October 1, 2025
Building a Dynasty: Laurie Henes on Culture, Standards, and the Blueprint Behind NC State’s 3-Peat
THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCASTAbout this episode
Final Surge: https://www.finalsurge.com (RUNNINGEFFECT20) Few coaches have reshaped a running program the way Laurie Henes has. For more than three decades, she’s been at the heart of NC State running, first as a competitor, then as a builder of champions. As an athlete, Laurie was an eight-time All-American, the 1991 NCAA 5,000-meter champion, and later competed for the U.S. at the 1995 World Championships (10,000m). She had personal bests of 15:31 for 5,000 meters and 32:05 for 10,000 meters. She knows the grind of the sport firsthand: the glory of winning and the sting of just missing an Olympic team by two places at the 1996 Trials in the 10,000m. That perspective carried seamlessly into her coaching career. Since joining the Wolfpack staff in the early ’90s, Laurie has shaped the program into a national powerhouse. She became the women’s cross country head coach in 2006, and in 2019, she was elevated to head coach of women’s track & field. Since summer 2023, she has served as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. The results speak for themselves: under her leadership, NC State women’s cross country teams captured three straight NCAA titles from 2021 through 2023. She’s coached NCAA champions like her daughter Elly Henes and Katelyn Tuohy, as well as countless All-Americans. Tap into the Laurie Henes Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs BUY MERCH BEFORE IT’S GONE: https://shop.therunningeffect.run Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz