Frank Mulvihill

Born in Limerick, Frank Mulvihill (known as Paddy to his friends) moved to Coventry at the age of 14 to live with an aunt. His first involvement with sport was as a member of a local boxing club before joining the now defunct Coventry Birchfield Harriers club. Mulvihill joined Coventry Godiva Harriers in 1937 and became club captain in 1940. After switching from cross country to road racing, he concentrated on the marathon. In 1946 Mulvihill ran second to Jack Holden in a special event in which 12 invited distance runners attempted to break the 65-year-old world 30 miles track record, which Holden successfully did in 3-00:16.4.

Mulvihill had the honour of captaining the Irish team at the 1948 London Olympics and finished 26th in the marathon the day before his 39th birthday. It was the only time he represented his country of birth at international level. Prior to the Olympics, Mulvihill won his only national title when he won the marathon in a race later discovered to measure closer to 28 miles than 26.

After spending most of his life in Coventry, Mulvihill emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1949 and joined the Gladstone Athletic Club. He later moved to California where he married his American wife in 1952. Mulvihill became a US citizen in 1956 but sadly died at the age of 56 in 1965.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-48:41 (1948)