Foley steps away after three decades coaching G-E-T runners

When Don Foley first started teaching and coaching in the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District, he figured it would eventually serve as a stepping stone to a bigger school.

Now some 30 years later, Foley is retiring from the same district with a deep appreciation and love for the small community he’s immersed himself in.

“I’m not really a small town guy,” Foley said. “When I came to Galesville, I was thinking, ‘Oh, this will be temporary and I’ll move on to a bigger school.’ But I loved it. I loved coaching here. I loved teaching here.”

Foley is retiring from the G-E-T School District this spring after over 30 years teaching social studies and coaching between cross country and track and field.

He started at G-E-T back in 1991 after beginning his career as head track and field coach at UW-Platteville. He also coached at UW-La Crosse.

Memories stack together over the course of three decades at G-E-T, but two favorites from Foley come from opposite experiences.

Seeing alumna Dana Feyen win an individual cross country state title as a sophomore in 2016 was special because it was the first individual prep champion Foley coached.

“When Dana Feyen got that first state title as a sophomore, I think I was more nervous than she was because you think, ‘Is that number one ever going to happen?’”

The other moment came last fall with a kid brand new to the sport who struggled with injuries and battled to reach the finish line in a 5k race.

“It was a special moment when he crossed the finish line this year in the first race, and he ended up doing a couple more and he ended up getting pretty good,” Foley said.

As a coach, Foley said he always tried to be present and show his athletes what happens when hard work meets talent. That meant making sure he was ready to run, too.

“I’ve had coaches who sat behind a desk while the kids went out and ran. I always wanted to be a coach that was interactive, that I would run with them.”

No kid on the team could outpace Foley in team runs for years, something he took pride in. He continued to run with his team through his older years, even if he wasn’t setting the pace anymore.

Foley coached both cross country and track and field spread between the boys’ and girls’ teams over the last 30 years. He coached just under 1,000 kids and saw multiple teams head to state.

Running in the area has continued to improve thanks to the strength of multiple coaches, Foley said, and the sport has grown since he first started. He said that always helped him get better, too.

The first aspect runners must have to be successful is grit, Foley said, followed by a passion for running.

“You gotta love to run, and if you love to run it means you’re gonna put miles in. And when you get miles in, that’s when your running really starts to take hold,” he said.

One of his former runners in Feyen said Foley made her feel like part of the team from day one. The Big 12 Conference champion at Iowa State said her running career is what it is in part thanks to Foley.

“He was very conscientious with how he developed me as an athlete. I think he really cares about all the athletes he works with,” she said. “He wants them to perform their best in the classroom and athletically, but he also cares about how they’re doing outside of sport and school.”

When she won her first title at G-E-T in 2016, Foley was the first person there to congratulate her after the race. That’s something that sticks out to Feyen to this day.

“He gave me a hug, and he was just overjoyed for me. He had been such a big part of that accomplishment, so I was honored that he was so overjoyed for my accomplishment.”

Now that he’s done, the program has big shoes to fill, Feyen said.

“He puts a lot of time in outside of practice, outside of school. He was always investing time to help his students and athletes to the best of his ability.”

Foley said he might get back into coaching in the future, depending on the situation. If it is the end, though, his goal in his career was simple.

“I just wanted to pass the love of running onto them,” Foley said. “That’s really what I’m about is love of distance running and love of the sport and just being out in nature and being active with the kids.”