Paul Cummings
Encyclopedia
Paul Richard Cummings was a world-class middle and long distance runner who held both American and World records from the mile to the marathon. His ability to have a middle distance runner's kick and also have the stamina to compete in distances up to the marathon place him as one of the most versatile American track and road racers in history.
but his family moved to Santa Maria, California
when he was 11 years old. Cummings was the third of thirteen children and had ten sisters. Cummings did not always see running as his strength. He played basketball in junior high, and wanted to continue in high school, but failed to make the team. However, when he came in first in his Physical Education class in the mile run, a new opportunity opened up for him; he was asked to join the track team at Ernest Righetti High School
, and by his senior year was running the mile in 4:10, the second best time in California, seventh best in the country. Cummings was recruited by several top universities and chose to attend Brigham Young University
.
Track and Cross Country teams. However, after his Freshman year, he was diagnosed with an extra bone in his foot and in order to run again, would have to undergo surgery to remove the bone. Cummings recovered, and by his junior year became the NCAA champion in the mile run. Cummings was the first runner from the Intermountain West
to break the Four-minute mile
barrier. His personal best for the mile, 3:56.4, was run at his birthplace, Tempe, Arizona on March 16, 1974.
Cummings was a Latter-day Saint. He wanted to serve a two year LDS mission
, but since LDS Missions are served voluntarily and missionaries serve without compensation, he was unable to raise the required funds. After meeting with LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball, Paul was encouraged to stay in school on an athletic scholarship, earn his degree, and continue to run and compete, sharing his beliefs with those he met through running. Paul did this well and shared his beliefs with many athletes and friends.
BYU Track Coach Clarence Robison said Cummings was "a great performer and has great courage. He's a tenacious, fierce competitor."
, Frank Shorter
, Tony Waldrop
, Marty Liquori
, Filbert Bayi
, Wilson Waigwa, John Walker (athlete), Steve Scott (athlete), Eamonn Coghlan
, Dick Buerkle
, and several other top tier runners of the era, besting everyone on this list at least once. He ran in the Millrose Games
Wanamaker Mile
in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977, winning the event in 1976 in a Millrose Games record time of 3:57.6. He won events at the Sunkist Invitational, the LA Times Indoor Games, the Jack in the Box Indoor Games, the Modesto Relays, and other events.
On April 25, 1976, Cummings won the Penn Relays
1500 Meter event at Franklin Field
in Philadelphia in 3:38.9.
In 1976 he won the 3,000 meter event at Los Angeles's Sunkist Invitational Track Meet in 8:29.6, just five seconds off Steve Prefontaine's American Record set at the same meet the year before. In 1977 he won the Sunkist Invitational indoor mile in 3:57.2. Also in 1977, Cummings, representing the USA, won the mile at Canada's Tri-Country indoor track and field meet, competing against Canada and the Soviet Union.
In January 1978 at the Muhammad Ali Track and Field Invitational at the Long Beach Arena in California, Cummings broke the indoor American record for the 1500 meters by .4 with a time of 3:39.8.
A year later, in January 1979 at the same Muhammad Ali Track and Field Invitational at the Long Beach Arena in California, both John Walker and Cummings finished under the indoor world record for the 1500 meters by .4 and .2 seconds respectively. Walker set a world record with a time of 3:37.4. Cummings set an American Record with a time of 3:37.6.
Cummings ran at a time when there was very little financial support for athletes after college. When attending track meets, several athletes would share the same hotel room, sleeping on floors, and carpool together to save costs. He worked at a steel mill
rebuilding open hearth furnaces to support his family and ran for the Tobias Striders, Beverly Hills Striders and Pacific Coast track clubs to maintain his amateur status.
. Due to work demands and disappointment at the 1980 boycott, Cummings came close to retiring altogether from running. When he was laid off from the mill in late 1980, he began running full time.
In 1984, Cummings won the US Olympic Trials
in the 10,000 Meter run in Los Angeles, CA and finally became a member of the US Olympic Team. He was able to compete in the 10,000 meter run at the Olympics held in Los Angeles
, but did not make the finals. Cummings suffered from allergies
that hindered his performance at the games.
