'The story of Don Paul is as much about near misses as it is about spectacular successes. It is about crushing failures and phenomenal breakthroughs. It is about always pushing the edge of what was possible. His was a rare talent that brushed the ultra scene between 1980 and 1992.... The Metropolitan Athletic Club's 50-mile held in Central Park was on 
the list [Autumn, 1980].... By the marathon he was still doing sub six-minute pace (2:35:56).... Considering that Paul had a 130-mile week going, it's amazing he had the bounce left to hammer out a most remarkable 5:09:58.... With the benefit of hindsight, it is interesting to note that he would go head to head with Barney Klecker [holder of the U.S. Record for 50 miles, 4:51:25, set in Chicago on October 1, 1980] on only a couple of occasions.... Klecker and Paul raced in February of 81 at the Mardi Gras Marathon into a horrendous wind of up to 40 miles an hour. Doug Kurtis  won, while Paul finished second [actually 3rd] ahead of Klecker. At Boston that spring, the two great 50-mile runners were side by side again, Klecker squeezing out a one-second advantage over Paul's lifetime best, 2:16:04. Paul ran 50:23 one week later at the Trevira Twosome 10 Mile. But soon it would be time to move up in distance--way up.... It was a warm a humid day aty Flushing Meadow Park in June of 1981. Thirty-eight starters trundled off the line into the torrid conditions. Despite this, Paul jumped off to another commanding lead of 12 minutes at 25 miles [actually 2:42 for the Marathon's 26.2]. Behind him were Stu MIttleman and Bill DeVoe, a Long Island runner with very fast times to his credit. By 50 miles, Paul was still well ahead of the field, turning 5:28:49. One mile later, he staggered into an aid station, said he was fine, then wobbled away in the wrong direction and collapsed. The New York Times reporter [Ira Berkow] who witnessed the scene never had it so good! Away he went in an ambulance, the victim of severe dehydration, Mittleman would go on once more to a convincing 13:00.11 victory.... Paul exemplfied an "all-out" attitude in his brief career an an ultrarunner. While his races weren't always successful, he never gave less than a total effort, and in those events that he ran, he showed what the possibilities were. He remains the second all-time American performer and both 50 miles and 50 kilometers almost two decades later.'