In whiteout conditions and subfreezing wind in the heartland of Iowa, Paul Clark got his revenge. The Onondaga Community College sophomore pushed through the snow and into school history. The Baldwinsville native won the NJCAA Division III National Championship in the 8,000 meter race (just under 5 miles), finishing in 26 minutes, 50 seconds. He was a full 8 seconds ahead of Nathan Ciarlette of Joliet Junior College, the runner who had beaten him twice before in national championship races. “It was a lot slower than other times, but that’s the way championship races are,” Clark said. “You focus more on winning instead of your time.”
The blizzard forced runners to trade speed for survival, but Clark’s steady pace of 5:20 per mile was perfect for him. “I felt fresh,” he said. “That pace was what I’d been doing in workouts, so I was very used to it.”
Clark is a Business Administration major who will graduate in spring 2026. He first discovered his talent for running in elementary school. “We had to run the mile, I was good at it, so I stuck with it.” While running competitively at Baldwinsville High School, he captured five outdoor sectional titles, three indoor sectional titles, and earned all-league honors.
After finishing fifth at last year’s nationals, which was won by Ciarlette, Clark committed to a summer of harder training and sharper focus. “I didn’t want to lose to the guy who beat me twice in track last year.”
When he crossed the finish line through swirling snow, Clark finally reversed that storyline. “I knew I could do it,” he said, “but doing it felt better than I imagined.”
Clark plans to transfer to a four-year college to continue running and pursue a career in accounting.
You can view Clark running in blizzard-like conditions and crossing the finish line first by clicking on this link.