. One of his first marathons was the St. George Marathon
, which he won in 2:15.16, a course record that stands to this day.
Taking advantage of new rules that enabled runners to compete professionally, Cummings represented New Balance
shoes beginning in 1982.
On June 5, 1982, Cummings ran his PR in the 5,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic track meet in Eugene, Oregon, running against some of the best American middle distance runners of the time, including Matt Centrowitz
, Alberto Salazar
and Doug Padilla
. He ran towards the front for most of the race and ran 13:19.62, a Personal Record by 9 seconds, and just short of the American Record set by Matt Centrowitz in the same race. The following link shows the entire race on video in two parts. Part 1. Part 2.
In 1983, Cummings ran in the Boston Marathon
and the New York City Marathon
. He set an American Record in the 15K by almost 28 seconds at the Cascade Run Off in Portland, Oregon on June 26, 1983. Cummings placed in the top 10 at Spokane Washington's Bloomsday 12K Run
(8th in 1983 and 2nd in 1984).
On September 25, 1983, Cummings set the World Record in the Half marathon
at the Dayton River Corridor Classic in Dayton, Ohio
, with a time of 1:01:32.
Cummings was included in Runner's World Magazine's list of the top 20 highest paid runners, ranked 15th worldwide, in 1984. That same year, Cummings began running for Converse shoes.
His best marathon time came in winning the 1986 Houston Marathon
in 2:11:31.
Cummings is the only runner to finish second in San Francisco's Bay to Breakers
12K road race (Guinness World Record largest road race) three years in a row (1984, 1985, and 1986).
On March 15, 1987, Cummings broke the American Record in the 20K, at New Bedford, Massachusetts, in a time of 59.13.
Cummings continued running into his 40's and was the USA Track and Field (USATF) Master's Age Division (Age 40+) Runner of the Year in 1993.
and Paul Pilkington started a summer high school high altitude running camp in Park City, Utah
which ran for 15 years and helped hundreds of high school runners from across the country reach their potential.
In 1990, Cummings created a running video entitled "Running Theory: From Mile to Marathon" that expounded on "Consistency Training" which is an adaptation to Arthur Lydiard
's four step "Phase Training". The four components of consistency training include: upper body strength training, endurance training, 70% effort training, and anaerobic capacity training.
Cummings explored the outer reaches of human endurance in his road race and marathon training, approaching the legendary endurance strategies of Gerry Lindgren
. He ran up to 240 miles in one week, training three times a day with runs of 13 miles in the morning, 14 in the afternoon, and another 13 in the evening for six days. He rested on Sundays.
Cummings was inducted into the Brigham Young University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986. He was posthumously inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
, especially with his best friend Jay Woods. While fishing together on September 17, 2001, their canoe capsized under high winds at Strawberry Reservoir
, Utah. He drowned in the accident. Paul was married for 27 years to Debra Gaye Anhder. They were the parents of four children; Heidi, Scott, Holly and Kelly. He is interred at the Lehi City Cemetery, Lehi, Utah
.
Early life
Paul Cummings was born in Tempe, ArizonaTempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
but his family moved to Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...
when he was 11 years old. Cummings was the third of thirteen children and had ten sisters. Cummings did not always see running as his strength. He played basketball in junior high, and wanted to continue in high school, but failed to make the team. However, when he came in first in his Physical Education class in the mile run, a new opportunity opened up for him; he was asked to join the track team at Ernest Righetti High School
Ernest Righetti High School
Ernest Righetti High School is a public secondary school in Santa Maria, California, USA, serving students in grades 9-12 The school is part of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes...
, and by his senior year was running the mile in 4:10, the second best time in California, seventh best in the country. Cummings was recruited by several top universities and chose to attend Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
.
Brigham Young University (1971-1975)
Cummings was named All-American five years in a row while running on the Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
Track and Cross Country teams. However, after his Freshman year, he was diagnosed with an extra bone in his foot and in order to run again, would have to undergo surgery to remove the bone. Cummings recovered, and by his junior year became the NCAA champion in the mile run. Cummings was the first runner from the Intermountain West
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West is a region of North America lying between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.- Topography :...
to break the Four-minute mile
Four-minute mile
In the sport of athletics, the four-minute mile is the act of completing the mile run in less than four minutes. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister in 3:59.4. The 'four minute barrier' has since been broken by many male athletes, and is now the standard of all male professional...
barrier. His personal best for the mile, 3:56.4, was run at his birthplace, Tempe, Arizona on March 16, 1974.
