MANKATO — When describing 2026 Mankato East graduate Dayton Clobes, the word discipline comes to mind.
It’s because of discipline that he became a section champion and 0.11 seconds away from a state championship in the 800-meter run this season. It’s because of discipline that he helped East bring home a state championship trophy this season.
Now that discipline is being put to a new, much bigger test. Cloves is taking his distance-running skills to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“All those years and time that people have put into this country to make it so good … I would hate to see it go away,” Clobes said. “We really have it good here. To see that go away would really hurt me.”
This season alone brought him success. On top of the second-place finish in the 800-meter run and the state title earlier this month he was the Big 9 Conference champion in the 800-meter run (1:57.73) and 1600-meter run (4:23.18). In cross country he was fifth at sections (16:22.9) and 30th at the state championships (16:20.1).
But how did this crazy running journey all begin? Well, Clobes admits he began running because his dad wanted that to be his primary sport. But what kept Clobes locked into distance running was the realization that it made him disciplined.
“It challenged me a lot, and I started to notice the good effects it had on me throughout all other aspects of life. As I got older, I learned to appreciate running. That’s what really got me into trying harder and harder.”
As he grew older, he began to realize running at the collegiate level could be a possibility. And as he explained, it was a college sport that wasn’t overly tiring on the body or overly time consuming.
Football players will have up to two practices a day that are anywhere from one to two hours, then there’s a weightlifting aspect that eats up an hour, then individual meeting and film sessions.
Running on the other hand? Two hours of strictly physical work at the most.
“The running part is an excellent way to get into a college,” Clobes said. “You might not get the most money out of it, but it doesn’t take up a lot of your time. If you’re good at running, it is a very nice ticket into a lot of different things.”
Initially in the recruiting process Clobes had a desire to serve in the military. Then came a visit to the University of Mary, a private Catholic school where he believed “there was no funny business.”
He was instantly drawn into the culture. He attended a 7 p.m. Mass with members of the team, a memory that sticks out to this day.
“Most of the guys on the team were Christian, and everybody had that thing kind of holding them together,” he said. “You could just feel it in the halls that everybody was just happy to be there. All the people there looked like they wanted to be there, and it just was a great environment that I knew I would be thriving in.”
So Clobes committed to the University of Mary. All of his hard work earned him the right to run at the collegiate level.
But the thought of serving in the military, especially West Point, stayed in the back of his mind. The coaches at UMary were aware it was a possibility.
His recruiters advised him not to enlist. But if he wanted to serve his country, going the Military Academy route was a great idea for him.
It took time, but West Point ultimately admitted him into the academy. He admits the decision to de-commit from UMary wasn’t an easy one, but passing up an opportunity to run collegiately at West Point, a Division I program, was too good to pass up.
Now, he makes his way down to the Academy this weekend. Monday will be his Reception Day. After that, it’s a six-week boot camp.
“I’ve been given such a great opportunity,” Clobes said. “I’m very lucky to get in, and I’m very glad, because it’s an opportunity I’m going to take full advantage of. I know that de-committing is sort of a bad thing, but I think that some part of (UMary) understands that de-committing to a military academy is just different.
“It’s sort of a higher calling, and I had to accept it.”