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2024 Was a Good Year for Greenville Track Club-ELITE

12/21/2024

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During the year 2024 Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes competed in the 25 following locations:

Clemson, SC
Houston, TX
Greenville, SC
Columbia, SC
Orlando, FL
Boston, MA
Jacksonville, FL

Brevard, NC
Charlotte, NC
New York, NY
Raleigh, NC
Charleston, SC
Anderson, SC
Istanbul, Turkey

Cleveland, TN
Simpsonville, SC
Gresham, OR
Portland, OR
Atlanta, GA
Kingsport, TN
Paris, France

New Haven, CT
Northport, NY
Indianapolis, IN
Sacramento, CA

There were many highlights, including Eduardo Garcia's selection for and participation in the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon, and multiple GTC-ELITE program records: 1500m 3,000m, 5,000m on the track and 5K, 10K, 15K, 20K and Half Marathon (3 times) on the roads.

Karl Thiessen ran a Personal Best at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon

JANUARY

Davonte Jett-Reynolds and Ryan Drew both clocked 8:10.59 to place second and third, respectively, in the 3000-meter event at the Clemson Invitational on Saturday. It was their first competitions since joining the post-collegiate, Olympic-development program in August 2023. After a slow start in a bunched field of runners, 66.7 for first 400 meters, Jett-Reynolds made his way to the front and led at 1600 meters in 4:24.63. He continued to lead through 2000m (5:31.29) and 2400m (6:37.72). His teammate Drew then took over the lead and passed 2600m in 7:09.79 with only two 200m laps remaining. However, the University of Georgia's Ryan Olree passed both Drew and Jett-Reynolds by 2800m (7:40.46). Those three sprinted the final 200 with Jett-Reynolds taking the lead going into the final turn, followed closely by Drew. Both he and Drew were passed in the final 15 meters by the Univeristy of Georgia's Ryan Olree, who finished in 8:10.3. Drew's 29.81 was the fastest final 200, with Olree running 29.84 and Jett-Reynolds (29.9). Jett-Reynolds's kilometer splits were 2:46.25, 2:45.04 and 2:39.33, while Drew's were 2:46.0, 2:45.52 and 2:39.08.
Eddie Garcia and Karl Thiessen ran huge personal bests of 1:03:57 and 1:04:00, respectively, in Sunday's Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Garcia placed 26th and Thiessen 28th overall in a field of 13,873. Garcia's time is also a new United States Virgin Islands national record, breaking his previous PB of 1:04:32 by 35 seconds. It was Thiessen's third half marathon since joining GTC-ELITE in July of 2023 and his time broke his previous PB by a whopping two minutes and five seconds (2:05). Both runners bested the GTC-ELITE program half marathon recored of 1:04:27 set in 2016 by Mark Leininger.
Jason Weitzel ran to a new course & event record in the Greenville Track Club's Run Downtown 5K on a very cold January morning. With temperatures below 20 degrees Weitzel, who won this race in 2022 and was runner-up in 2023, pulled away from his teammate and training partner Jack Mastandrea to clock an impressive 14:12. His performance bested the 14:14 run by former GTC-ELITE athlete Austin Steagall back in 2017 (on a different course) and 2023 winner James Quattlebaum's 14:14 on the current course. The time is also the fastest road 5K in GTC-ELITE history, besting Steagall's 14:14 and Weitzel's 14:14 from the 2023 Michelin Memorial 5K. Mastandrea finished second in a quick 14:27, which is the fourth fastest in this historic event's history.
Davonte Jett-Reynolds ran 8:03.76 to win the men's 3000-meter event in the Carolina Challenge at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Davonte took the lead from the starter's gun and alternated in the front with teammate and training partner Ryan Drew. Jett-Reynolds passed 1,000m in 2:40.5 with Drew at 2:40.77. Then Drew led at 1600m in 4:18.7 with Jett-Reynolds at 4:18.9. Davonte was leading at 2000m (5:24.26 to 5:24.56). Drew then took his turn at the front, passing 2400m in 6:30.41 with Jett-Reynolds close behind (6:30.65). DJR then closed well over the final 600 and put 3 seconds on his teammate over the last 200m lap. Drew finished second in a season's best of 8:07.87. Jett-Reynolds' performance is the fastest in GTC-ELITE history, besting Austin Steagall's 8:04.45 from 2017. Drew's time is number four in GTC-ELITE's all-time performance list for 3000-meters Indoors.

Davonte (right) and Ryan (leading) placed first and second at the Carolina Challenge 3,000m.

