Dan Cloeter

Dan Cloeter (born May 16, 1952) is a retired athlete and current pastor in Osceola, Nebraska. While attending Concordia University Nebraska, Cloeter was forty-eighth at the 1972 Amateur Athletic Union Cross Country Championships and seventh at the 1973 NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship. Between 1973 to 1981, Cloeter competed in American marathons including multiple appearances at the Chicago Marathon. When the Chicago event started out as the Mayor Daley Marathon, Cloeter won the 1977 event and was third in 1978. Upon the marathon's name change to the America's Marathon-Chicago the following year, Cloeter rewon the Chicago event in 1979.

Apart from Chicago, Cloeter was twenty-fourth at the marathon during the 1976 United States Olympic Trials and eighteenth at the 1978 New York City Marathon. Outside of running, Cloeter began his religious career working for Lutheran churches in 1978. Between the 1980s to 2010s, Cloeter primarily held pastoral positions in Nebraska while working in various cities of Midwestern United States. During this time period, Cloeter was chosen to hold the opening ceremonial prayer at the 1999 USATF Junior Olympics.

Early life and education

Cloeter was born on May 16, 1952, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, until he was ten years old.[1][2] During his high school education in Seward, Nebraska, Cloeter began running.[3] For his post-secondary education, Cloeter attended Concordia University Nebraska between 1970 and 1974.[4] During this time period, Cloeter competed at cross country championships held by the Amateur Athletic Union and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In these championships, Cloeter was forty-eighth at the 1972 AAU Cross Country Championships and seventh at the 1973 NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship.[1][5]

In 1975, Cloeter continued his post-secondary education at Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Illinois and worked at J. C. Penney.[6] During the late 1970s, Cloeter went to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where the seminary had subsequently relocated, to complete additional studies and worked as a gym teacher.[7][8]

Athletic career

From 1973 to 1982, Cloeter ran primarily in American races ranging from the ten kilometers to marathon.[1] When the Mayor Daley Marathon premiered in 1977, Cloeter won the event with a time of 2:17:52.[7] The following year, Cloeter was third at the event.[9] When the event was renamed to the America's Marathon-Chicago in 1979, Cloeter won the event in 2:23:20.[10] After the event, Cloeter received medical treatment for dehydration.[11] The following year, Cloeter stated he would not compete at the 1980 Chicago Marathon due to leg injuries he had sustained from a dog.[12]

Outside of Chicago, Cloeter was eighteenth at the 1978 New York City Marathon.[13] Competing in the 1976 United States Olympic Trials, Cloeter was twenty-fourth in the marathon event.[14] Four years later, Cloeter qualified to participate at the 1980 United States Olympic Trials.[15] After the United States decided not to attend the 1980 Summer Olympics, Cloeter pulled out of the Olympic Trials.[8][16] Apart from the United States, Cloeter appeared at racing events in Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and The Bahamas before his last marathon in 1981.[1]

Religious career

While competing in running, Cloeter began working at Lutheran churches in 1978.[17] Between the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cloeter was a minister and assistant pastor at a church in Norfolk, Nebraska.[3][18] In 1982, it was announced that Cloeter would continue his religious career in Racine, Wisconsin.[2] During this decade, Cloeter initially stayed in Wisconsin until he took a pastoral position in Hutchinson, Minnesota, in the late 1980s. At the beginning of the 1990s, Cloeter remained in Hutchinson.[19][20] By the end of the 1990s, Cloeter had moved to Omaha, Nebraska to continue his pastoral experience.[21] While in Omaha, Cloeter was selected to give the opening ceremonial prayer at the 1999 USATF Junior Olympics.[22]

In the 2000s, Cloeter stayed in Omaha until he continued his pastorship at Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2002. After he stepped down from his senior pastor's position in 2004, Cloeter worked for a San Antonio, Texas, financial company until 2006.[23] In 2007, Cloeter and his wife moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, to open up a church.[24] For the majority of the 2010s, Cloeter continued to work in as a pastor in Osceola, Nebraska, after starting there in 2012.[6][8]

Honors and personal life

In 1994, Cloeter was inducted into an athletic hall of fame for Concordia University Nebraska.[4] Cloeter is married and has four children.[20]

References
  1. "Runner: Dan Cloeter". Association of Road Racing Statisicans. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  2. Svoboda, Gary (April 11, 1982). "Lincoln Marathon farewell run by Cloeter". The Lincoln Star. p. 5C.
  3. Svobada, Gary (May 10, 1979). "Norfolk minister solid favorite in Marathon". The Lincoln Star. p. 25.
  4. "Athletic Hall of Fame". Concordia University, Nebraska. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  5. "Cloeter Named All-American". Lincoln Evening Journal. November 20, 1973. p. 16.
  6. Valla, Elizabeth Anna (July 3, 2014). "Pastor of all trades". Columbus Telegram. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  7. "Hoosier Wins Marathon". The Muncie Star. September 26, 1977. p. 12.
  8. Reichel, Aubree (October 8, 2017). "Runner looks back at first Chicago race". The Journal Gazette. Fort Wayne, Indiana. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  9. "Ex-East Chicagoan 6th in Marathon". The Times. Munster, Indiana. September 25, 1978. p. 31.
  10. "Norfolk's Dan Cloeter makes it two out of three". Sioux City Journal. October 23, 1979. p. A12.
  11. Svobofa, Gary (October 23, 1979). "Norfolk's Cloeter relishes challenge of meeting the best". The Lincoln Star. p. 16.
  12. "Cloeter to run in Norfolk race". The Lincoln Star. September 9, 1980. p. 12.
  13. "New York Marathon". Salt Lake Tribune. October 23, 1978. p. C5.
  14. "Burke Wins Marathon". The Terre Haute Tribune. June 5, 1976. p. 8.
  15. Svoboda, Gary (May 14, 1979). "Record-breaking effort lifts Cloeter". Lincoln Journal. p. 13.
  16. Svoboda, Gary (May 9, 1980). "New champions assured in 3rd Lincoln Marathon". Lincoln Journal. p. 23.
  17. Hersh, Philip (September 19, 2002). "Remembering ex-winners". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  18. "Cloeter will speak, run here Saturday". Sioux City Journal. January 30, 1981. p. C1.
  19. "Installation service set for new teachers". The Journal Times. September 7, 1985. sec. Community p. 8.
  20. Ziehm, Lee (October 29, 1993). "Cloeter Still Running After All These Years". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 4.
  21. Heffelfinger, Shannon (July 27, 1999). "Pastor's Goal Is to Inspire Jr.Olympians". Omaha World-Herald. p. 19.
  22. "Athletes Get Head Start on Tonight's Grand Opening 1999 Junior Olympics Opening Ceremonies". Omaha World-Herald. July 28, 1999. p. 1.
  23. Reeves, Bob (May 18, 2007). "Minister has his own redemption story". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  24. Reeves, Bob (March 24, 2007). "New church to hold first service at SouthPointe Cinema". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 1C.
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