Paul McMullen (19 February 1972 – 4 March 2021) was an American

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who specialized in the

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

. Paul was known by some as "the pride of

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

" after qualifying and competing in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Early life

McMullen was born 19 February 1972, son of Doug and Theresa McMullen. He grew up in

Cadillac, Michigan Cadillac ( ) is a city in and county seat of Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 census, which ranks it the third most-populated city in the Northern Michigan region after Traverse City and Alp ...

with his brother Phil and sister Sarah. An early physical education teacher noticed his speed and told him he should run track. Years later, when he was a 6-foot-2-inch, 165 pound tight end on his high school's football team, he and a few football teammates joined the track team during the football off-season. By his senior year of high school, McMullen won the Michigan state title in the mile.Runners World: "Paul McMullen, an Olympian and National Mile Champion, Dies at 49"
By Sarah Lorge Butler. Mar 5, 2021. Accessed 13 May 2022.

Running career

McMullen received a small athletic scholarship to

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

and ran under legendary EMU coach Bob Parks. McMullen graduated in accounting in 1995 and was well prepared for a running career: as of 2022, he retains EMU's fastest time at 3:38:74 in the 1500 meter run, the second fastest time in the 800 meter run, and stands all-time 32nd of 75 men in the 5000 meter run. Although he had struggled in his early college days, red-shirting his first collegiate year, he became an eight-time All-American and was inducted into the

Drake Relays The Drake Relays (officially the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom) is an outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, in Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University. Billed as ''America's Athletic Classic'', it ...

Hall of Fame in 2000 and into EMU's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. McMullen finished tenth at the

1995 World Championships in Athletics The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden on 5–13 August 1995. This edition featured 1804 athletes from 191 nat ...

Gothenburg, Sweden Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a ...

. He won

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

in 1995 (1500 m), 1996 (1500 m) and 1998 (Indoor Mile). He won the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials 1500 m and was a semi-finalist at the Atlanta Summer Olympics the same year, gaining the moniker, "the pride of Cadillac". His personal best 1500 m time was 3:33.89 minutes, achieved in July 2001 in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. In 2001, Track and Field News ranked him at number one in the US. McMullen finished tenth at the

2001 World Championships in Athletics The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event ...

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In 1997, McMullen lost parts of two toes when his foot slipped under a lawnmower he was operating. He returned to the sport in December 1998 and was able to run even faster than before the accident. ''

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in E ...

'' referred to him, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as "the world's fastest eight-toed miler."

Personal life

McMullen had two children from his first marriage (Jill Stamison), Olivia and David, aged 19 and 14 respectively at the time of his death. McMullen married secondly to his high school girl-friend, Nuria DeSoto Queralto of Spain in December 2011. His wife Nuria of just under ten years gave birth to their first child Catalina on July 5, 2014. Paul is brother to Phil McMullen, a fireman paramedic in the East Bay Area of San Francisco,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and former world class decathlete.

Later life

Before his death, McMullen worked as a Life Safety Consultant for EPS Security and competed in masters road cycling events during the summer. He was the founder and Coach of Chariots of Fire youth running club.

Death

Paul McMullen was killed on 4 March 2021 in a skiing accident in Northern Michigan. He was 49 years old.

YouTube links

YouTube: "I Dare You to Run"
By Paul McMullen, edited by Kevin Stinehart. Accessed 13 May 2022.
YouTube: Kevin Sullivan vs. Paul McMullen - Men's 1500m - 1995 NCAA Outdoor Championships
Accessed 13 May 2022.
YouTube: 1996 US Olympic Trials - Men's 1500 Meter Final
Accessed 13 May 2022.
YouTube: Paul McMullen - Lawnmower Accident (1997)
Accessed 13 May 2022.
YouTube: Paul McMullen - Men's Mile - 1998 USA Indoor Championships
Accessed 13 May 2022.
YouTube: Chariots of Fire Hail Mary Part 1 DEC 2020
Accessed 14 May 2022.

References

External links

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Paul McMullen
at

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McMullen, Paul 1972 births 2021 deaths Skiing deaths American male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Eastern Michigan University alumni Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Sportspeople from Michigan People from Cadillac, Michigan Eastern Michigan Eagles men's track and field athletes Sports deaths in Michigan