FEBRUARY

Jack Mastandrea ran 2:18:46 on a bright and sunny Saturday morning in Orlando, FL to place 46th in the 2024 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon. Seeded near the back of the 200 starters with a personal best time of 2:17:28, run in Ottawa, Ontario in 2022, Jack used a "start conservative" race plan in the warm weather conditions. He passed 10 miles in 52:10 and the halfway point (13.1 miles) in 1:08:28. Jack maintained that pace through 19 miles before slowing slightly.over the final seven miles.
Jason Weitzel continued to be ranked first in the most recent South Carolina Road Race Rankings, published by USATF State Record Keeper Bill Marable. Jason is ranked ahead of Greenville's James Quattlebaum, who previously led the rankings for much of the past couple of years. It is the fourth consecutive month that Weitzel has ranked first among the state's road racers. His training partner and teammate, Eddie Garcia, remains third in the rankings.
Davonte Jett-Reynolds ran a personal best of 8:00.03 in the 3000 meters at the Hemery Valentine Invitational on Saturday night. Running on what is considered the fastest indoor surface in the country at Boston Univeristy's Indoor facility, Davonte placed in a tie for 31st overall among the 160 competitors in the 3000m event. He improved his PB by 2.67 seconds and his Seasonal Best by 3.73 seconds. He placed fifth in his heat of twenty athletes.

Eduardo placed 10th in a deep field at Jacksonville's Gate River 15K -- USATF Championship

MARCH

Eduardo Garcia ran a personal best 45:14 to place 10th in the USATF 15K Road Championships in Jacksonville's Gate River Run. It was 64 degrees with 95% humidity at the 8:00 am men's start near Jacksonville's Fairgrounds. Eddie passed 5K in 14:48 and 10K at 30:03 before the climb up the Hart Bridge, also known to runners as the "Green Monster" for its elevation and placement during the final third of the race. After cresting the bridge at 8.3 miles he was able to run the final mile in 4:30 as he finished next to TIAA Bank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eddie averaged 4:51 per mile and 3:01 per kilometer. The time was a new GTC-ELITE program record for a 15K race. There were 11,786 finishers in the 15K race, which is the largest road race in Florida.
Ryan Drew and Jack Mastandrea placed third and fourth in the Oskar Blues Four Miler in Brevard, NC. Ryan ran 18:49 (4:43 per mile) and Jack 18:53 (4:44 per mile).
Davonte Jett-Reynolds and Ryan Drew opened their outdoor track season by placing 4th and 6th in the 1500-meter event at the 49er Classic in Charlotte, NC. Jett-Reynolds closed well with a sub-2:00 final 800 and finished with a time of 3:47.98. He passed his teammate Drew over the final 120 meters as Drew finished at 3:48.94. Both runners dropped down in distance to the 1500 as they prepare for upcoming 5,000s.
Davonte Jett-Reynolds ran 13:57.94 to set a new personal best for 5,000 meters at the Raleigh Relays on Thursday night. On an almost perfect Carolina evening with no wind and very deep fields of competitors, Jett-Reynolds placed 10th in his heat (the 7th of nine 5000m heats). After passing 3000m in 8:21.74 he covered the final 2000 in 5:36.2. Davonte covered the penultimate lap in 1:04.47, but slowed considerably over the final 150 meters (final 200 at 36.9). HIs previous PB was 13:59.44.

