Bio

A native of Decatur, Illinois, Christopher Jelks brings decades of experience and passion to the track as the Head Track and Cross Country Coach. A 1989 graduate of MacArthur High School, Jelks was a standout sprinter who went on to attend Illinois State University, pursuing a degree in communications while continuing to build his athletic résumé.

As a competitor, Jelks captured titles at the Prairie State Games (200m Champion, 1989), AAU Nationals, and the Hershey’s National Championships as part of a 4x100m relay team.

His coaching journey began in 1995 as an assistant at Normal University High School, and over the years, he has held both assistant and head coaching positions at several Kentucky high schools including Louisville Collegiate, Louisville Christian Academy, North Hardin, Elizabethtown, and Taylor County. His programs have achieved regional and state-level success, including two regional championships at Elizabethtown and two more at Louisville Christian Academy. As an assistant at North Hardin, he helped guide the team to a state championship.

Since 2001, Coach Jelks has served as the Head Coach of the Kentucky Elite Track Club, producing four national champions and 37 national place finishers. His leadership extended beyond the track as Vice President of the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (KTCCCA) from 2019 to 2021.

Off the track, Jelks is a proud father to Dedria Jelks, a Western Kentucky University graduate in Broadcasting who resides in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. A U.S. Army veteran, Jelks served six years as a 19K Tanker Sergeant with deployments including Seoul, South Korea and Ft. Knox, Kentucky. He’s also an avid model train and music collector.

Updated: 4-24-25