“A truly exciting, explosive runner.”

THE EARLY YEARS

Paul Hammond, "Wildman" began running at an early age. His family was always very running oriented growing up. His brothers, Ken and Brad, would race around town and his father would run/walk with him while he cried because he could not keep up. Kenny was relentless, challenging him to Ken Cooper's 12-minute test, goading him into trying out for the cross country team when he got to high school, telling him it would get him in shape for tennis, and then convincing him that he could move up from last man on IV.
All he had to do was run a lot and do as many pushups and situps as he could every day. Paul started to follow this regimen faithfully, the summer after his freshman year when Kenny went off to Bill Squire's X-country camp. Kenny left him a training schedule taped to the refrigerator. With his faithful dog Attila, who followed him around all day after they finished the morning papers, Paul ran 4-6 miles of "horsefly fartlek" twice a day in the fields of Westbrook. He would try to get away with running only once, but then Attila would just beg him to do more, standing there shaking with anticipation until he just said "OK, want to go running?" This mere utterance would prompt Attila to turn in circles, whimpering until she would explode out the door, headed to the woods like it was the Promised Land.

When Kenny returned from camp and Paul out kicked him to win the first race of the season things really heated up. No longer did Kenny have to run around telephone poles waiting for him to catch up. With Dana Barnes he would drag Paul out every Sunday at 6:30 a.m. for the hilly 13-mile Fort Hill route to their Coach John Myatt's house in Gorham. Coach Myatt was no longer telling him he ran a good race just because he finished just in front of Kenny and Dana. Now he was telling Paul to go after those Cheverus guys: " I could, should, and would beat them if I put my mind to it!"

In his senior year, Westbrook was the Class A State Cross-Country champions, beating Cheverus. Paul will always remember doing hills in the pouring rain with teammates, Greg Hayes and Rick Charity. Their shoes full of water, not able to see a thing, yelling to each other, "There is no way those Cheverus guys are doing this!"

Paul graduated from Westbrook with what he considered average natural talent, but holding the Westbrook High Cross Country Course record. He has no idea what it is. PR's of 9:29 for the two mile his junior year (State Class A Champion & 6th in New England's) and a 4:21 mile his senior year (State Class A Indoor and Outdoor Champion).

Paul has made many friends on the road racing circuit, as well as in high school. In high school he tagged along with Lawson Noyes to many road races in the off season. He has always loved to race, the actual running, and the people. Once, despite having a 100-degree temperature, he snuck off to a race in Falmouth with Lawson who tugged his shorts down when he passed him at the mile mark. Stopping and sitting on a lawn with about a mile to go he finally finished, running and walking with Dennis Morrill who encouraged him in to the finish. Winning has always been better than losing, but even losing has its moments on the race circuit.

He followed Kenny to Bates College where Coach Slovenski had allowed him to run their Cross Country race his senior year of high school. With his mom and dad having gone there and with a tradition of strong distance runners under Coach Slovenski, Paul knew going to Bates would be challenging both academically and athletically. What he had not counted on was how much he would enjoy the camaraderie: running with Kim "Wetsy" Wettlaufer, William "BT" Tyler, Chris "Lefty" Adams, Tom "Roon" Roony, George "Crazy George" Rose, Ken "Rags" O'Regan, and roommates Peter "Hook" Weyand and Albert "Chip" Waitt. He ran 15 miles every Sunday with Chip and (when not injured) ran "doubles" for 90 to 100 miles a week at the beginning of each season (which as he remembers seemed to overlap). His freshman, sophomore, and junior year indoors he ran the Mile (4:08.5 Bates College record), 1500 meters (3:55.7 Bates College record), 1,000 meters (2:31.37 Bates College record), distance medley relay (10:07.8 Bates College record - anchor leg) and the 4x800 meter relay. Bates had about 7 guys who could run 9: 15 for the two mile in those years, but he did get to run the 3,000 meters his senior year (8:20.36 Bates College Record).

In outdoor track he ran the steeplechase (no one else wanted to run it - 9:10.4 Bates College Record) and the 1500 meters (3:49.10 Bates College Record). It was after kicking to the Maine State Championship in the Steeple all covered with spit and on the verge of dry heaves that "Sparky" dubbed him "Wildman". As his Bates College Senior Athletic Citation reads his accomplishments in track and cross-country are best illustrated by his participation in NCAA Division III national championships. He participated in all four NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. Twice he earned all-American honors, once in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and once in the 5,000 meter run. He also participated in the 1980 NCAA Div. III Cross Country Championships and again was selected to the All-American team. Paul won seven individual state meet championships. His favorite meet ever was the January 31, 1981 State meet when he out kicked Doug Ingersoll to win the mile then kicked from way back to beat Bob Brown at the wire to win the 1,000 meters.