Eduardo, Jack and Jason after Cooper River Bridge Run 10K

APRIL

Jack Mastandrea ran a personal best of 29:03 to lead a trio of Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes to top 15 placings in the 47th Cooper River Bridge Run 10K in Charleston, SC. On an unusually brisk, and windy, Saturday morning Mastandrea covered the initial 5K, including the 5.6% uphill grade (575 feet elevation change) on the bridge, in 15:05 before running 13:58 over the final half (5K) of the race to place 12th overall. He was followed by teammates Jason Weitzel (14th) at 29:24 and Eduardo Garcia (15th) at 29:31. Weitzel's time was only two seconds shy of his personal best of 29:22, run here in 2022. Garcia's time was 26 seconds faster than his previous road 10K PB of 29:57, run here in 2019 and at Northport, NY's Cow Harbor 10K in 2023. Mastandrea was the fourth American citizen to finish in a deep international field, while Weitzel and Garcia were the 6th and 7th Americans. The top seven finishers were of African heritage as was ninth place. Mastandrea's time is a new program record for Greenville Track Club-ELITE for the 10K road distance.
Ryan Drew ran 4:05.48 to win the men's Elite Mile at the Electric City Invitational conduced at Anderson University in South Carolina. Drew and teammate Davonte Jett-Reynolds followed the excellent pace-setting of Furman All American Carson Williams, who is redshirting this season, through the 1000 meter mark. They passed 409 meters at 59.99 for Jett-Reynolds and 1:00.14 for Drew. Williams led them through 809m with Davonte at 2:00.9 and Ryan at 2:01.05, which was essentially 4:00 mile pace. They passed 1000m at approximately 2:30 and before Anderson University's Elliot Dotson took the lead, as Williams completed his pacing duties, hitting 1209m in 3:02.53. Drew was right on his heels at 3:02.64 with Jett-Reynolds at 3:02.72. The final 400 meters saw a battle between Dotson and Drew as Jett-Reynolds fell off the pace. Drew passed Dotson in the final 15 meters to win by .39 seconds in an exciting finish. Micah Gilpatric (redshirting at Charleston Southern) was third in 4:07.48, while Jett-Reynolds finished fifth in 4:09.29.
Jason Weitzel ran 29:44 to win the 46th edition of the United Community Reedy River Run 10K on a beautiful Saturday morning in downtown Greenville, SC. He was followed by GTC-ELITE alum Ricky Flynn, who posted his fastest time ever in this event, with a 29:58 for second place. Ricky was third the previous three years and has been a consistent top finisher in this historic race. Weitzel's current teammate, Jack Mastandrea, took third place with a time of 30:08. Weitzel earned a good payday with $500 for the win, $100 for top South Carolina finisher and a $250 time bonus for running under 29:45. for a total of $850. Mastandrea earned $325 ($300 for third place, $25 for third South Carolina resident and $100 time bonus). Weitzel has competed in this event for the past four editions, with three consecutive runner-up finishes before his victory today. It was Mastandrea's debut here. Jason is one of five GTC-ELITE athletes to have won either the men's or women's titles at the Reedy River Run 10K.
Jason Weitzel led his Greenville Track Club-ELITE teammates to their fastest seasonal performances on the track this year in the Charlotte Invitational hosted by Charlotte University on Friday evening. Weitzel cut a whopping ten seconds from his previous 5,000-meter personal best of 14:05.29 with his 13:54.88 clocking, which was good for third place in the race. His teammate Jack Mastandrea placed fifth with his 13:58.52. Those performances now rank first and fourth in GTC-ELITE program history. Their teammate Ryan Drew improved his seasonal best (SB) by over three seconds as he ran 3:45.53 over 1500 meters. He covered the first 300 meters in 43.45 and passed 700m at 1:43.41 (59.96 lap) and 1100m in 2:44.07 (1:00.67 lap). Ryan placed 8th among the 34 participants, which were split among three heats. Drew's performance moved him past GTC-ELITE alum Avery Martin's 3:45.91 from 2019 as the program's best.
Eduardo Garcia ran 1:03:53 to set a personal best and US Virgin Islands national record at the Istanbul Half Marathon in Turkey on Sunday morning. Eduardo has dual citizenship and represents ISV in international competition. He previously held the ISV national record of 1:03:57, which he set in January at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Garcia went through 5K in 15:00 and 10K at 30:11 before passing 15K in 45:26 and 20K at 1:00.32. His final time averaged 3:01 per kilometer and 4:52 per mile. He placed 29th of 3736 finishers.

Jason winning United Community 46th Reedy River Run 10K

MAY

Jason Weitzel ran 8:59.58 to win the 3000m Steeplechase at the Lee University Last Chance meet in Cleveland, TN on Saturday evening. He led from the start and gapped his competitors over the final 1000 meters in his first attempt at this event since his collegiate career. Three other Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes also competed in the meet. Davonte Jett-Reynolds closed with a final 400m lap of 58.1 to win the 2nd heat of the men's 1500 meters with a time of 3:47.82. Ryan Drew closed in 58.9 to finish at 3:48.31 and take third in that same heat. Later in the evening, Jack Mastandreafollowed the pacer for eight laps, reeling off 67 second laps, and passed 3000m in 8:26.8. However, he slowed considerably over the final kilometer and finished in 14:19.5 for sixth place.
Davonte Jett-Reynolds placed 4th in the inaugural Meck Mile in Charlotte, NC on Saturday evening. The race was conducted on the roads around, and finished in, historic Memorial Stadium. After a casual paced first loop of the stadium Puma Elite's Amon Kemboi broke the field, finishing in 4:05.5. ZAP Endurance's Andrew Colley had won the first of the two "pro" heats with a time of 4:08.3, which placed him second in the overall combined results. ZAP's Daniel Schaffer was third in 4:09.5 and Jeff-Reynolds (4:11.97) barely edged Greenville's Micah Gilpatric (4:11.98) for fourth. Greenville's James Quattlebaum was sixth in 4:12.4 in the tight group finish. GTC-ELITE's Ryan Drew placed 8th in 4:14.3.
Eduardo Garcia was selected to represent the US Virgin Islands in the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon.