Cummings was a Latter-day Saint. He wanted to serve a two year LDS mission
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
, but since LDS Missions are served voluntarily and missionaries serve without compensation, he was unable to raise the required funds. After meeting with LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball, Paul was encouraged to stay in school on an athletic scholarship, earn his degree, and continue to run and compete, sharing his beliefs with those he met through running. Paul did this well and shared his beliefs with many athletes and friends.
BYU Track Coach Clarence Robison said Cummings was "a great performer and has great courage. He's a tenacious, fierce competitor."
Middle distance track racing
Cummings was invited to several of the most prestigious track and field meets during the 1970s. He competed against Steve PrefontaineSteve Prefontaine
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters...
, Frank Shorter
Frank Shorter
Frank Charles Shorter is a former American long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics. His victory is credited with igniting the running boom in the United States of the 1970s....
, Tony Waldrop
Tony Waldrop
Tony Waldrop is an American professor, academic administrator and athlete, currently serving as the provost and executive vice president of the University of Central Florida. Waldrop is best known for setting the world indoor record in the mile...
, Marty Liquori
Marty Liquori
Martin Liquori is an American middle distance athlete.Liquori first rose to fame when he became the third American high schooler to break the four-minute mile by running a 3:59.8 in 1967, three years after Jim Ryun first did it.He grew up in Cedar Grove, New Jersey and attended Essex Catholic...
, Filbert Bayi
Filbert Bayi
Filbert Bayi is a former Tanzanian middle-distance runner of the 1970s who set the world records for 1500 metres in 1974 and the mile in 1975...
, Wilson Waigwa, John Walker (athlete), Steve Scott (athlete), Eamonn Coghlan
Eamonn Coghlan
Eamonn Christopher Coghlan is an Irish Senator and former athlete, who specialised in middle distance track events and the 5000 metres...
, Dick Buerkle
Dick Buerkle
Richard "Dick" Thomas Buerkle is an Olympic athlete and once held the world record for the indoor one-mile run.-Athletic Achievements:Buerkle graduated from Aquinas Institute high school in 1966 with a personal best of 4:28 for the one-mile run. He graduated from Villanova University in 1970 with...
, and several other top tier runners of the era, besting everyone on this list at least once. He ran in the Millrose Games
Millrose Games
The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet held on the first Friday in February in New York City. They will be held at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011...
Wanamaker Mile
Wanamaker Mile
The Wanamaker Mile is an event held annually at the Millrose Games in New York City's Madison Square Garden.The event is an indoor one-mile race. It was first held in 1908, and in 1926 became known as the "Wanamaker." It is named in honor of the head of the Wanamaker's Department Store in New...
in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977, winning the event in 1976 in a Millrose Games record time of 3:57.6. He won events at the Sunkist Invitational, the LA Times Indoor Games, the Jack in the Box Indoor Games, the Modesto Relays, and other events.
On April 25, 1976, Cummings won the Penn Relays
Penn Relays
The Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
1500 Meter event at Franklin Field
Franklin Field
Franklin Field is the University of Pennsylvania's stadium for football, field hockey, lacrosse, sprint football, and track and field . It is also used by Penn students for recreation, and for intramural and club sports, including touch football and cricket, and is the site of Penn's graduation...
in Philadelphia in 3:38.9.
In 1976 he won the 3,000 meter event at Los Angeles's Sunkist Invitational Track Meet in 8:29.6, just five seconds off Steve Prefontaine's American Record set at the same meet the year before. In 1977 he won the Sunkist Invitational indoor mile in 3:57.2. Also in 1977, Cummings, representing the USA, won the mile at Canada's Tri-Country indoor track and field meet, competing against Canada and the Soviet Union.
In January 1978 at the Muhammad Ali Track and Field Invitational at the Long Beach Arena in California, Cummings broke the indoor American record for the 1500 meters by .4 with a time of 3:39.8.
