Running Toward What Matters | Patrick Fitzgerald

Patrick Fitzgerald is UNW’s Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams. In this episode, he shares his vision for a God-honoring athletic program that both challenges and motivates athletes to be their personal best. 

Through providing intentional time to share devotionals and connect, Patrick helps students grow in their faith and equip them for life beyond UNW. When the season ends, his hope is that his athletes are inspired and prepared to use their gifts effectively for the Kingdom and ultimately discipleship.

Learn more about Cross Country and Track and Field at UNW: Click here

🎧 Subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen.

💬 Know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of UNW doing amazing things out in the world? Let us know at alumni@unwsp.edu. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Join as we highlight the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern. This is the Unwavering Podcast.

SPEAKER_04 0:23

Hey everybody, this is Monty, and uh today we have a special pulse episode of the Unwavering Podcast. And uh Cassie? Cassie. Sorry.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

I was on hurdles. I'm here.

SPEAKER_04 0:39

Uh I raced here and Cassie took the hurdles, and this is relevant because today we have a chance to sit down with Patrick Fitzgerald. And uh Patrick is in his second season at the University of Northwestern, and he is the coach of the men's and women's cross-country and track and field teams. Patrick, welcome to the Unwavering podcast. Oh man, I'm excited about this. Uh Patrick, it has been so fun to just get to know you over these last couple of years as you've joined the team here at Northwestern. It's fun to see the culture and the momentum you've got with your team. I'm excited to hear more about that in this conversation and even hear a preview of the current season that's going on. But first, did you know that when you arrived you stole my identity here at Northwestern? I did not know that. I'm looking forward to hearing how I did that. Yeah, it's true. I went to print. It was like, I don't know, your average Tuesday. And I went to print and it would not let me log into the printer anymore because it just kept saying you're not Patrick Fitzgerald. And I just wanted to know who in the world is Patrick Fitzgerald? And I found out that this new coach had come to Northwestern and somehow our identities were linked. And that's when I knew we need to get to know this guy.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:48

What a privilege it's been. So our identities have since been unlinked, but I'm really glad that you're here.

SPEAKER_03 1:52

Monty has been trying to coach track those ever since. So totally.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Yep. We always have room. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

Yes. Well, thank you. So we want to dive in. Um, not necessarily with an easy question, but what has the Lord been teaching you right now?

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Yeah, it's a great question. Um, I think the biggest thing he's been teaching me is if you put something in your heart and you listen, um, it's so true he'll just make the most of everything. So um, and even if we don't listen sometimes, he has this great power to just do what he uh does best, which is to make the most of something. But it's been very clear, which we'll get into just my time here and how fruitful it's been in my personal life and then how that's played into my professional life as well.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

That's awesome. I can't wait to hear more about that. Well, how did you end up at Northwestern just two years ago?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

I'll make it a short story. So um I moved to Minnesota. My parents are originally from St. Cloud and St. Joe. Um, and so my grandparents um we'd always visit growing up. Uh lived in St. Cloud and St. Joe still. So in 2015, I moved here to look after my grandpa who had dementia. And so in that process, um, it started off as like a six-month commitment, and then it became a six and a half year commitment that I ended up making. And um in that time frame, I was coaching at Cathedral High School. And a few of my athletes end up coming here actually. And so to support them, one played volleyball and then one eventually played uh soccer. So I remember my first time on campus, I'd never heard of Northwestern at the time. And it just felt different. And the whole experience, I mean, from the prayer before the game, um, I've been on a lot of college campuses, Christian college campuses, it just had a different feel. And that's the best way I can describe that. That was um reiterated the next time I came for soccer games, and it just became so consistent, it was very clear that it was just what the school's about. So I remember thinking if, you know, eventually when this time with grandpa's uh, you know, done, then we'll see where I'm at in my life. And uh and sure enough, around not about a year and a half after he passed away, um, the job opened up. So I threw my hat in the ring. I was living in San Diego at the time, and uh, it's the only job I applied for as far as for college. It was the only job I was interested in because of what the school stood for. And so what a blessing to go through the interview process and and to get the job. So that's why I ended up at Northwestern.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

Well, we're glad you're here. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 4:01

Oh, I love that. I've actually had the chance to meet several people who were coached by you at Cathedral in St. Cloud. And they're all like, Do you know Patrick? Because they find out I'm from Northwestern. And man, that's so cool that you got here. So we love having you here. Thank you. It's been a gift to be here for sure.

