Deacon competed in the marathon at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Summer Olympics. He placed 11th and 16th respectively at the World Athletics Championships in 1995 and 1997. Deacon was the first two-time winner and is currently the only three-time winner of the California International Marathon (in 1991, 1995, and 2001), as well as 8th, 6th, and 4th-place finishes in 1990, 1998, and 2002 respectively. At the 2002 event, he set a personal best with a time of 2:13:18. Deacon claimed the silver medal in the marathon at the 2003 Pan American Games. Now retired from competing internationally, Bruce is a coach and sport consultant, working for Run Fast Consulting Inc.