At a party that night his wife finally decided that he might be more than just a dance partner for her and they started to date. Another memorable meet his senior year was one where he out kicked Todd Coffin, his main adversary for the past 25 years and probably for the next 25 as well, to win the New England Div. n indoor 3,000 meters in 8:23.2 (meet and MIT field house record). This year Paul is headed back to Bates for his 24th running of the Cross Country Alumni Race (having won it 14 times and missing it only once in 1985 when Coach changed the date and he raced the Around Cape Ann 25 K, out kicking Charlie Hewes to the win in 1: 19.19 (20 seconds off Mike Buckley's 1979 record which still stands). The most memorable Alumni race was a 1994 win over Jamie "Goob" Goodberlet at the line after he handily beat him a few weeks before at the Deering Oaks Festival5K Back and forth the entire race they passed each other a couple of times in the last 400 meters before he got him in the last 10 meters. '!\vo years before at the Deering Oaks Festival "Goob" and Paul hooked up for a wicked last lap duel, which he won in 14:33 to his 14:34.

THE LEAN YEARS

After graduating from Bates, Paul stayed in Lewiston/ Auburn to see his wife (then fiance) who was still attending Bates. Living in the hallway of Goob and Hook's apartment, he worked at the Auburn Athletic Attic and race directed the Solstice Strut with Dan Campbell's help for a couple of years. In 1983, his knee seized up on a 25-miler one day, and he walked home. Paul was diagnosed with a knee problem and had no health insurance for surgery. After months of straight leg raises, biking and running in the pool until the pain was gone, Hook got him going by telling him that Crazy George was doing 5x Mile in 4:50 with a 200 meter rest. Paul later learned that Hook was not telling the truth, but that lie became a challenge (as Hook knew it would). It took all winter, but by the spring of 1984 he was able to do a speed work of 6xl mile in 4:40 or better. He had the honor (and pleasure) that same winter to work out with Joan Benoit as she trained for the Olympic Trails.

Averaging 100 miles a week, he ran his 14:19 5K PR out kicking Doug Sweazy on the Bates indoor track to win the Demers Track classic 5,000 meters; he had run 140 miles that week. When he started road racing that spring, he consistently ran 23:30's for 5 miles and 29:30's for 1OK. He set a PR of 23: 19 at the Agawam 5 Miler chasing Hank Pfiefle in vain the night Bruce Bickford set the American record.

Racing in New England at that time was exciting. At any race he could be racing against the Kimball Brothers, Andy Palmer, Steve Podgajny, Bruce Bickford, or Bob Winn just to name a few. Some were friends, some just competitors and but many were people whom he admired.

Paul then moved to Massachusetts, got married, saw his wife through the end of law school, had two children (Bobby and Caroline) and went to law school himself at night. He has never stopped running voluntarily, though if you ever want to discuss injuries, he has had his fair share. Paul prides himself on his resiliency though not necessarily for the self-control or wisdom to avoid getting injured in the first place. He cannot really begin to count all the races he has done, but is down from the 30+ races a year to about 20 a year: (NE Pub Race series -Series Champion for 3 years, runner-up last year), N.E. Grand Pre Series (MA master runner of the year the past two years and 2 & 3 in the series, currently winning this years), the Boston Marathon, track, Cross country (NE Masters champ, last year, 45th in the Master 5 Nationals in 2000) and a few other races like Beach to Beacon.

One of his favorite running stories comes from Bostonfest in 1984, in his marathon PR of 2:21 :31. Running with the lead group very early in the race, Mark and Dean Kimball and Vin Fleming took off and he started to go with them. Andy Palmer grabbed his singlet, pulling him backwards, asking him what he was doing. "I was going after them Andy, we can't let them get away." "They are fools, Paul, just stay with me," Andy said calmly, "It's a long race." Andy won it in 2:16:25. They ran together for 13 miles when he turned and said: "I'm going to take off now," and then he ran everyone else down in the last 1/2 mile. Another favorite race was the Portland Boy's Club, when he out kicked Stan Bickford to win the Portland Boy's club race. Walking back to his car, "a little boy admired my trophy and asked me to trade." He gave Paul a Twinkie for it.

THE COMFORTABLE YEARS

Paul has four brothers-in-law, all of whom are good runners. Their families get together very regularly, and he has not had a lack of training and racing companions.

He runs on the Whirlaway Racing Team and has the good fortune to be running with great guys and great runners. Dave Kazangian does a great job organizing their motley crew. On the masters team they all have their aches and pains, but they still compete, and they are up for a challenge, any challenge!

One brother-in-law, Doug Martyn, has gotten so into running that he joined Paul on the Whirlaway Racing Team and together with Craig Fram and Mike Cooney they set the World Masters 4xl600 Relay Record of 17:44.35 on 2/9/ 2002. Doug also ran with him some when he turned 40 in the 2000 Boston Marathon where he was the 6th master in 2:29.04 (Chip time), and went with him to NY this past year to run thelndoor Nationals (where he ran a 4:26 mile). Paul is happy to have him as a teammate though he did not bargain on the stiff competition!

Paul looks forward to many more years of competition with these guys, meeting and talking to new runners, reminiscing with old ones, but always trying to give them a challenge in the race as long as he is able.

Paul's versatility, records, and longevity are truly remarkable. He will surely continue to inspire and add to those records for many years to come!