A year later, in January 1979 at the same Muhammad Ali Track and Field Invitational at the Long Beach Arena in California, both John Walker and Cummings finished under the indoor world record for the 1500 meters by .4 and .2 seconds respectively. Walker set a world record with a time of 3:37.4. Cummings set an American Record with a time of 3:37.6.
Cummings ran at a time when there was very little financial support for athletes after college. When attending track meets, several athletes would share the same hotel room, sleeping on floors, and carpool together to save costs. He worked at a steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
rebuilding open hearth furnaces to support his family and ran for the Tobias Striders, Beverly Hills Striders and Pacific Coast track clubs to maintain his amateur status.
1984 US Olympic Team
Hoping to earn a spot on the 1980 US Olympic Team, working out over five hours per day, and working full time six days a week at a steel mill, Cummings was one of many athletes disappointed by the U.S.'s boycott of the 1980 Moscow Summer Games1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. Due to work demands and disappointment at the 1980 boycott, Cummings came close to retiring altogether from running. When he was laid off from the mill in late 1980, he began running full time.
In 1984, Cummings won the US Olympic Trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
in the 10,000 Meter run in Los Angeles, CA and finally became a member of the US Olympic Team. He was able to compete in the 10,000 meter run at the Olympics held in Los Angeles
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, but did not make the finals. Cummings suffered from allergies
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
that hindered his performance at the games.
Road racing, American and World records
In 1981, Cummings shifted his focus from track to road racingRoad running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
. One of his first marathons was the St. George Marathon
St. George Marathon
The St. George Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event hosted by the city of St. George, Utah on the first Saturday in October. The first race run was in November of 1977. It was originated and organized in just a few months by Sherm Miller, who worked for the Parks and Recreation Department...
, which he won in 2:15.16, a course record that stands to this day.
Taking advantage of new rules that enabled runners to compete professionally, Cummings represented New Balance
New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...
shoes beginning in 1982.
On June 5, 1982, Cummings ran his PR in the 5,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic track meet in Eugene, Oregon, running against some of the best American middle distance runners of the time, including Matt Centrowitz
Matt Centrowitz
Matthew Centrowitz is a two-time Olympic distance runner, a four-time United States champion, a collegiate All-American, a nationally renowned high school athlete, and a collegiate cross country and track coach....
, Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar is an American marathon runner of the 1980s. Born in Cuba, Salazar emigrated to the United States with his family. They ultimately moved to Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school...
and Doug Padilla
Doug Padilla
Douglas Padilla is a former middle and long distance runner from the United States, who won the overall Grand Prix 1985 and the World Cup 5000m race in 1985. He finished fifth in the 5000m final at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, and seventh in the 5000m final at the 1984...
. He ran towards the front for most of the race and ran 13:19.62, a Personal Record by 9 seconds, and just short of the American Record set by Matt Centrowitz in the same race. The following link shows the entire race on video in two parts. Part 1. Part 2.
In 1983, Cummings ran in the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
and the New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
. He set an American Record in the 15K by almost 28 seconds at the Cascade Run Off in Portland, Oregon on June 26, 1983. Cummings placed in the top 10 at Spokane Washington's Bloomsday 12K Run
Lilac Bloomsday Run
The Lilac Bloomsday Run, also known as Bloomsday, is an annual timed road race in Spokane, Washington, held on the first Sunday of every May since 1977. The course is 12 km long. The course starts in Downtown Spokane and heads northwest along the far west end of town, passes by Mukogowa Ft...
(8th in 1983 and 2nd in 1984).
On September 25, 1983, Cummings set the World Record in the Half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
at the Dayton River Corridor Classic in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, with a time of 1:01:32.
Cummings was included in Runner's World Magazine's list of the top 20 highest paid runners, ranked 15th worldwide, in 1984. That same year, Cummings began running for Converse shoes.
His best marathon time came in winning the 1986 Houston Marathon
Houston Marathon
The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race...
in 2:11:31.
Cummings is the only runner to finish second in San Francisco's Bay to Breakers
Bay to Breakers
The Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco, California on the third Sunday of May. The name reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero and runs west through the city to finish at the Great...