Davonte placed 4th in Charlotte's inaugural Meck Mile

JUNE

Three Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes travelled to Murfreesboro for the Music City Track Carnival and came away with mixed results. On Friday evening, Jason Weitzel ran a season's best of 8:57.42 in the Pro 3000-meter steeplechase. Although he was competitive for much of the race, the pace of his (second) heat was much slower than the previous heat. Jason placed 18th of 30 in the combined results. On Saturday evening, Ryan Drew placed 25th in the combined results of three heats in the Pro 1500-meter event. which had 36 entrants. Ryan scrambled for position for the first three laps, running mostly in the second lane, and was at 2:45.26 with a lap remaining. Unfortunately, he did not close fast over the final 150 meters and had a final time of 3:46.35. In the following and final heat of the night, Davonte Jett-Reynolds spurted into the lead 70 seconds into the race and held that position as they approached the 800-meter mark. However, he was slightly clipped from behind by another competitor and stumbled off the inside of the track and into the infield. He did not finish.
Karl Thiessen ran a course record of 24:06 to win the 45th edition of the Sunrise Run 8K in Simpsonville, SC. His time of 24:05.8 is rounded up to the next integer per USATF rules for road races. The adjusted time was one second quicker than GTC-ELITE's Eduardo Garcia's 24:07 (24:06.3) in the 2023 event.
Jason Weitzel used a strong kick to win his heat of the men's 10,000-meter event in the Portland Track Festival on Saturday night. Although his final time of 29:13.02 was well off his best of 28:59, run at this meet in 2021, he produced a game and gutsy effort. Just after the 10:20 pm PDT start (1:20 am EDT) the trio of GTC-ELITE athletes, Weitzel, Eduardo Garcia and Jack Mastandrea, went to the front on the first lap and followed the pacer through the first 1600 in 4:42. With sub-29:00 as their goal, the pace was slightly slower than desired. The pace slightly quickened and they passed 3200m in 9:21. Garcia, currently preparing for the Paris Olympic marathon, led the trio through 3500m before dropping off the lead pack. Weitzel and Mastandrea continued to follow the pacer until he had completed his duties. They passed 5,000m in 14:37. Mastandrea took the lead briefly and he and Weitzel passed 7200m together. Jack fell off the pace shortly thereafter. Wetizel passed 8,000m at 23:26 as he ran with a small lead pack. He was able to compete with them until the final 200m and pulled away on the final stretch. Mastandrea keep a steady pace over the final two kilometers and finished in 29:31.10 and Garcia finished at 30:34.83. Weitzel placed 16th and Mastandrea 19th in the combined results of the two heats. The overall winner was former NCAA Cross Country champion Sam Chelanga with a time of 28:09.77, who won the first heat by three seconds after covering the final 800m in 2:03. Day 1 of the Portland Track Festival was conducted at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, OR, due to construction conflicts at the usual venue at Lewis & Clark College. Day 2 (Sunday) was conducted at the Lincoln High School track in downtown Portland and attracted a host of track stars in events 800m, 1500m and 5,000m. GTC-ELITE had Ryan Drew running in Heat 2 of the Men's 5000 meters. His goal was to run sub-13:50 and he was right on pace through 3,000 meters in 8:18. However, Ryan began to slow after that and finished with a 14:06.94.

Jason finishing 13th overall and 3rd American at Atlanta's AJC Peachtree Road Race

JULY

Jason Weitzel ran 29:50 to place 13th in a field of 43,216 finishers in the 55th running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, GA, on July 4th. He was the third American finisher as Kenyan runners took the first six places and seven of the top ten. His GTC-ELITE teammates Jack Mastandrea (19th/30:19) and Karl Thiessen (22nd/30:43) were also among the top Americans, placing 7th and 9th, respectively.
Ryan Drew ran 15:00 to easily win the annual Red, White & Blue Shoes 5K produced by the Greenville Track Club and Furman Cross Country/Track & Field. The traditional holiday race, which benefits the Furman running programs, was on the beautiful campus of Furman University and finished in the football stadium. Drew's winning time bested second place by 58 seconds in the race which had 1063 finishers on a warm and humid July 4th morning.
Ryan Drew led from the gun and easily won the Project SC GVL One Mile Challenge on Saturday evening at Furman University's track facility. After covering the first lap (409 meters) in 1:00.21 with a huge lead on the following pack, he slowed somewhat over the final three circuits and finished with a time of 4:16.
Jack Mastandrea and Jason Weitzel finished 7th and 9th, respectively, in Saturday night's USATF 8K Championship in Kingsport, TN. The Crazy 8s race has been touted as one of the best road races in the country and has hosted the USATF Championship for the past few years. With an 8:58 pm start, the course winds through Kingsport and finishes in a football stadium. Mastandrea ran 23:24 and Weitzel 23:39 to earn $600 and $400 for their placings among some of the nation's best road racers.
Jason Weitzel, Jack Mastandrea and Eduardo Garcia were ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings

