Greenville Track Club-ELITE - a post-collegiate, Olympic-development program
established 2012
14 USA Olympic Trials Qualifiers
One Paris 2024 Olympian
established 2012
14 USA Olympic Trials Qualifiers
One Paris 2024 Olympian
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 The top nine men remained unchanged in the July South Carolina Road Race Rankings. Greenville's James Quattlebaum remains the leader and is followed by GTC-ELITE's Noah Fisher, Ryan Drew and Jason Weitzel to round out the top four. Their teammates Jack Mastandrea and Eduardo Garcia are sixth and seventh. Simpsonville's Cole Atkins moved into the top ten.
Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is well into 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 in Eugene, OR; three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL and currently three for the 2028 Olympic Trials Marathon in St. Louis, MO. 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 produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year and recently had the top two ranked South Carolina road racers for 2024.
The program is sponsored and supported by the 54-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Endurance Ally Physical 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), LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support),Omius (Cooling Systems) and BAKLINE (custom competition kits). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
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Jack took the lead from the gun and ran solo for the win.Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jack Mastandrea ran the first mile in 4:37 and then cruised to victory in the 16th running of the Red, White and Blue Shoes 5K with a winning time of 15:06. A sold-out field of 1200 runners toured the beautiful Furman University campus on a very hot (80-degrees) and humid July 4th morning to kick off the celebration of our nation's 250th birthday. The race is a fundraiser for the Furman University Cross Country/Track and Field program and was conducted by their staff and the Greenville Track Club. It was the seventh victory in this event by a GTC-ELITE athlete and fourth consecutive as Ryan Drew (2024 & 25) and Eduardo Garcia (2023) won in the previous three years. Mark Leininger won in 2016. On the women's side, Kimberly Ruck (now Mahoney) won in 2017 and Mackenzie Lowe in 2021. This was Jack's fifth competition of 2026, a year in which he has two personal bests so far and also placed fifth at the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth, MN. Next up is the USATF 8K Road Championships at the Crazy 8s Road Race in Kingsport, TN.  Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is well into 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 in Eugene, OR; three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL and currently three for the 2028 Olympic Trials Marathon in St. Louis, MO. 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 produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year and recently had the top two ranked South Carolina road racers for 2024.
The program is sponsored and supported by the 54-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Endurance Ally Physical 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), LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support),Omius (Cooling Systems) and BAKLINE (custom competition kits). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
Greenville Track Club-ELITE had four athletes travel to Duluth, MN for Grandma's Marathon Weekend. It was the 50th anniversary of Grandma's Marathon which runs from Two Harbors to Duluth, MN. Noah Fisher made good use of that route along the edge of Lake Superior as he placed 13th in a deep field with a time of 2:15:17. That was well under the 2028 USA Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying standard of 2:16:00 and also earned Noah $700 as a time bonus. It was his debut at the marathon distance.
Earlier in the morning Jack Mastandrea ran a fine 1:03:54 to place fifth overall in the accompanying Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon and earned $800 in prize money. His teammates, Jason Weitzel and Eduardo Garcia placed 14th and 16th with respective times of 1:05:43 and 1:06:29. Fisher now joins Mastandrea (2:12:17) and Weitzel (2:11:44), who had previously qualified, for the USA Olympic Marathon Trials to be conduced in late March of 2028 in St. Louis, MO.  Jack, Noah, Eduardo and Jason enjoying Duluth, MN. GTC-ELITE Top Ten Marathon Performances GTC-ELITE Top Ten Half Marathon Performances  Jack with 5th Place Award Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is well into 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 in Eugene, OR; three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL and currently three for the 2028 Olympic Trials Marathon in St. Louis, MO. 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 produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year and recently had the top two ranked South Carolina road racers for 2024.
