Pete Wareham

Pete Wareham

Athlete Class of 1981

Pete was a good all around athlete who seemingly did everything well. He played baseball (2 years), varsity hockey (2 years), ran cross country (3 years) as well as track (1 year). As his running talent became clear and his passion for it increased, he eventually focused on his running excellence. That excellence continues to this day over 40 years later.

As a senior, he was the Individual Minnesota State Cross Country Champion as well as the Captain and leader of a very talented Southwest 1980 Cross Country State championship team. The crescendo to the pinnacle of winning both an individual and a team title his senior year seemed like destiny after Southwest teams finished 2nd in his junior year (1979) and 3rd his sophomore year (1978). Being driven to succeed as an individual as well as a team captures Peter perfectly.

He was all state in Cross Country in ’79 & ’80. He went to track from Cross country and was the 1981 City Champion in both the 1600M and 800 M. He capped off his high school career with an 800M 2ndplace finish in the 1981 state track meet.

He then went on to The University of St Thomas where he continued his individual running excellence and team leadership for 4 years.

After college, Pete continued to run. He held the state 5K road race record for 18 years (1989-2007) and in both 1988 and 1989, he was named the Minnesota Men’s Runner of the Year by US Track and Field MN.

He is currently the Men’s Track and Cross Country coach at St Thomas University, a position and passion he has held for 30 years. And in 2021-22, Pete guided St. Thomas’s distance runners in an historic transition to D1 competition. Throughout his coaching career he has coached and mentored dozens of All Americans.

Pete lives in Woodbury with his wife Mary Jo. They have two sons Nate and Nick.