Erin Mullins, CHS graduate, is Still Running Strong

Erin Mullins, a 2017 graduate of Cascade High School (CHS), enjoyed the spotlight frequently during her high school running days. She earned four CHS records along the way, for cross country, and in track for the 800m, mile and two mile.

Mullins deserves recognition again because she just had a breakout college cross country season, culminating in qualifying and going to NCAA cross country Nationals. Mullins is in her fourth year and attending Washington State University, after transferring last fall from Boise State University.

Mullins explained that, while college sports resumed this school year, there were fewer races due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel and meet sizes, and cross country and indoor track overlapped. She competed in both the 3k on the indoor track and the 6k in cross country. “I had six races total, but only four of them were cross country. I was finding a bit of improvement, but then I had the race with a 48 second personal record (PR). That was a huge improvement.”

Her PR, clocked at 19:56.9 for a 6k (which is a blazing 5:19 per mile pace), occurred at the critical moment, the PAC 12 Championship hosted by University of Washington. Mullins’ WSU team didn’t qualify for Nationals, so Mullins had to wait two days before she found out she made the at-large individual qualifying standard.

Nationals, held in Oklahoma City, was the biggest race of the season by far. “It was a bit overwhelming because we hadn’t been in such big races. The other races felt a lot more controlled.”

When asked what helped her achieve her substantial PR, Mullins said, “I was really determined because I had been through a lot of adversity with running. On the start line I decided to be aggressive and stick with the chase pack [right behind the leaders]. I have a tendency to fall back in the second half, but in that race, I was able to maintain my pace.”

Track season is ahead, and Mullins will be running the 5k and 10k. In her first race of the track season and first time ever doing a track 10k, she finished in 34:51. “I went out pretty fast because I’m trying to get the qualifying time [for Nationals], and I ended up finishing probably about thirty seconds off what the preliminary qualifying time is going to be.”

Mullins’ resolve and dedication to this sport that she loves helped her survive the challenges of injury and some mental health issues. When COVID-19 cancelled college sports and classes went remote, she came home to Leavenworth, recovering from an injury. Running at home with friends and on trails allowed her to recoup and made training fun again. “It had felt like an obligation for a while.”

Mullins is open about how difficult it was to be cut from the Boise program when she was dealing with mental health issues and had to withdraw from classes for a semester. “I felt a lot of regret,” she said. “I feel a lot less guilty now, but I don’t like the imperfection of it.” It took persistence to find a team to transfer to, but it’s paying off in the good fit for Mullins at WSU.

In addition to her sport, she’s found her academic groove, working toward a double major in journalism and science communication. Her passion and skill in writing has come out in her semi-frequent Instagram posts honoring a woman who “crushes it.” Mullins explained, “I started last October doing these posts that I would dedicate to people in my life, females who had achieved cool things. I wanted to shift the focus on Instagram away from being about appearances.”

For the near future, Mullins hopes to gain a journalism internship, and if remote, she’ll enjoy being back in Leavenworth for the summer. “I miss a lot of the Leavenworth trails. Boise and Pullman aren’t comparable. Leavenworth also has a pretty supportive environment for endurance sports.” Mullins keeps in touch with her old coaches, particularly Dayle Massey and Eric Wulfman. “They have been supportive through everything.”

“Erin was always the hardest working kid,” recalled Wulfman. “It was very satisfying to see her achievements this season. Erin shows what can be done when you focus, put in the work and show up on race day.”

While reaching a goal such as qualifying for another Nationals is nice, Mullins is more focused on process-based goals. She knows the importance of long stretches of uninjured training. She plans to ramp up her volume and continue working on mental toughness. She said some people expect her to do well, but every race is a challenge. “I start each race with doubts. It doesn’t really get easier. I’m trying to figure out how to have a higher pain tolerance. And stay in the moment.”