SPEAKER_03 4:18

Very cool. So tell us a little bit about the team dynamics. Have they given you any nicknames yet?

SPEAKER_00 4:24

I have a few. They're not they're not that crazy. Um, there's a pretty funny one if you've seen McFarlane, the movie. Um, it's a runny movie. There's Coach Blanco. Okay. Um that's probably my favorite, honestly. Um, Coach Fitz. Um I think Coach Patty is probably the most common, though. Um and I don't ask for them to call me anything in particular, but Coach Patty is probably the number one. And then I'd say Coach Fitz is probably second. That's cute. Yeah. No really great. I mean, there's I think there's room for some creativity to be honest with you. So I'm interested if there'll be some new ones this year.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

I mean, if you ask for it, they'll probably deliver.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

I'm sure they will. They probably have ones I don't know about, but those are the ones I know of. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

Those are so those are kind. Those are nice. I think so. Yeah. Maybe it's because you're so nice that you can't think of anything mean. That's good. That's good. Well, how long have you been running? What got you into the sport?

SPEAKER_00 5:09

Yeah, I'll I'll never I can literally remember like yesterday. It was 1999, uh, 98 actually. And my brother is two years older. I have two older brothers and a younger sister, and uh, my second oldest brother was a very good runner. He's a freshman at the time, and I'm watching him, and I'm I'm in a cast because I broke my wrist. And my dad's like, one day you're gonna run too. And I'm thinking, I told my dad, I said there's no way I'm running. And uh I said, maybe the 400 in track, I'll try. And I'll never forget my freshman year. I never ran uh anything over really the mile in my life. And my freshman year that summer going in rather, um, I ran four miles with the cross country team and I never looked back. It was I just remember just thinking the sport's for me. So I I continue playing basketball as well and then and ran track. But yeah, my first uh really experience was freshman year, I ran uh through high school and then eventually through college as well.

SPEAKER_03 5:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

So what is the deepest joy of being a runner? You know, I'm gonna be careful because every sport has their thing, right? So I guarantee if you caught talk to any coach, it's gonna be, you know, this sport, this is why it's tough. But I'll say this running, I think, is probably like wrestling, it's the most complete sport with meaning if you don't sleep well or you don't hydrate or you don't I mean anything goes wrong, it's your you know, it it's it's very apparent. It's very hard to to compete at a high level if you're not I say fully focused in that area. Whereas, you know, I remember basketball games, I'd be eating a pasrami sandwich and cherry coke and go play a pretty good game after within an hour. And I love basketball by the way, so it's not uh Tim Gross, don't take that person. Um obviously at the highest levels. But I guess that's my thing. It's the greatest joy is when you have a good race or when you work really hard at something like any sport and things come together. I just think you just know all the discipline that takes, the early nights to bed. Um just eating well, drinking well, and then and then also you know running hard and and getting the proper training. So that's that's why I like it.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

Now, would you rather run fast or run far?

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Now I'd rather run far.

SPEAKER_03 6:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

When I was younger, fast for sure.

unknown 6:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:59

And maybe you don't have to choose.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

No, yeah, no. Definitely at 40, going on 42, I'd say far. Yeah, for sure. That's my best bet right now. Sure.

SPEAKER_04 7:07

My problem with running is I'm not chasing anything. Like if you're dangling like a broom ball in front of me or something, I'll I'll chase that all day probably, but I gotta find some new motivation.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

For sure. Well, I I I actually pick a restaurant, so I'll like and I'll line up a ride home. So it's like I have a like a you know, incentive or something, or a coffee shop. Like I'll run there and then I'll either get someone, you know, to meet me there and take me home after.

