front desk, and eventually night manager at the downtown Athens Holiday Inn, David served in the Georgia National Guard from 1986-1992.  David was activated and served stateside on active duty during Operation Desert Storm.  Upon deactivation, David returned to UGA and graduated in 1993 with a B.A. in Middle Grades Education. This explains why David can so easily engage in conversation with fellow Black Bag and Clover Glove runners.  He persevered and earned Master and Specialist of Education degrees in Instructional Technology and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from Valdosta State University.  David worked fulltime to support himself through every degree that he earned!

David’s career as an educator began with a six-year stint as a 7^th grade science teacher followed by five years as an instructional technology coach for teachers at Upson-Lee Middle School in Upson County.  For the past fourteen years, David has been a district administrator in the Upson, Monroe, and now Barrow County School systems.  In addition to his duties with the Clover Glove Race Series and Barrow County School system, David is a part time Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University teaching online courses in instructional technology.    

David has been married for twenty-three years to April Eskew Beeland, a first-grade teacher at Auburn Elementary School.  His daughter Whitney is a sophomore psychology major at Georgia Southern University.  Their youngest child, son Will, is an eleventh grader at Winder-Barrow High School.  Both currently or have in the past worked at Chick-Fil-A in Winder.

Using his instructional technology expertise, David used the Couch to 5K app on his smart phone for his first foray into running.  David began to run in October 2014 with the goal of losing weight and leading a healthier lifestyle.  He ran his first 5K in December 2014 with a time of 31.25.  The number of races progressed and David’s time came down, with thirty races in 2015 with a P.R. of 23:19, one hundred and twenty-five in 2016 with a P.R. of 21:41, and one hundred and fifty races in 2017 with a P.R. of 21:31. David has run many 10Ks and a few half marathons.  David reflects that “when I started running I had no idea that I would become part of a running family that has reunions every weekend.”  He is “most thankful for the support and encouragement I have received from my fellow runners who have become my friends.” His favorite thing about running is meeting and getting to know new people.  He stated “my hobby is running.”                                                 

Bob checking out from the back of the pack.  Watch for the profile of Veronica Doster, and profile of Tom Wendle.