Jack, Jason, Davonte and Ryan went 1st thru 4th at the Michelin Memorial 5K

AUGUST

Jack Mastandrea ran a new course record of 14:13 to lead a Greenville Track Club-ELITE sweep of the top four places in the Edouard Michelin Memorial 5K at the Michelin complex near Greenville, SC. Mastandrea bested Jason Weitzel's year-old course record by two seconds as the top five finishers all recorded times in the top 20 All Time performances in this event (see below). Weitzel, who had won this race the past two years, clocked 14:27 which is the fourth fastest in race history.
Their teammates, Davonte Jett-Reynolds and Ryan Drew placed third and fourth with respective times of 14:58 and 15:00. It was the tenth occurrence of the race winner being from GTC-ELITE.
Jason Weitzel, Jack Mastandrea and Eduardo Garcia remained ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings

Jack placing 7th at the USATF 8K Championships in Kingsport, TN's Crazy 8s

SEPTEMBER

Jack Mastandrea and Jason Weitzel were ranked 1st and 2nd in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings.
Jack Mastandrea ran 1:01:00 to place 13th in the 2024 USATF 20K Road Championship at the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race on Monday morning. His performance was a new club record for a 20K road race and the fastest time at this event for a GTC-ELITE athlete.
Jack Mastandrea ran 29:21 to place 10th in the 2024 USATF 10K Championship at the 47th edition of the Great Cow Harbor Run in Northport, NY. His teammate and training partner Jason Wetizel placed 12th with a time of 29:43 in a deep USA field. Jack's time was the fastest on this hilly and challenging course in GTC-ELITE history, while Weitzel now has three of the top five times in the program's history at Cow Harbor. Jack covered the final 5K in 14:38 after passing the first 5K mark in 14:43 for a "negative" split. Mastandrea's tenth place was worth $300 in award money. Weitzel's first and second 5K splits were 14:49 and 14:54. Jason's 12th place finish was familiar as he also finished in that position in 2022 and 2023 with times of 29:40 and 29:46, respectively.

Jack was runner-up at Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon with club record of 1:03:49

Jason was third in 1:04:00

OCTOBER

Jack Mastandrea and Jason Weitzel were ranked 1st and 2nd in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings.

NOVEMBER

Jack Mastandrea, Jason Weitzel and Ryan Drew were ranked 1st and 2nd and 5th in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings.
Jack Mastandrea and Jason Weitzel ran 1:03:49 and 1:04:00 to place 2nd and 3rd in the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon on Saturday morning. Jack's time was a new GTC-ELITE program record, besting Eduardo Garcia's 1:03:53 from April of this year (2024), and Jason's time was a new personal best as he cut 45 seconds from his previous best. Jason's time is now tied for fourth on the program's all-time half marathon performance list. The two training partners ran together for much of the race and passed 15K at 45:47. Jack began to move ahead of Jason after that and finished 11 seconds before him. Mastandrea earned $600 for his runner-up placing while Weitzel won $450 for fourth.
Jack Mastandrea ran 26:13 to defend his title at the CPI Security Charlotte Turkey Trot 8K. Using this event as a final tuneup before the upcoming California International Marathon in Sacramento, Mastandrea collected his second consecutive carved wooden Turkey trophy.

Eduardo, Lacy, Davonte, Karl, Jack, Ryan and Jason

DECEMBER

Jason Weitzel ran 4:11.2 to easily win the One Mile Run at the Clemson Indoor Opener meet on Friday afternoon. He took the lead from the starter's gun and ran very even splits around the 200m track. It was his first appearance in an Indoor (now labeled Short Track by World Athletics) Meet since February of 2022 as he has focused on road racing and qualifying for the USA Olympic Team Marathon Trials during that time period, with a few outdoor track competitions included.
Jack Mastandrea ran a personal best of 2:15:57 at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento, CA on Sunday morning. He ran nearly even half-marathon splits of 1:07:55 and 1:08:02 to best his previous PB of 2:17:28 at the Ottawa Marathon in 2022. Starting conservatively in a very deep and fast field, he was 41st at the first 5K split and gradually moved up to 32nd by halfway and finished 19th overall. He had been seeded 39th entering the race.

