Greenville Track Club-ELITE - a post-collegiate, Olympic-development program
8 USA Olympic Trials Qualifiers
established 2012
8 USA Olympic Trials Qualifiers
established 2012
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Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel placed 26th overall in the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon on Sunday morning in Canada's capitol city. Running in his debut marathon, Weitzel's goal was to run under 2:18:00 to achieve a qualifying time for next February's USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon. He ran with his pace group for much of the race and passed the first three 5K segments in 16:23, 32:28 (10K) and 47:52 (15K) before hitting the half-marathon in 1:07:42. He covered the first 25K in 1:20:43 and 30K in 1:37:25 (a 2:16:55 pace) before experiencing intermittent cramps in his calves. Struggling to maintain a fluid stride, he slowed considerably over the final 8K before finishing with a time of 2:24:28. The marathon was part of the Run Ottawa weekend which attracted over 27,000 participants combined in races of 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon. Unfortunately for the runners the weather conditions became much warmer on Saturday and Sunday than in the previous days. The temperature at the start on Sunday was 54 degrees F, but warmed quickly to 65 degrees during the elite's race before reaching 85 later in the day, with the bright sun making it seem warmer. The marathon course is rolling and crosses the Ottawa River from Ottawa, Ontario into Quebec around 15K before returning to Ottawa for the final 17K. Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is entering its second decade as a post-collegiate, Olympic development program. The program produced 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 and one qualifier and participant in the 2021 USATF Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 3000m Steeplechase. 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 51-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Roll Recovery products, FinalSurge (on-line training log), ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots, Cocoa Elite recovery products, UCAN energy products, Coach Bob Williams Pace Calculator, the DorsiFlex (stretching device), the MOBO board (balance & mobility), On Pace Wellness (nutrition coaching) 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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Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel and Eddie Garcia remain ranked second and third in the most recent South Carolina Road Race Rankings published by USATF State Record Keeper Bill Marable. Weitzel maintains the runner-up ranking for the 18th consecutive month, behind only 2022's South Carolina Long Distance Runner of the Year James Quattlebaum. Quattlebaum, who represents Run In, previously won the SCLDROY honors in 2019 and 2021. Garcia, was the 2020 SCLD Runner of the Year in 2020. In 2023 Weitzel has won the MGC Long Run 15K in Columbia, SC in late February and previously placed second to Quattlebaum in the 44th edition of the GTC Run Downtown 5K in January. Garcia won Greenville's Run Through the Zoo 5K in November of 2022 and then placed third (behind Quattlebaum and Weitzel) in the GTC Run Downtown 5K before finishing second to his teammate Weitzel in the MGC Long Run 15K. Weitzel and Garcia placed 14th and 16th in the USATF 15K Championships on March 4th in Jacksonville, FL's Gate River Run. However, those results do not affect the South Carolina rankings since the race was not in SC. In April's United Community Bank 45th Reedy River Run 10K, Quattlebaum defended his title and Weitzel placed second for the third consecutive year. Mackenzie Lowe is ranked seventh among the women after placing 4th in the United Community Bank Reedy River Run 10K. It was recently announced that she will be relocating with her husband back to their hometown of Buffalo, NY this month. GTC-ELITE alums Ricky Flynn and Roland Hakes (now residing in Columbia) are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Flynn placed third in the United Community Bank Reedy River Run 10K for the third straight year. Hakes placed third, behind Weitzel and Garcia, in the MGC Long Run 15K in February. South Carolina Road Race Rankings |
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Jason Weitzel | Eddie Garcia |