SPEAKER_03 7:28

So I found out that my ideal pace is to pretend that I'm chasing a kid. So I was like I was trying to sprint when I first tried to jog.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 7:39

It was too much. I was so tired. But thinking about chasing my kid, I don't know, it helped. I need to go slow, is the moral.

SPEAKER_04 7:47

It's the mental game. That's right. Yes. Well, from the moment you that you've arrived, you've been intentional about building your team culture. And I think I mentioned that at the beginning. It's obvious for me as an outsider to see something happening with your team. So what are you trying to build and what has it looked like in that process?

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Such a great question that I I actually looked up fairly recently because I've, you know, the culture has been a word I've been I've heard rather since high school in sports. And um, so I'm like, you know, what is it actually really kind of about? So I actually wrote down it's um mainly the the the behaviors, beliefs, and values. And so some of the behaviors I've been trying to continue to help them to grow in is um to really enjoy the sacrifice of sports, really. And just like school, there, I mean, and college, you know, you're dealing with such a wide variety of majors and internships and so many things. So I'm so grateful for the the time commitment that they're willing to give to the sport. And I just I hope one of the things I hope they believe and and grow in their belief is that the sacrifice is worth it. And um I really do believe, like we look in our personal lives likely, that sometimes the biggest things we sacrifice are some of the most rewarding. So that's one thing that I've tried to incorporate. And how do you do that and have fun at the same time? Because it is important to have fun. And so um we've had that discussion as of as soon actually yesterday in our team meeting, just to encourage fun looks a little different sometimes in different seasons. So um fun could be the ride between here to the meet, it could be the post-meet meal, um, the conversations out of meet, the cheering. So just trying to encourage them that fun looks different in different seasons. So um it's been really nice because I think there's a little bit of buy-in there, and I think they are realizing just how rewarding that is and fruitful it is as as a team. So that's some of the things I like to think that we've incorporated. But the reality is a big portion of our of our season, two days a week we're in the classroom, we start in devotionals, we start and start in small groups. And um, I think that's for me been the most fruitful portion of our seasons because we actually sit down together. We're not in a gym, we're not in a track, and to actually get to know each other. So I'll mix up groups, small groups and such. So allowing people just to to have conversations they maybe wouldn't have otherwise. So I think that's another part of it, is just kind of getting more involved in each other's lives. Um, not forcing it, but in allowing conversations.

SPEAKER_04 9:58

Do you feel like that's been the key to really building the culture that you feel on the team? Because I think whenever we're around uh your teams, there is something just obvious and almost like tangible that they just really enjoy being around each other and they're also just really kind and servant-hearted. Like, do you feel like that comes from those relationships? Or where do you think that really comes from?

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Yeah, that's good. Um, I do. I think once again, one of the potentially unique things about the sport is you know, you don't really go to subgroups, so to speak. So, you know, you'll be on a 10-mile run and you could be running with someone for that's up to 80 minutes straight. You know, it's rare to spend 80 minutes with someone in a practice or a game. So um I think part of it is is that investment in one another. And then the servant side, that's so good because I love to hear that. Um, we talk about that a lot. You know, we talk about the ultimate servant. And so um, we have an opportunity as a team to whether it be leaving a meat clean, you know, cleaning up after ourselves, a kind word to other teams, like that's been definitely one of the goals as well. So I do think, yeah, I think a lot of it's relational. And that includes your coach. You know, it's important for to me to do my best to be able to connect as well in a way that's helping them grow as young men and women. So that's good. Doing my best.

SPEAKER_04 11:12

Well, and if you had to pull back all the layers of the cross-country and track and field program, yeah, and you try to get to the heart of what you're trying to accomplish and what you're trying to instill as coach, what is the heart of the program?