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GTC-ELITE's Mastandrea and Weitzel Still Ranked 1st & 2nd in South Carolina Road Race Standings

12/13/2024

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GTC-ELITE teammates Jack Mastandrea and Jason Weitzel

Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea continues to be ranked first in the most recent South Carolina Road Race Rankings published by USATF State Record Keeper Bill Marable. His teammate and training partner, Jason Weitzel, remains second in the rankings. It is the fourth consecutive month that Jack has been ranked first, while Jason has been ranked among the top three for 37 straight months. Their teammate Ryan Drew is currently ranked sixth.

Jack and Jason have frequently exchanged places during 2024 with Weitzel winning the Downtown Greenville 5K in January and Mastandrea placing second. Then Jack placed ahead of Jason at the 2024 USATF Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando and was 12th (29:03) overall at Charleston's Cooper River Bridge Run, while Jason was 14th (29:24). Jason then won the United Community Reedy River Run 10K with a time of 29:44, while Jack was third. Jason ran 29:13 and Jack 29:31 for 10,000 meters on the track at the Portland Track Festival in June. Then Jack placed 7th and Jason 9th in the USATF 8K Road Championships at the Crazy 8s road race in Kingsport, TN on July 20. Jack then placed 13th in a deep field at the USATF 20K Championships in the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race on September 2 while Jason did not run there.

Jack and Jason also competed in September at the USATF 10K Championships at the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, NY, placing 10th and 12th respectively. They then placed second and third in the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon on November 9th with times of 1:03:49 for Jack and 1:04:00 for Jason. And last weekend Jack ran a huge personal best of 2:15:57 at the California International Marathon in Sacramento.

However, many of the previous mentioned events were not within the confines of South Carolina and did not factor in the SC Road Race Rankings, as both Jack and Jason competed in prestigious events nationally.

Jack & Jason Head-to-Head Competition in 2024

DATE
1.20.2024
2.03.2024
4.06.2024
4.20.2024
4.26.2024
6.082024
7.04.2024
7.20.2024
8.17.2024
9.21.2024
11.09.2024

EVENT
GTC Run Downtown 5K
USA Olympic Marathon Trials *
Cooper River Bridge 10K
United Community Reedy River Run 10K
Charlotte Invitational 5,000m (track)
Portland Track Festival 10,000m (track)
AJC Peachtree Road Race 10K
Crazy 8s 8K *
Michelin Memorial 5K
Great Cow Harbor 10K *
Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon

LOCATION
Greenville, SC
Orlando, FL
Charleston, SC
Greenville, SC
Charlotte, NC
Gresham, OR
Atlanta, GA
Kingsport, TN
Greenville, SC
Northport, NY
Indianapolis, IN

JACK
14:27 - 2nd
2:18:46 - 46th
29:03 - 12th
30:08 - 3rd
13:58.52 - 5th
29:31.1 - 19th
29:50 - 19th
23:24 - 7th
14:13 - 1st
29:21 - 10th
1:03:49 - 2nd

JASON
14:12 - 1st
2:29:26 - 135th
29:24 - 14th
29:44 - 1st
13:54.88 - 3rd
29:13.12 - 16th
29:50 - 13th
23:39 - 9th
14:27 - 2nd
29:43 - 12th
1:04:00 - 3rd

GTC-ELITE alums Ricky Flynn (Greenville) and Roland Hakes ( Columbia) are ranked 4th and 8th. Greenville runners occupy six of the top ten ranking positions. Sergio Cuartas, who frequently trains with GTC-ELITE, is ranked 7th.

South Carolina Road Race Rankings
as of December 7, 2024

1   Jack Mastandrea (26, Greenville)
2   Jason Weitzel (28, Greenville)
3   James Quattlebaum (29, Greenville)
4   Ricky Flynn (37, Greenville)
5   Hunter Jarvis (26, Columbia)
6   Ryan Drew (26, Greenville)
7   Sergio Cuartas (21, Greenville)
8   Roland Hakes (31, Irmo)
9   Caleb Chistiansen (23, Cayce)
10 Alex Marchek (27, West Union)

Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is in its second decade as a post-collegiate, Olympic-development program. The program developed and produced one participant for the 2024 Olympic Games marathon in Paris, four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles, one qualifier/participant for the 2019 Pam American Games Marathon in. Lima, Peru, three qualifiers/two participants for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA, one qualifier and participant in the 2021 USATF Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 3000m Steeplechase and three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL. The program's runners set four South Carolina State road race records in 2020 (5K, 15K and Half Marathon--twice) and three (15K, 10-Mile and 20K) in 2021. GTC-ELITE also produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year.

