TERRE HAUTE — A Terre Haute marathoner made his first trip to Green Bay, Wis., last week to run the Green Bay Marathon expecting temperatures in the upper 50s or lower 60s.
Instead, Scot Mullins raced Sunday in typical fall football weather. Temperatures at Lambeau Field were in the 30s after a storm hit Green Bay the night before the marathon.
Despite expecting the tame temperatures, Mullins had gloves and ear warmers with him on the trip.
“I always come prepared,” he explained.
Mullins ran a lap inside Lambeau Field before crossing the finish line (He did not actually run on the frozen tundra; it was being re-sodded). Mullins said it was “nice” to run in Lambeau Field —it was not the same thrill for him as it was for many native Cheeseheads.
Mullins finished in 2 hours, 23 minutes and 58 seconds, which is just 1:58 short of the “B” standard for qualifying for the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials.
The 33-year-old set a new personal best by more than six minutes, breaking his previous mark which he set in February by winning the Myrtle Beach Marathon in 2:32:01.
Mullins thinks the qualifying standard for the USATF Olympic Trials is within his reach.
The problem is you can’t go out and run a marathon every few weeks trying to reach it. So Mullins is registered for the Chicago Marathon in October, hoping a “flat, fast course” can help him shave off a few more minutes.
Mullins hopes to stick to the training plan he used for Green Bay, which was putting in 120 to 130 miles per week. Mullins said his weekly training before Myrtle Beach was only 80 to 90 miles.
In the weeks prior to Green Bay, Mullins said he would average about 18 miles a day, getting up to 24 miles one day each week.
Only in the last few years has Mullins really got his competitive fire going again.
“I like to go out and run, but when I do I get competitive with it,” he said.
Mullins stayed away from running after he left Vincennes University in 1995 as the National Junior College Athletic Association national champion.
The graduate of Vincennes Lincoln married his high school sweetheart Stacy in 1994, when both were students at VU.
In Green Bay, Stacy could be seen in a “Scot’s fanclub” t-shirt with the couple’s three children, 12-year-old Kyle, 6-year-old Mackenzie and 3-year-old Kole. Once Scot was settled into his job at Union Hospital, he’s been able to devote more time to running.
“It also takes a big commitment from my wife and children,” Scot said. “They have a lot of patience with it.”
Mullins moved to Terre Haute eight years ago and got back into competitive racing with the 2004 Chicago Marathon. But right after that he suffered a broken foot in a pickup basketball game that kept him off the roads for about a year.
In the last few years, he’s been training with Tom Dever, Tim Fears and Jeff Andrew, all of whom run marathons under three hours.
With continued training, Mullins hopes to continue to improve.
“I don’t think there’s any reason why not. I feel better than I did when I was 20. There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Mullins said.
The best of the best marathoners in the United States are running around 2 hours, 10 minutes. Ryan Hall, 24, ran his first ever marathon in 2:08:24, the fastest ever debut by an American.
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Mullins’ son Kyle appears to be a future standout runner. The sixth-grader took third place in 1,600 in the Vigo County meet May 11.
“I won’t push him into it. I know how hard it is to train and be competitive,” Mullins said. “It’s something you have to love to do.”
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“In time, anybody’s who’s willing to do it and likes to run, can definitely do a marathon,” Mullins said.
Marathons are becoming more and more popular. Registration for the Chicago Marathon is already closed with 45,000 people signed up. Mullins said that isn’t uncommon these days.
Some advice for those just starting out, Mullins says, “take it slow and listen to your body.
“You just have to get out there, even if you have to start with walking, just do a little bit each day.”
For beginning runners, check out wvrr.og, the Web site for the Wabash Valley Road Runners. The Road Runners are offering courses called Running 101 and Running 201.
The first phase of Running 101 begins on June 4 with a meeting at the Terre Haute Family Y.
Craig Pearson can be reached by email at craig.pearson@tribstar.com or by phone after 4 p.m. at (812) 231-4356. Read his blog at blogs.tribstar.com/craigpearson.
Given to Fly
May 25, 2007
Terre Haute marathoner sets sights on Olympic trials
- Given to Fly
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GIVEN TO FLY: Come to expect new standards of excellence
Records are definitely meant to be broken; athletes today are faster and stronger than those in the past in many endeavors in athletics.
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GIVEN TO FLY: ISU women have solid recruiting class
The caliber of athletes that the Indiana State women’s basketball coaching staff is bringing in is on an upswing.
