Ironman Show Producer to be Inducted into IM Hall of Fame

Published July 11, 2013 06:52PM

Named to Inside Triathlon’s “10 Most Influential People for 2012,” Emmy-winning television producer Peter Henning will be the 20^th inductee into the Ironman Hall of Fame. The legendary cameraman, director and producer, who’s been covering the Hawaii Ironman since 1992, will be honored at a reception during the 2013 Ironman World Championship race week in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

IRONMAN announced today that legendary cameraman, director and producer Peter Henning will become the 20^th individual inducted into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at the Aloha Reception during the 2013 IRONMAN World Championship race week in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i in mid-October.

“I am rarely caught speechless, but when I got the call, I truly couldn’t think of anything to say. I am deeply honored to be included amongst some of the sports’ greatest names as part of the IRONMAN Hall of Fame,” said Henning.

Founded in 1993, the IRONMAN Hall of Fame was created to honor individuals, like Henning, who have made outstanding contributions to the growth of the world’s most-famous endurance race.

“Peter’s love of IRONMAN is obvious in every television show he worked on or produced,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of IRONMAN. “Millions of people were introduced to IRONMAN by Peter’s extraordinary broadcasts – there is no one who has better represented the IRONMAN ethos than Peter. He is deserving of a position alongside the other members of our Hall of Fame.”

In 1992 Henning covered his first IRONMAN triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i as a cameraman and in 2000 joined the World Triathlon Corporation as Senior Vice President of Television, supervising the production of all IRONMAN television broadcasts until October of 2012. During his 11 years, Henning took the IRONMAN World Championship broadcast on NBC to a new level, leading the broadcast to 17 Emmy Award nominations with seven wins as well as four CINE Golden Eagle Awards. Most recently, Henning was named to Inside Triathlon’s 10 Most Influential People for 2012.

Each year Henning’s production of the world’s most grueling one-day sporting event captured the emotion and drama of the incredible day, leaving barely a dry-eye in the house. Thanks to Henning and his team, the world was introduced to inspirational IRONMAN athletes, including Jon “Blazeman” Blais, who completed the race in Kona with ALS; Sister Madonna Buder, the oldest female IRONMAN finisher; and the ageless Lew Hollander, who finished the race when he was 81. It was his crew that captured the incredible story of double-leg amputee Rudy Garcia-Tolson, the epic hand cycle battle between Carlos Moleda and David Bailey and the distraught Sarah Reinertsen when she missed the bike cutoff in 2004 and then her emotional finish a year later.

Prior to his time with IRONMAN, Henning worked as a freelance cameraman, director and producer on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, as well as The American Sportsman and numerous sport specials for major television networks. During this time he travelled to almost every remote location in the world, including both the North and South Pole multiple times, Tibet, Mongolia, and China. Henning also covered nearly every summer and winter Olympic Games since 1972.

Specializing in extreme and endurance sports, Henning has covered expeditions across Antarctica, The Raid Gaulloise, Eco-Challenge, Tour de France, and the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. While covering these events and the IRONMAN World Championship, he also continued doing over 75 documentaries for a variety of international broadcasters including PBS, BBC, ABC-News and 60 Minutes.

In all, throughout his 55-year career, Henning has been nominated for 34 Emmy Awards, personally winning 16.

Henning joins a prestigious list of remarkable individuals honored not only for incredible athletic achievements, but also for what they have given to the sport of triathlon and IRONMAN.

Ironman Show Producer to be Inducted into IM Hall of Fame

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