NDA students know Mr. Patrick Browne as the school’s new principal, but what they might not know is how dedicated he is to running. 

“Growing up we had 11 people in our family. It was loud, confrontational and very unsettling.  I needed a place to go where it was quieter and away from everyone else.  Because I couldn’t drive, I decided to get out of the house, and running quickly became addictive,” said the principal.

Browne runs about six or seven times a week, both for fun and for marathon competition. He has run four marathons and four ultra-marathons (50 kilometers) and is registered for the upcoming Cellcom Marathon here in Green Bay.

“You have to train a lot, but because I enjoy running it’s fun.   Every week you have to do a long run. If you don’t do the long runs, then it’s hard to finish, so although I dread running these longer distances, I know it will give me a better opportunity to finish,” said Browne.

After every run Browne feels like he’s “accomplished something significant before I even get to work.” The hardest part of running marathons, according to him, is the last eight miles.

“It’s very difficult to keep going when you are tired, frustrated, hurting and wanting to quit.  The strength to push beyond these barriers gives you strength for pushing through other challenges in life,” Browne said.

While driving to NDA, students and staff might see Browne on the way. Not in a car, but running. Browne runs/walks the 2.2 mile distance to and back home from NDA practically every day, a total of 4.4 miles daily..

“Coming from Chicago where I had to drive everywhere, I decided when I moved to Green Bay that I would only get in a car if I had to. Walking and running puts you in touch with the beauty of the trees, the differences in the homes and what a gift creation really is,” Browne explained.

“Everybody can run or walk,” said Browne.”You see a lot more of the world when you aren’t in a car.”

Browne, a former track coach, competed in the mile his junior and senior years in high school.