12K road race (Guinness World Record largest road race) three years in a row (1984, 1985, and 1986).
On March 15, 1987, Cummings broke the American Record in the 20K, at New Bedford, Massachusetts, in a time of 59.13.
Cummings continued running into his 40's and was the USA Track and Field (USATF) Master's Age Division (Age 40+) Runner of the Year in 1993.
Contributions
In the late 1980s, Cummings, along with fellow Utah world class runners Ed EyestoneEd Eyestone
Edward D. Eyestone is a two-time Olympic marathoner and long distance runner. Eyestone graduated from Bonneville High School in Washington Terrace, Utah and was the Utah State High School State Champion in cross-country and track and field.- Collegiate career :Eyestone attended Brigham Young...
and Paul Pilkington started a summer high school high altitude running camp in Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
which ran for 15 years and helped hundreds of high school runners from across the country reach their potential.
In 1990, Cummings created a running video entitled "Running Theory: From Mile to Marathon" that expounded on "Consistency Training" which is an adaptation to Arthur Lydiard
Arthur Lydiard
Arthur Leslie Lydiard, ONZ, OBE, was a New Zealand runner and athletics coach. He has been lauded as one of the outstanding athletics coaches of all time and is credited with popularizing the sport of running and making it commonplace across the sporting world...
's four step "Phase Training". The four components of consistency training include: upper body strength training, endurance training, 70% effort training, and anaerobic capacity training.
Cummings explored the outer reaches of human endurance in his road race and marathon training, approaching the legendary endurance strategies of Gerry Lindgren
Gerry Lindgren
Gerald Paul Lindgren is an American track and field runner who is widely recognized as having been the best high school long distance runner in the United States at the time....
. He ran up to 240 miles in one week, training three times a day with runs of 13 miles in the morning, 14 in the afternoon, and another 13 in the evening for six days. He rested on Sundays.
Cummings was inducted into the Brigham Young University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986. He was posthumously inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
Death
Cummings enjoyed fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, especially with his best friend Jay Woods. While fishing together on September 17, 2001, their canoe capsized under high winds at Strawberry Reservoir
Strawberry Reservoir
Strawberry Reservoir is a large reservoir in the U.S. state of Utah. It is Utah's most popular fishery, receiving over 1.5 million angling hours annually and is part of the program. Game fish in the reservoir include sterilized rainbow trout, bear lake cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon and crayfish....
, Utah. He drowned in the accident. Paul was married for 27 years to Debra Gaye Anhder. They were the parents of four children; Heidi, Scott, Holly and Kelly. He is interred at the Lehi City Cemetery, Lehi, Utah
Lehi, Utah
-Attractions:Lehi Roller MillsLehi Roller Mills was founded in 1906 by a co-op of farmers. George G. Robinson purchased the mill in 1910, and since then it has remained in the family. It is run today by grandson R. Sherman Robinson....
.
Personal records
| Distance | Time | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 meters | 3:37.6 (American Record) | 12 January 1979 | Long Beach, California Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257... |
| Mile | 3:56.4 | 16 March 1974 | Tempe, Arizona |
| 2 Miles | 8:25.2 | 12 April 1982 | Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... , California |
| 3000 meter Steeplechase | 8:52.5 | 26 April 1979 | Provo, Utah |
| 3,000 meters | 8:29.6 | 12 February 1976 | Los Angeles, California |
| 5,000 meters | 13:19.62 | 5 June 1982 | Eugene, Oregon |
| 10,000 meters | 27:43.7 | 28 April 1984 | Walnut, California |
| 12 kilometers | 34:42 | 6 May 1984 | Spokane, Washington |
| 15 kilometers | 42:42 (American Record) | 26 June 1983 | Portland, Oregon |
| 20 kilometers | 59:13 (American Record) | 15 March 1987 | New Bedford, MA |
| Half Marathon | 1:01.32 (World Record) | 25 September 1983 | Dayton, Ohio |
| Marathon | 2:11.31 | 19 January 1986 | Houston, Texas |
Half Marathon World record
| RANK | 1983 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1:01:32 WR |