RIP 1996 Olympic Trials 1500m Champ Paul McMullen, 49

You are correct as their careers were fairly similar. Holman even placed 4th at a World Indoor Championships if I recall correctly. Maybe that 1996 Trials stood out more for some as the Olympic Games were held in the U.S. that year.

McMullen was closer to 195 than 165 at baseline. Similar frame to a guy like Mac Fleet but way more jacked.

Enjoyed reading some of the memories of Paul. I raced him here and there, and interacted with him a few times. Dang, at a track meet, he definitely was a well known and popular person, so I appreciated any occasion that he would spend time in conversation with me. In April, 2000, at the Sea Ray Relays, I was in very good shape, but not too sharp. With a lap to go, it was Paul and myself side by side, with David Kimani (Alabama) one step ahead. I was thinking, I wanna take down Kimani, a big name at the time, and get Paul too. Kimani had just won the NCAA XC Champs in '99 after only a year of running, and also split a 3:53 1600 relay and posted other good times. I passed Paul and went after Kimani, but Kimani literally put 2 seconds on both of us and pulled away easily. Paul passed me with a few meters to go. We ran like 3:44.03 and 3:44.16....Kimani...3:42.03ish. A few years later, Kimani collapsed in the Alabama dining hall in 2003 and passed away at age 25, and now Paul is gone at 49....

Here is what I will say about Paul. I didn't know him well, but being part of the sub-elite racing scene in Michigan in the early 2000s I had a good number of interactions with him. I found him to be a grounded, positive, and engaging personality. A couple interactions come to mind.

- I decided to run a really tiny 10K because it was basically out the door of my apartment in Ypsilanti. 2000 or 2001. 20 people showed up. I'd PR'd at 5K the prior night so was not looking to run all-out and expected to win easily. First half mile all went to plan, then this football QB looking dude came up on my shoulder. I started accelerating expecting to drop him easily but it never happened. About the time I figured something unusual was afoot as I was hitting 5K pace in a 10K he strikes up conversation, commenting on how great the morning was, how beautiful the river looked, and how I should take water from the volunteers at the aid station because it made them feel good. I finally thanked him for the conversation, but told him I was maxed out and going to slow down so he was welcome to run away if he wanted a fast time. He waved and took off well under 5min pace. By the time I caught up with him at the finish he wasn't sweating or breathing hard and I asked him who he had run for expecting to hear some DI program. Instead he indicated he still ran for someone and kind of casually indicated the Saucony logo on his shirt. We had a pretty good conversation and I found him super humble and personable.

A few months later I ran into him again on the EMU campus running with a group of athletes, he recognized me and invited me into the group introducing me as a "fast guy". He knew very well that at that time I was a 33min 10K guy and that whole group was probably faster than me.

I had a few other conversations with him. They were all in the same tone, I had a ton of respect for the guy and was excited to watch him in his final World Championships performance. I was very saddened to hear of his passing at such a young age.

The story I always remember about Paul was he reportedly cut off 2-3 toes on one of his feet in a freak lawnmower accident. I always wondered if that affected his ability to train hard / race, but based on the results we saw it seems like the answer is no.

He was a fun guy to watch race. Always fought through to the tape, and as big as he was, just looked like if he couldn't outkick someone, he could at least devour them at the finish line.

RIP

Terrible news. .

First met Paul when we roomed together at the 1996 Rome Golden Gala. He was jet lagged and calling his then girlfriend Jill at 2am in the morning to sing to her. He wasn’t a great singer!

We then got to training together in Palo Alto in 1999 after his left Tom Jacob’s group and came to train with the Farm Team. We suffered thru some longer tempos together, relishing the idea that we’d clean the others up come the time when we could put our spikes on and let rip.

Always a great competitor and a towering presence in the world of 1500m running

RIP mate

Sorry if it was already mentioned, but how did Paul die specifically? Avalanche, hit a tree?

Mayeroff, welcome back (or maybe you've been back?), but skiing isn't that dangerous. Injuries are not uncommon, but deaths relative to the number of skiers is quite low. Less than 1 per million skier visits. I think driving is about 160/million.

In 1996 we had an intersquad Spring outdoor Meet at the University of Minnesota. Some of the older guys on the team knew Paul and he showed up. He ran the 1500, 800, and a leg of the 4x4. He hung out with all of us before, during, and after the Meet just like he was one of the guys on the Squad. One of my best memories. Solid dude. Rest in Peace.

JO Coach wrote:

some 800 guy wrote:

McMullen was a sight to behold coming down the homestretch at the Drake Relays.

Yes. McMullen had such a physical presence for a mid distance runner at that level. One of a kind. I used to love watching him duke it out with Kevin Sullivan. Arkansas had Graham Hood and a year sr to hood was Niall Bruton. I was in HS during this era and my teammates and I loved watching these guys race.

Has Sullivan released a statement? I bet this hits him hard.

A complete badass. Loved his down to earth mentality and intense competitive fire. My uncle is friends with his Dad they have gone on hunting trips together with both Paul and Phil. He signed some track and field news magazines for me back in 2002. I never met him in person I always wish I had for many years. Followed his running since at least 1995. Prayers to his family and friends. RIP I picture Paul running with PRE up there, both complete badasses!!

info wrote:

Enjoyed reading some of the memories of Paul. ...

So have I. Keep the larger-than-life stories coming!

wejo wrote:

Chris Lear sent me this

https://abc7ny.com/ice-carousel-rink-michigan-spring-lake/10282883/

Holy heck! I saw that a month ago, but didn't put 2 + 2 together. Didn't know that Paul McMullen was Paul McMullen. This tells you more about Paul than any of the running stories ... but keep those running stories coming.

There have been so many great stories of Paul on this thread, but this is my favorite. It shows what a good, down earth guy he was.

I briefly met Paul in '98 at the Goodwill Games. I was a high school runner volunteering at the meet and he was competing. After his race he stayed back to sign autographs. I remember him being tall, charismatic and friendly. When he signed my autograph book he not only wrote his name but added "You're Gorgeous" and then my dad snapped a photo of us. (I know in this current culture & climate our interaction could be viewed as creepy, but it most definitely was not). I got a lot of autographs and photos with pro runners that weekend, but meeting Paul and running into Bob Kennedy at a Sbarro's inside a shopping mall were easily the most memorable and I have probably talked about both on this message board before. RIP

ESPN coverage:

https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/31011869/paul-mcmullen-1996-us-olympic-runner-dies-ski-accident

John Wesley Harding wrote:

Very sad if true.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kg6JFLLy7eM&t=424s

He was one of the reasons why I wanted to be a miler. A true inspiration.

Terrible news. As a high schooler in Michigan ~20 years ago he was someone we all looked up to. Had the fortune to “race” against him in a 1500m once at Hillsdale in 2001 and he was just a beast.

Why am I just learning about this extraordinary guy? I can spout off so many names of runners before and after Paul's career, but my brain must have been hyperfocused on career and family during the years when Paul shined most brightly - on the track, that is. His light never dimmed after he stepped down from elite running, according to the many honest and touching comments in this thread. Thanks to all for sharing, and RIP, Paul.

Paul was absolutely as down to earth and kind as they come!

This video speaks volumes about his versatility as a person, he dabbled into just about everything!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1civZYVPCg