Fast Running Blog

Today marks seven years since Paul Cummings died after his fishing boat capsized.  I was thinking about him the other day and wondering what ever happened to him.  So I googled him and found out from wikepedia.com that he drowned 7 years ago.  I thought, "How sad.  I wonder if any of the bloggers knew him."  (I assume it's true because wikepedia is the source of all truth and knowledge on this earth.)
I remember when I was a sophomore in high school and he came to speak at a church youth fireside.  I don't think anyone else was as excited to see him as I was.  At that time I was struggling with shin splints, so I went up to him afterwards and asked him what to do about them.  He asked me where they hurt and then he grabbed my shins.  I was so excited.  "Paul Cummings is grabbing my shins."
Anyways, if anyone has any memories of him, I'd like to hear them.

In high school I went to his running camp in Park City (also with Ed Eystone and Paul Pilkington - Pilkington had just won the LA Marathon, so that was cool).  It was neat running with them and getting their advice in classes and in one-on-one sessions.  Then at State XC that next fall, I distinctly remember all three of them cheering very loudly for my main competitor as we pushed around the course (of course it was Scott Cummings, Paul's son, so I can't hold it against them that they didn't cheer for me!)  A good man... that was a sad day for the running community.

I never did meet him or anything but have always been kind of fascinated by him. My grandmother gave me a book in high school called Trials and Triumphs- Mormons in the Olympic Games. There is a nice read on his running life and some other history too. Since then I've just always looked up to him because of the pure hard working effort he put into his running. It's a very inspiring read and I highly recommend it to anyone regardless of religion... because it's not really a religions book. It's more about the athletes and their lives. 
I didn't realize that it has only been 7 years... It feels like a lot more.

Dave - That's a good story.  I laughed.

Superfly - I had that same book!  I wonder if it's still around at my mom's house.

Is it from that book that I read that Paul would run as he mowed lawns as a kid?  I read that once and so I would do the same thing!  Eventually I became pretty good at it and the neighbors would all laugh that this kid could mow a lawn so fast and also have it look so nice!  I also read/heard that Paul would make his missionary companion go out with him as he ran up in front of him as far as he could see and back and forth...

I nevr read the book but I met him several times.  He was a great guy and a dominant runner around these parts.  I remember when he would destroy guys like Eyestone in any distance.