Mary Washington Alum Cycles Cross-Country – and Campus Walk – for a Cure

Pat McAleer ’89 remembers being in college when the bricks were laid to make the University of Mary Washington’s Campus Walk.

He’ll ride that same route when he visits his alma mater Oct. 6 during the final stretch of his cross-country cycling journey – spanning more than 4,000 miles – to support research for type 1 diabetes (TD1). His daughter, Mary Kate, now a registered nurse, was diagnosed with the condition at age 10.

Pat was inspired to take this trip to transform his family’s experiences into an opportunity to spread awareness about TD1, he noted on his website, which chronicles his three-month trek that will end at the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. “Not as a cyclist, but as a father who believes that with enough collective determination, we can find a cure.”

Pat McAleer ’89 is cycling cross-country to raise awareness and support research for type 1 diabetes, which his daughter, Mary Kate, has navigated since childhood. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer’s daughter, Mary Kate, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, or TD1, at age 10. She’s now thriving as an adult, working as a registered nurse (RN). Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer and daughter Mary Kate as a teen. Pat and wife Molly became like “human pancreases” after Mary Kate’s diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, he said, helping her monitor symptoms, give herself insulin shots, and check her blood sugar hourly. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Determination shaped Pat’s college experience from his first visit to campus during high school. The late Senior Vice President Emeritus H. Conrad Warlick, who then worked in admissions, spent an hour helping him map out a plan to earn his college degree.

“He was incredibly instrumental in my decision to come to Mary Washington,” said Pat, who grew up in Annandale, Virginia. He took Warlick’s advice and spent a semester shoring up his grades in community college before joining what was then known as the Blue Tide, which became the Eagles in 1986.

He majored in business administration but loved the liberal arts courses he took. His favorite class was taught by late civil rights leader and history professor James L. Farmer Jr.

“Those lectures were life lessons,” Pat said, recalling how Farmer’s stories about the civil rights era and the Freedom Riders, who persevered in their quest for justice, resonated with him. “I’m now amazed that I had the opportunity to listen to him in person.”

Pat McAleer in front of Brent House at Mary Washington in 1987. He said riding a bicycle was “freedom on two wheels” while he was growing up. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer had taken many long-distance cycling trips and even finished the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain on bicycle after breaking his toe, but he had never taken a trip as long as his current journey. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat worked in residence life and hung out at campus hotspots like the Pub and the C-Shoppe. He also served as co-captain of the men’s lacrosse club team when it became a varsity program.

“We got clobbered in our first game and went 0-14 that year,” he said. Slowly, the team began racking up a few wins in its second season. “It’s nice to see how far the program has come.”

After graduation, he began a decades-long career in financial planning in Richmond, while pursuing his passion for cycling. “For me, riding a bicycle was even better than getting a driver’s license,” Pat said. “It was freedom on two wheels.”

Then, his daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin.

“What many people don’t understand is this is an autoimmune disease that requires constant vigilance,” he said, noting its differences from type 2 diabetes, which mainly affects older adults. “Diet and lifestyle aren’t a factor.”

Pat McAleer and wife Molly at a gala in February 2026 for Breakthrough TD1, formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer’s daughters, Abby (left) and Mary Kate (right), wearing T-shirts supporting finding a cure for type 1 diabetes, which Mary Kate was diagnosed with at age 10. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer and daughter Mary Kate, who has navigated type 1 diabetes since childhood and is now a registered nurse. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

From left: Pat McAleer, wife Molly, daughter Abby, son-in-law Jack, and daughter Molly during Abby and Jack’s wedding in July 2023. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

He and wife Molly became “human pancreases,” he said, helping Mary Kate manage her symptoms, give herself insulin shots, and check her blood sugar hourly. They found support and resources through Breakthrough TD1 (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), which estimates that nine million people worldwide live with the condition.

“I was always thinking on my cycling trips about what else I could do to help, so this journey came together organically,” said Pat, who retired earlier this year.

He had taken longer rides before – and even finished the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage in Spain, on a rented bicycle because he broke his toe on the trip. “But I’ve never done something like this,” he said.

Pat McAleer poses atop the Sherman Pass road sign, the highest mountain pass in Washington State. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

“Every day I write a name on the duct tape and stick it to my handlebar and keep that person and their family in my heart,” said Pat McAleer, who messages the person and tells them that day’s ride is dedicated to them. “At the end of the day, I take the piece of tape off and stick it on my saddlebag with the others.” Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer wore a face respirator mask to breathe as the wildfires burned in Kaiser Canyon in Washington State in late July. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer camped through much of his journey, spending only a third of the time in hotels and overnight rentals. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer’s bicycle parked in front of Hell Creek Bar & Grill in Montana, one of the many stops he made along the way to rest and eat. He has appreciated the many conversations he has had with strangers about type 1 diabetes. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer on the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, which opened this summer, connecting Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer stops with his bicycle at Glacier National Park in Montana. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer takes a photo outside the U.S. Post Office in Brandon, Minnesota, a tiny city with a population of 501. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat McAleer (right) with Sean Michael Dargan ’90, who was following Pat’s journey on social media and reached out. The friends, who hadn’t seen each other since graduation, met up in Madison, Wisconsin, when Pat was passing through. Photo courtesy of Pat McAleer.

Pat flew to Seattle in July, dipped his wheel in the Pacific Ocean, and headed east. He has traveled interstates and dirt roads, braved inclement weather, wore a face respirator to avoid inhaling nearby wildfire smoke, pedaled up hills and mountains, and has frequently camped under the night skies.

But it’s been worth it, he said, because of the conversations he’s had with strangers, including some whose families have been impacted by type 1 diabetes. “I’ve chatted with people in coffee shops and cornfields and realized how kind people truly are.”

Friends, family, and fellow alumni are following along on social media, including Sean Michael Dargan ’90, who met up with him in Madison, Wisconsin, reconnecting for the first time since graduation. Pat – who has also been profiled by news media throughout Virginia and even briefly appeared on the Today Show with Molly while passing through New York City – hopes to see other former classmates in Fredericksburg, while spreading the word about TD1.

“I truly believe that we can find a cure,” he said. “In the meantime, we can fund research for better treatments so people can live healthier lives.”

Learn more at RidePatRide.org.

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-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04.