SPEAKER_00 11:24

I would feel as a coach that it would be a failure of a season if I'm not helping these young men and women grow as people. And I use the term a lot. You're gonna be filling the name the rest of your life, but I get you for a couple of years. So my goal ultimately is to help young men and women grow closer to the Lord and then also to grow in discipline and things that are gonna carry into their personal lives, their their workplace lives. And so I'm very, very happy so far with what I've seen at Northwestern is just some of the qualities that I think will play well into their life the rest of the rest of their life. And then I also brought my purpose statement actually. I created this when I was at cathedral, and I haven't changed it much. Um, every year I look at it and see if I want to tweak it. But my purpose statement is to provide a God-honoring program that both challenges and motivates my athletes to be their personal best. When the season ends, my hope is that my athletes are inspired and prepared to take their gifts and use them effectively for the kingdom, ultimately discipleship. So that's the core of my program. That's what I try aim to accomplish every year. And if I'm at my best and the Lord's using me and uh at my best, then I think we can hopefully get people, young people to do that.

SPEAKER_04 12:26

For sure. I agree. For those who don't follow track closely, how do cross country and track seasons work? And uh, you know, there's indoor, there's outdoor, there's everything in between. Can you just give us the the 101 version?

SPEAKER_00 12:40

100%. So cross country is in the fall, and typically the training season starts um June. So it's actually a longer season. So we're about uh about five and a half months for cross. And so, and that carries uh largely their middle and long distance kids, right? And then you're leaving out a big group, which eventually you see coming in during indoor season. So um another difference from cross to track is cross country, you want a lower score. So each person is represented by a point. So if I get first place, I'm worth one point. So we want a low score. So a perfect score would be 15, for example. If you went one through five, you would score 15 points. So whereas track, the more points, the better. So that's one main difference. Cross country, the lower score better. Track the higher the higher the score, better. Indoor and outdoor uh effectively are two different seasons. So the NCAA and also our conference, the UMAC, they have their own championships for both seasons. As a coach, I try to prepare them in a way that ultimately they're at their best in outdoor because that would be the pinnacle end of our season. But you still have to have them ready to go at the championships indoor as well. So really they feed to one another, but they are two different seasons. In totality, it's 16 weeks, so four months. So it's about a month and a half less running and competing than there is in cross country. So that is kind of the main difference.

SPEAKER_04 13:51

So cross country is in the fall, track and field is in the spring, but split into indoor and then outdoor. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

I call it the winter because anytime there's snow on the ground, it's but yes, it's it starts January 12th for indoor, ends and end of February. Outdoor goes um March to June.

SPEAKER_04 14:05

Fall, winter, and spring.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yes. So technically it's year-round. And that's that's kind of the full circle. And when I mentioned that commitment, I'm super grateful for I mean, all our athletes, every sport out there, I see them in the weight room. Everyone's doing a lot of hard work uh between seasons. With running, you're you're kind of in season. If you're a cross-country runner, you're running from cross-country to track, you're really running about 10 months of the year. Um, and that means competing, you're probably running 11 months of the year. So once again, that's what a commitment when you're doing things that are getting you closer to your careers and and burning the candle at both ends a lot of times.

SPEAKER_04 14:36

So that gets back to enjoying the sacrifice. Correct. And that commitment that's right. Of all the different events with cross country and track and field both seasons, what is your favorite of the year?

SPEAKER_03 14:45

And why is it the purple donut run?

SPEAKER_00 14:50

It it honestly, and I mean this, it it is my favorite because I was telling Monty in the in the lobby. Um, first off, I've competed in two of them, or sorry, I competed in the first one. I was mostly just cheering in the second that I've been a part of. Um, it's such a good event for a lot of reasons. Um, it's fun, it is competitive, it's on campus, and it brings such a good energy going into homecoming the game.

SPEAKER_04 15:10

What about all of the different cross-country events and is is there a favorite meet?

SPEAKER_00 15:15

One that we've really taken advantage of and really enjoy is the is the Christian national meet. It's really the one opportunity that we get out of the state as well. It is kind of the culmination of hard work, and then you have to earn it. Last year in Missouri, for example, and the road trip there, kind of like I mentioned earlier, all the conversations, all the fun that the memories that you make in those times, that's been a special one for us. But I'd say locally, GRIAC's been a lot of fun. It's one that the kids don't necessarily love all the time because it's a really typically hot that portion of the year is it's warm, and then it's one of the more challenging courses. But it's just down the road here in um technically St. Paul. But I I personally as a coach I prefer that one. That's fine.

SPEAKER_03 15:49

And what do you like about that one?

