By Cathy Exon
A former BYU and Olympic runner, Paul Cummings, drowned Monday, Sept. 17, after his canoe overturned at Strawberry Reservior.
Cummings, 48, was fishing with a friend, Jay Woods, 120 feet from shore in choppy, 68-degree water. Woods was able to swim safely to shore.
Cummings ran on BYU''s track team from 1972 to 1975, winning the 1974 NCAA mile championship in 4:01.2. He also was a five-time All-American in track and cross country and is a member of the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame.
During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Cummings ran in the 10,000-meter race, but did not qualify for finals.
He held the world record for the half marathon, the American road record for 15 kilometers, and the American indoor 1500-meter record.
Cummings, a resident of Lehi, is survived by his wife, Gaye, and four children.