Parkside Athletics

Pete Henkes, a very well known name in the cross country and track & field world, has been working at Parkside since 2002 where he has served as a cross country consultant, meet director for countless races and provides his expertise and knowledge for races all over the country. 

Henkes founded the Wisconsin Runner Racing Team in 1982, a Wisconsin-based club for post-collegiate mid- to long- distance runners. Since 2000, WRRT has had 24 USA Olympic Track and Field Trials finalists and one Olympic gold medalist. WRRT has won the USATF National Club XC title, has had four individual champions and has had nine USA World XC team members. WRRT has captured the USATF National Distance Medley Relay title.  WRRT also has had multiple athletes qualify for USA world teams in indoor track, road racing and trail running.

Since 2016, Henkes has served as the Vice Chairman of the USA Cross Country Council and was the head coach for the Edinburgh International Cross Country Team in 2016 and the USATF World Half Marathon Team in 2014.

At the collegiate level, Henkes has served as the meet director for nearly 20 championship meets, including the Big East, the Horizon League and the NAIA National Championships. 

He's a member of four Hall of Fame's, including the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2001), the Foot Locker Cross Country Hall of Fame (2006), Wisconsin Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2015) and the Racine County Sports Hall of Fame (2018). 

Henkes, who is a Racine, Wis., native, graduated high school from St. Catherine's and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from Carthage College in Kenosha.