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GIVEN TO FLY: Major leaguers John, Dorsett meet up at tonight’s game
Terre Haute’s only two big leaguers of the last 50 years — Tommy John and Brian Dorsett — will catch up with one another today.
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FOOT NOTES: Valley natives perform well on national stage
Several Wabash Valley natives continue to shine on the national track and field scene.
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'Til It's Over: Sycamores ‘in a good place,’ but searching for more in MVC
Can Teri Moren lift Indiana State, last year’s seventh-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference, to one of the league’s contenders in her first year on campus?
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'Til It's Over: Two sets of identical twins should keep North Central baseball a contender
The last high school baseball team standing in the Wabash Valley was the North Central, the Thunderbirds falling short 4-3 in the Class A Semistate on Saturday just one game shy of Victory Field.
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'Til It's Over: Jarvis, Anderson confident Olney, hard work leads to Division I dream
Olney, Ill., population 8,000-plus and known for its population of white squirrels, might not be the dream destination for high school basketball players in Indiana.
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'Til It's Over: Robinson 7-footer more focused in postseason; 6-foot Jones keeps producing
Robinson 7-footer Meyers Leonard is not going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA some day, but his odds of reaching the league are pretty solid if his game continues to evolve as it has during high school.
- 'Til It's Over: ‘Stepping stone’ game points Sycamores in right direction Whether the win comes against a top-25 team or a conference pushover, ending a four-game losing streak is always a relief.
- 'Til It's Over: Indianapolis ISU recruit rolling along in senior season As Indiana State recruit Anna Munn approached Christmas with the Decatur Central basketball team, the senior guard didn’t seem to need much of a wishlist.
- 'Til It's Over: Magic’s still there for '79 Sycamores For the former Indiana State players who visited the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in late November, the weekend was a chance to relive memories with teammates and see Larry Bird’s career with the Sycamores celebrated again.
- CRAIG PEARSON: North has strong history in cross country state finals Vigo County is home to just four IHSAA state championships in team sports. Most recently, Terre Haute South won girls titles in basketball (2002) and tennis (2001).
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- Given to Fly: Schilli’s Rodman-like performance aids ISU With Indiana State’s women’s basketball team ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in field-goal percentage (36.5), the Sycamores need as many shot attempts as possible to maintain their standing on top of the league.
- Given to Fly: A classic in every sense of the word What tournament director and co-founder Gary Fears had in mind when creating the tournament came to fruition Tuesday. Marshall, with an enrollment of 438 students, became the smallest school to win the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic in the ninth season of the tourney.
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Given to Fly: ISU women should build confidence off strong outing
Indiana State did not pull off the monumental upset Saturday against No. 23 Kansas State, but the Wildcats are —aside from Connecticut in 2005 — the best team the Sycamores have played in the Jim Wiedie era.
- Given to Fly: ISU women's hoops team slides onto commercial radio Coach Jim Wiedie expects the Indiana State women’s basketball team to have a bit of a retro feel this season, meaning the Sycamores have the potential to get back to creating havoc with their full-court press.
- Given to Fly: ISU vets hope to prove pundits wrong Indiana State’s only two seniors were surprised to see they were picked ahead of just three Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball teams Tuesday morning.
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Footnotes: In first marathon, former Sycamore comes out a winner
Indiana State graduate Dani Prince made her debut in the event with a victory in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday.
Prince’s goal was a time under 2 hours and 50 minutes, and she ran a 2:48.56. -
Given To Fly: ISU volleyball turning things around
It was an extremely busy weekend for Indiana State athletics this weekend.
- Footnotes: Here’s hoping perfect weather is still around for Nationals in November The weather made for a perfect fall afternoon Saturday at LaVern Gibson Championship Course. For what it’s worth, the Farmer’s Almanac calls for more sunny conditions from Nov. 20-24, with the NCAA Championships falling on the 24th this year.
- Terre Haute natives cherish memories of ‘House that Ruth Built’ Yankee Stadium was packed as usual on Easter Sunday in 1979. George Steinbrenner’s Yankees were one loss away from being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers to start the season. That was no way for the two-time defending World Series champions to perform, so the boss had a conversation with his new veteran left-handed starting pitcher prior to the game.
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Footnotes: Oregon men and women have strangehold on preseason NCAA cross countryrankings
The Oregon men and women were almost both unanimous picks as the No. 1 teams in the nation in the preseason cross country national rankings released recently.
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