SPEAKER_00 15:50

You know, if you're gonna do it, it's it's it is challenging. So um it's one of those races that we get kids from all over the country. It's the biggest race we run. So, and what's neat about it is they have a gold and a maroon race. So the gold being division one schools and then maroon being two, three in NAI and sorry, community colleges as well. So it's a big race, but it's also very competitive. So, you know, between that and the challenges, and what's fun is you get to look back, that's one of our biggest races in the season. And then you get to conference and you look back and see how far you've come, and the weather's nicer to run in. And so um I'd say that's that's one of the reasons for sure.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

Awesome.

SPEAKER_04 16:23

Well, that's awesome. So I know you enjoyed some success over the past year as well, but how is the current season shaping up? And what are you looking forward to for the rest of the outdoor track and field season?

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Yeah, cross country was a lot of fun, and it did definitely um give us a little momentum going into track. I'm looking forward to most. I really like where we're at right now. We definitely had a slow start in the early, the first couple races. It was a very apparent we weren't very sharp yet. But that was kind of intentional. We we have a long season ahead, and I really like where the the health of our team. Um, I like the camaraderie that I'm seeing and the friendships that are growing. And then I we at conference we had, I I mean, nearly everyone had a personal best that day for indoor. And I'm looking for that to carry into outdoor and see just kind of what we can do for our next push. And also the numbers, we're definitely growing little by little, but we are seeing some growth on that side as well. So that helps us to be more competitive in the process.

SPEAKER_04 17:13

Aaron Powell Well, if you're listening to this and you're a prospective student or prospective parent or an alum who knows some runners, uh, I could not advocate high enough for this program. Um so encourage them to come on out and run at Northwestern.

SPEAKER_03 17:26

Aaron Powell Well, Coach Patty, as we wrap up here, as you know, we are unwavering here at Northwestern. So, what does unwavering mean to you personally and as a coach?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

So, kind of back to that. I mean, I was so fortunate that Northwestern ended up choosing me, but why I chose to apply to Northwestern was because of the the unwavering. And what I found for me, that which best symbolizes an unwavering that I see here is kind of the the parable of the wise and the foolish builders, and maybe it's because I'm a West Coast kid, but um I can see that visual. I'm thinking of La Jolla as we speak, and you know, these rocks that have been there forever and how they take on these big waves. And um, I really believe that the foundation of this university is is very strong. And it's been very apparent from when I got here from that, from Matt Hill to the president, um, our Wednesday chapels that I'm able to go to and Friday that I so enjoy. It's why I want to be here. I, you know, selfishly as well. I want to grow in my faith and I want to hopefully contribute as well in that process. But so that's what it means to me. It's it's a it's a it's a foundation that I don't see wavering at all. I don't see it moving. Um, and I'm just looking forward to seeing what we can do going forward as well to continue that. Um, I think people are looking for that in this world. You know, I think there's some hope here and some joy, and um I'm looking forward to seeing um students and and a light can be touched by that.

SPEAKER_04 18:40

Man, well, we're in we're in this together, yeah, this unwavering mission. And Patrick, thanks for taking some time out of your out of your day to join us on the Unwavering podcast. Thanks again for your help and your team's help at homecoming. Really appreciated you volunteering and helping with our our office. Um, thanks also for your strong joy that you bring to the Purple Donut Run. And uh lastly, thanks for what you bring to the culture of your team and just to the place that is Northwestern. So we love having you here.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

It's my pleasure. And I want to thank you guys and uh Monty specifically I deal with you the most as far as between the Purple Donut Run. Um, I appreciate just how enthusiastic you are and how much you care and and pour into the school and and the programs, and and we benefit from all that, myself included. So thank you for having me on. Thank you for the example you set for the the for me and for for the for our university. So I hope you continue and just know you're being prayed for.

SPEAKER_04 19:29

No, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Hold it on to your promises.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

Hold it on to your face. Thank you for listening. To hear more, subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen. And if you know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of Northwestern doing amazing things out in the world, let us know at alumni at unwsp.edu. The unwavering podcast, highlighting the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern.