Cross Country
2024-2025 Girls' Cross Country Team
2024-2025 Boys' Cross Country Team
Coaching Staff
Mark Hunkele, Varsity Head Coach
Mark Hunkele
Varsity Head Coach
Mark is a coach, competitive runner and triathlete. He is passionate about coaching Pine-Richland student athletes as head high school cross country coach and head high school track and field coach. He specializes in coaching the distance and middle distance runners.
Mark loves coaching Pine-Richland runners and is proud to be part of this great program. His goal as a coach is to help every athlete have the best experience possible and for the team to also be the best that it can be. Mark works with athletes to devise individualized science-based training so that every athlete gets the best training possible. He feels it is very important for every runner to have fun, keep a positive attitude, focus on achieving their goals and be determined to always do their best. He hopes to foster a love of running so that every Pine-Richland runner becomes a lifelong runner.
The cross country and track and field teams and athletes are enjoying great success at the district, state and national level.
Mark also has extensive experience coaching running, triathlon and fitness programs, as well as youth baseball and soccer.
Mark is the race director for the Ram Run 5K/1 Mile Race in October at North Park in Pittsburgh, which is hosted by the Pine-Richland Cross Country Boosters. The annual event, which started in 2014, has over 500 participants each year with about half of them being children. He also directs 2 annual track festivals.
Mark has been running since he was 13. He started running after picking up an application for the Pittsburgh Great Race 10K, one of the largest races in the country. He ran this race one month later and was hooked on running. Mark has run hundreds of races including cross country and track meets, road races and triathlons. He enjoys racing all distances, but his favorite events are the marathon and Ironman Triathlon. Mark has run 66 marathons including 10 marathons run during Ironman Triathlons. HIs personal best is 2:43.34 run in the 2004 Philadelphia Marathon. Mark has run 17 Boston Marathons and in 2004 finished 126th overall male. His best place in the Pittsburgh Marathon is 14th in 2000. Mark’s best Ironman time is 10 hours 23 minutes. In 2017 he finished 8th out of over 400 people in his age group at Ironman Lake Placid and missed qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships by 2 places(3 minutes).
Mark and his wife Jenene have 4 children and have lived in Pine Township since 2004. Two of his children attend Pine-Richland schools and two are in college. They are active in running, cross country, track, triathlons and other sports.
Mark has many coaching certifications, which include USATF Level 1 Certification and NFHS Coaching Track and Field Sport Specific Course.
Mark is excited about this season and the future of our incredible cross country and track and field teams, which he is confident will continue to be one among the most successful and best programs in Pennsylvania every year.