DUBUQUE — Patrick Cleary found a love for running as an elementary school student. Darlington varsity cross country coach Arnie Miehe made sure to show the young Cleary support and attention.

What transpired was a storied high school career for Cleary, a 1997 Darlington graduate, and then success in college at the University of Dubuque. In 2020, Cleary was selected by a panel to enter UD’s Athletic Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place late this summer.

“I was shocked and surprised,” Cleary said of his reaction when he first heard the news. “It’s an honor.”

Cleary was one of six athletes inducted. Also honored were Wyatt Hanus (2013), basketball and football; Dwight Peerson (1981), football; Daunta Peterson (2006), football and track and field; Mollie Whiting (2013), basketball; and Orlando Walton (2008), football and track and field. The school also honored the 1959-1962 men’s tennis teams. The UD Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 1989 and honors former student-athletes, coaches and supporters.

During his time running with the Spartans in both cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field in Iowa (1997-2000), Cleary was a two-time All-Iowa Conference runner (1999, 2000). He holds the second and third all-time marks for the school in the 5,000-meter run, and the second all-time school mark in the 10,000-meter run. His time in the outdoors 5K (15:16.58) and 10K (31:47.90) went unbroken for 17 seasons, until broken in 2017 and 2018 by more than 30 seconds by Alec Bass. His indoor 5K mark of 15:54.14 was topped in 2015 by Payton Nevills by nearly eight seconds, and Bass broke that record by four seconds in 2018.

“Pat Cleary showed off his talent and ability setting records both inside and outside during his career at UD,” the school wrote for his induction. 

Cleary’s historic 2000 season earned him NCAA Division III All-Region status, the first in school history. Each year he was the first UD runner to cross the finish line at the Men’s NCAA Division III Regional, and each year he cut time in the 8,000-meter race. He ran 23 seconds faster his sophomore year from his freshman season, and then four seconds faster from his sophomore to junior year. In his senior regional at UD, Cleary blew out his previous best mark by 1 minute, 18 seconds (26:34.0), finishing 27th overall and missing out on qualifying for the national meet by just five seconds.

Also in his senior season in 2000, Cleary finished seventh in the Conference Championship in Waverly — showing toughness to even finish the race altogether.

“Pat Cleary was battling a sideache at the 4-mile mark, and it didn’t look like he would finish,” former coach Zac Roberts wrote in university notes post-race on Oct. 28, 2000. “He pushed through it and passed four guys to finish 7th.”

Cleary’s love and competitive drive for running began at an early age. 

“My first race I ever ran I was a 2-mile at 8-years-old at the Darlington Canoe Fest Road Run,” Cleary said. “Then I ran in Wiota, where they used to have a fun run; and Mount Horeb; and in Blanchardville at the Chicken and Barbeque festival; and at the Father Sierra Games at Holy Name Seminary in Madison.

“At a very young age, I was hooked. It probably helped that I was good at it.”

That competitive drive and road to success was navigated early in part because of the tutelage of Miehe.

“He kept on me at races when I was young — telling me how well I was doing and cheering me on,” Cleary said, acknowledging his future coach likely saw some of the potential talent he had.

His coach agreed.

“When you see a young kid that likes running, and is good at it, you keep them on it,” Miehe said. “Every kid has his thing, and running was Patrick’s thing.”

Once he hit high school, Cleary made a name for himself early on. As a freshman in 1993, he ran on the sectional runner-up Redbirds team and finished fifth in the conference meet. He followed that by becoming the conference champion in each of the next three years — as well as sectional champion. He was the leader of the Redbirds squads that were sectional champions in 1995 and 1996 in his junior and senior seasons. Each year Darlington also finished as the state’s runner-up. At state, Cleary was fifth overall as a sophomore and junior, and finished second as a senior. 

“After my sophomore year, Arnie sat me down and we mapped out the next two years of what I wanted to accomplish. He knew I wanted to run in college,” Cleary said. “Coming through his program, I felt I was ready to run in college, but it’s a big adjustment going from 3 to 5 miles (for competition).”

In track at Darlington, he was a multi-time conference champion, and ran at state in the 3,200-meter run all four years. As a freshman he was sixth overall, then second as a sophomore, fifth as a junior and third as a senior. He ran at state in six events in his time in Darlington, including helping the Redbirds finish as state runner-up in 1995.

Miehe said a lot of athletes may come in and see a lot of success as a freshman, but by the end of high school their interest level is no longer there. Cleary was built different, Miehe said, and continued to have the competitive fire burn inside of him, and that’s what led to a lot of his success both in high school and then in college.

“A lot of that success comes from Arnie,” Cleary said. “He was a great motivator and just knew what he was doing. He believed in me, and I believed in him. Success breeds success. To this day, I still repeat a lot of his sayings.”

Patrick’s success left an imprint on his siblings, and Brien and Bridget also ran for the Redbirds. He said his entire family, which includes his parents Steve and Jane, were his biggest fans. 

“Another two people that helped and supported me where Don Osterday, the head track coach in Darlington, and Todd Bastian,” Patrick said. He also said his teammates in high school and college helped bring him success by pushing him every day in practice

After graduating from Dubuque, Cleary entered the realm of coaching, while also serving as an education instructor. He spent time as the varsity cross country and track coach at Pecatonica-Argyle. An educational assistant at Abraham Elementary School in Monroe, Cleary is the Monroe Middle School’s cross country and basketball coach, and is an assistant for the Monroe varsity track and field team. He also attends practically all Monroe High School cross country meets.

“To watch him coach, you can tell he really cares,” Miehe said. “He’s just as good of a person — if not better — as he is a runner. And he’s always humble, and anyone who knows him will tell you that.”

Cleary lives in Monroe with his wife, Briana, and children Braylin and Elyse. He is an educational assistant at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.