The program is sponsored and supported by the 52-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Roll Recovery products, FinalSurge (on-line training log), ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots, Coach Bob Williams Pace Calculator, the DorsiFlex (stretching device), the MOBO board (balance & mobility) and LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.

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Mastandrea Runs Personal Best in California International Marathon

12/8/2024

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Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea ran a personal best of 2:15:57 at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento, CA on Sunday morning. He ran nearly even half-marathon splits of 1:07:55 and 1:08:02 to best his previous PB of 2:17:28 at the Ottawa Marathon in 2022. Starting conservatively in a very deep and fast field, he was 41st at the first 5K split and gradually moved up to 32nd by halfway and finished 19th overall. He had been seeded 39th entering the race.

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Weitzel Wins Mile at Clemson Indoor Opener

12/6/2024

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Jason Weitzel led from the starter's gun.

Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel ran 4:11.2 to easily win the One Mile Run at the Clemson Indoor Opener meet on Friday afternoon. He took the lead from the starter's gun and ran very even splits around the 200m track. It was his first appearance in an Indoor (now labeled Short Track by World Athletics) Meet since February of 2022 as he has focused on road racing and qualifying for the USA Olympic Team Marathon Trials during that time period, with a few outdoor track competitions included.

"While the time was not outstanding for Jason, it was a good checkpoint in his training as he prepares for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January," stated his coach Mike Caldwell. "Jason basically ran solo and probably would have run faster with some competition. Definitely a good workout and a got the legs turning over."

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GTC-ELITE Welcomes Newborn Sebastian King Garcia to the Family

12/3/2024

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We are happy to announce the long-awaited arrival of Sebastian King Garcia, newborn son of Sydney and Eduardo Garcia. He arrived on December 2 at 9:04 pm, weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches. We send our sincere CONGRATULATIONS to the Garcia family.

It has been quite the year for Eddie, as he not only set two program records at the Half Marathon distance, but also competed in the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon.

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Mastandrea Defends Title at 36th Annual CPI Security Charlotte Turkey Trot 8K

11/28/2024

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Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea ran 26:13 to defend his title at the CPI Security Charlotte Turkey Trot 8K. Using this event as a final tuneup before the upcoming California International Marathon in Sacramento, Mastandrea collected his second consecutive carved wooden Turkey trophy. It was the fifth time a GTC-ELITE runner has won this traditional event: Adam Freudenthal (2012); Trent Binford-Walsh (2014), Alison Parris (2014), and Mastandrea (2023 & 2024).

The event, which had both the 8K and a 5K, attracted almost 8,000 participants and is run through the Southpark area of Charlotte.

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Masstandrea 2nd and Weitzel 3rd at Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon

11/9/2024

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photo: Doug McSchooler/for IndyStar

Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea and Jason Weitzel ran 1:03:49 and 1:04:00 to place 2nd and 3rd in the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon on Saturday morning. Jack's time was a new GTC-ELITE program record, besting Eduardo Garcia's 1:03:53 from April of this year (2024), and Jason's time was a new personal best as he cut 45 seconds from his previous best. Jason's time is now tied for fourth on the program's all-time half marathon performance list.

The two training partners ran together for much of the race and passed 15K at 45:47. Jack began to move ahead of Jason after that and finished 11 seconds before him. Mastandrea earned $600 for his runner-up placing while Weitzel won $450 for third.

Jack Mastandrea

Jason Weitzel

photo: Doug McSchooler/for IndyStar

GTC-ELITE Top Ten Half Marathon Performances

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GTC-ELITE's Mastandrea and Weitzel Remain Ranked 1st and 2nd in South Carolina Road Race Rankings

11/6/2024

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Jack Mastandrea and Jason Weitzel

Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea continues to be ranked first in the most recent South Carolina Road Race Rankings published by USATF State Record Keeper Bill Marable. His teammate and training partner, Jason Weitzel, remains second in the rankings. Their teammate Ryan Drew is now ranked fifth.

Jack and Jason have frequently exchanged places during 2024 with Weitzel winning the Downtown Greenville 5K in January and Mastandrea placing second. Then Jack placed ahead of Jason at the 2024 USATF Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando and was 12th (29:03) overall at Charleston's Cooper River Bridge Run, while Jason was 14th (29:24). Jason ran 29:13 and Jack 29:31 for 10,000 meters on the track at the Portland Track Festival in June. Then Jack placed 7th and Jason 9th in the USATF 8K Road Championships at the Crazy 8s road race in Kingsport, TN on July 20.Jack then placed 13th in a deep field at the USATF 20K Championships in the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race on September 2.

