Athletics Canada is pleased to appoint Heather Hennigar to the role of Hub Lead (West).  

Hennigar, the endurance coach at Athletics Canada’s West Hub in Victoria since the Hub’s establishment in 2014, will now be primarily responsible for the delivery of the organization’s High Performance Programs. In her new role, she will provide performance management and coaching to athletes on the Canadian Athletics Performance Pathway (CAPP) and ensure that the West Hub provides a world-class daily training environment to prepare those athletes for future Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and World Championships. 

An employment opportunity for the position of Endurance Coach (West Hub) will soon be posted. 

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to build on the good work that has already been done at the Athletics Canada West Hub, and to contribute to ongoing support of the incredible athletes and coaches in our system,” said Hennigar, a South Maitland, N.S., native. “We have a team of outstanding staff and practitioners at the Hub and I am excited to step into this next phase with them, leading into 2024 and beyond.” 

Hennigar, a 600m gold medalist in Canada’s University circuit in 2001, represented Canada in the 800m at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championship in Budapest. She assumed her first full-time coaching role in 2008, when she became head coach of Dalhousie University’s men’s and women’s varsity cross-country and track and field teams. She stayed at the helm of both teams until joining Athletics Canada as a full-time endurance coach in 2013, and playing a critical role in establishing the West Hub. Most recently, Hennigar travelled to Tokyo in a coaching capacity for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and was the recipient of the Petro Canada Coaching excellence award in 2020 and 2021. 

In her new role, Hennigar is also tasked with closing the gap between athletes and world podiums by identifying their relevant strengths and weaknesses, nurturing their skills and abilities, and monitoring and developing Athletics Canada’s training and competition programs. She will also work collaboratively with many internal and external stakeholders, particularly the other Athletics Canada High Performance Leads, the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific (CSI-P), and our highest-level coaches and athletes. 

“Heather has been an integral part of the West Hub from its inception, I am excited that in this new role she can lead the Hub to new heights,” said Simon Nathan, High Performance Director.