Pete Rea

Bio

Pete is the Elite Athlete Coach and Coordinator at the ZAP Fitness Team USA Training Center, and has been in that role since ZAP's opening in 2002. Since ZAP has opened Rea has guided more than two dozen athletes to Olympic Trials berths in distances from the 1,500m to the marathon. In addition, under Rea's tutelage, 4 ZAP men and one ZAP woman have qualified for the Senior World Cross Country Team, 1 has qualified for the IAAF world Track & Field Championships (2011 - marathon) and one has been named to the World Road Team. Additionally 5 women and 1 man have been selected as part of Team USA Ekiden Relays in Korea and Japan and 2 ZAP athletes have earned berths on the North American Championship XC squad. The ZAP fitness men also won the 2006, 2007 & 2009 USATF National Club XC Championship.


Prior to his time at ZAP Rea coached club and open level athletes in both Atlanta and Connecticut. He also coached and taught British and American Literature at Atlanta's Walton High School prior to his time in North Carolina. Rea ran for the University of Connecticut where he graduated in 1992 (Journalism / American Literature) as an All Big East Conference XC Selection. After college, while receiving his master's degree, Rea ran for Team Nike South and began coaching local Atlanta high school athletes and open men and women.


Rea's training philosophy is based on a long term view toward success wih each program being highly individualized from the 1,500m to the marathon. Rea's athletes are extremely varied in their training based on background and what each body can handle in terms of overall volume and intensity. Rea writes a monthly "Learning from the Young Guns" column in Running Journal and freelances for Running Times, Carolina Sports and Fitness.