Jack and Jason most recently competed in the USATF 10K Championships at the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, NY, placing 10th and 12th respectively. However, that race and some of the previous mentioned events were not within the confines of South Carolina and did not factor in the SC Road Race Rankings. Their immediate future plans include competing at the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon on November 9th (which will not affect the SC rankings).

GTC-ELITE alums Ricky Flynn (Greenville) and Roland Hakes ( Columbia) are ranked 3rd and 6th. Greenville runners occupy six of the top ten ranking positions. Sergio Cuartas, who frequently trains with GTC-ELITE, is ranked 8th.

South Carolina Road Race Rankings
as of November 3, 2024

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GTC-ELITE's Mastandrea and Weitzel Remain Ranked 1st and 2nd in SC Road Rankings

10/11/2024

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Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea continues to be ranked first in the most recent South Carolina Road Race Rankings published by USATF State Record Keeper Bill Marable. His teammate and training partner, Jason Weitzel, remains second in the rankings.

The two training partners have frequently exchanged places during 2024 with Weitzel winning the Downtown Greenville 5K in January and Mastandrea placing second. Then Jack placed ahead of Jason at the 2024 USATF Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando and was 12th (29:03) overall at Charleston's Cooper River Bridge Run, while Jason was 14th (29:24). Jason ran 29:13 and Jack 29:31 for 10,000 meters on the track at the Portland Track Festival in June. Then Jack placed 7th and Jason 9th in the USATF 8K Road Championships at the Crazy 8s road race in Kingsport, TN on July 20.Jack then placed 13th in a deep field at the USATF 20K Championships in the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race on September 2.

Jack and Jason most recently competed in the USATF 10K Championships at the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, NY, placing 10th and 12th respectively. However, that race and some of the previous mentioned events were not within the confines of South Carolina and did not factor in the SC Road Race Rankings. Their teammate, Ryan Drew, remains among the top ten rankings, in seventh position.

GTC-ELITE alums Ricky Flynn (Greenville) and Roland Hakes ( Columbia) are ranked 3rd and 6th. Greenville runners occupy six of the top ten ranking positions.

South Carolina Road Race Rankings
as of October 4, 2024

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Caldwell Inducted into Greenville Track Club Hall of Fame

10/8/2024

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Mike Caldwell receiving his crystal pitcher as a member of the GTC Hall of Fame. (photo: Alison Parris)

Greenville Track Club-ELITE's director and coach Mike Caldwell was inducted into the Greenville Track Club's Hall of Fame at the club's October meeting on October 7. He was one of five inductees in the 2024 class, which included Jack Gilmore, Lee Cook, Judy Melton and George Luke. He joins GTC founder and GTC-ELITE president Bill Keesling (class of 16), GTC-ELITE Board of Directors member Sam Inman (class of 2016) and former GTC-ELITE board members Adrian Craven (class of 2012) and Art Williams (class of 2016) in the GTC Hall of Fame, which now has 32 members.

The Greenville Track Club, founded in 1972, is in its 52nd year, while the GTC-ELITE program was established in 2012 to provide opportunities for post-collegiate, Olympic-development middle and long distance athletes. The program developed and produced one participant for the 2024 Olympic Games marathon in Paris, four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles, one qualifier/participant for the 2019 Pam American Games Marathon in. Lima, Peru, three qualifiers/two participants for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA, one qualifier and participant in the 2021 USATF Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 3000m Steeplechase and three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL. The program's runners set four South Carolina State road race records in 2020 (5K, 15K and Half Marathon--twice) and three (15K, 10-Mile and 20K) in 2021. GTC-ELITE also produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year.

The program is sponsored and supported by the 52-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Roll Recovery products, FinalSurge (on-line training log), ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots, Coach Bob Williams Pace Calculator, the DorsiFlex (stretching device), the MOBO board (balance & mobility) and LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.

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Jack & Jason Head-to-Head Competition in 2024

South Carolina Road Race Rankingsas of December 7, 2024

Jack Mastandrea

Jason Weitzel

GTC-ELITE Top Ten Half Marathon Performances

South Carolina Road Race Rankingsas of November 3, 2024

South Carolina Road Race Rankingsas of October 4, 2024

Greenville Track Club-ELITE

South Carolina Road Race Rankings
as of December 7, 2024

South Carolina Road Race Rankings
as of November 3, 2024

South Carolina Road Race Rankings
as of October 4, 2024