The program is sponsored and supported by the 54-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Endurance Ally Physical 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), LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support),Omius (Cooling Systems) and BAKLINE (custom competition kits). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.  Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Ryan Drew returned to Simpsonville, SC to defend his title at the Sunrise Run 8K. After the very early 6:16 am start he toured the course in a new record of 23:50 to eclipse his year-old standard by four seconds. It was the fourth consecutive year that a GTC-ELITE runner had won with a new course record. Going into this race Ryan was ranked third in the most recent South Carolina Road Race Rankings as of June 4th.
 The June South Carolina Road Race Rankings for men remained unchanged from the May rankings or the state's top ten men. Greenville's James Quattlebaum remains the leader and is followed by GTC-ELITE's Noah Fisher, Ryan Drew and Jason Weitzel to round out the top four. Their teammates Jack Mastandrea and Eduardo Garcia are sixth and seventh. South Carolina Road Race Rankings |
 | 1. James Quattlebaum, (30, Greenville) 2. Noah Fisher (23, Greenville) 3. Ryan Drew (28, Greenville) 4. Jason Weitzel (29, Greenville) 5. Hunter Jarvis (28, Columbia) 6. Jack Mastandrea (28, Greenville) 7. Eduardo Garcia (33, Greenville) 8. Ricky Flynn (38, Greenville) ** 9. Caleb Christiansen (24, Cayce) 10. Roland Hakes (33, Irmo) * GTC-ELITE athlete ** GTC-ELITE alum (previous member) |
Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Patrick Lyell and Ryan Drew placed 8th and 9th in the Men's Pro 1500-meters at the Music City Track Carnival. The meet was conducted at Lee University in Cleveland, TN, on Saturday afternoon with a temperature at a warm 82 degrees for the 5:30 pm start. Their respective times of 3:42.68 and 3:44.18 earned them the second and third places among USA finishers in a very international field.
Interestingly, Patrick broke his own Facility Record of 3:42.88, which he set on May 11, 2024. His time is equivalent to slightly under 4:00 minutes for the one-mile distance according to some conversion tables. Patrick's time is now third on the GTC-ELITE All-Time list just behind two of his previous marks. Drew now has seven of the top ten GTC-ELITE 1500m performances with today's performance ranking sixth. Both runners have been very consistent over their past three 1500m efforts, with Patrick's times having only a difference of .78 seconds (3:41.9 - 3:42.68) and Ryan's .79 seconds (3:43.39 - 3:44.18).
Interestingly, Patrick broke his own Facility Record of 3:42.88, which he set on May 11, 2024. His time is equivalent to slightly under 4:00 minutes for the one-mile distance according to some conversion tables. Patrick's time is now third on the GTC-ELITE All-Time list just behind two of his previous marks. Drew now has seven of the top ten GTC-ELITE 1500m performances with today's performance ranking sixth. Both runners have been very consistent over their past three 1500m efforts, with Patrick's times having only a difference of .78 seconds (3:41.9 - 3:42.68) and Ryan's .79 seconds (3:43.39 - 3:44.18).
GTC-ELITE All-Time Top Ten 1500m Performances
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Music City Track Carnival Men's Pro 1500m Top 15
On Friday evening, GTC-ELITE's Paris Olympian (marathon) Eduardo Garcia ran his first track competition since June of 2024 as he completed in the Men's Developmental 5,000m. He led through the first kilometer in 2:53.73 (14:30 pace), but the pace gradually slowed as the he passed 3,000m in 8:52.04, still leading. He was passed shortly thereafter and was not able to keep pace with the new leader over the next few laps. After mustering a final 400m-lap of 66.04 seconds (fastest in the field), he placed third with a time of 14:56.39--some eleven seconds behind the winner.
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Ryan Drew (#4) and Patrick Lyell (#12) placed 5th and 3rd, respectively, in the Webb Mile.
Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Patrick Lyell and Ryan Drew placed third and fifth in the Webb Mile at the Down the Stretch Track Fest at George Mason University's track in Fairfax, VA. What was intended to be an assault on the Commonwealth of Virginia's fastest mile (3:52.99), turned into a tactical affair after an initial 409 meters covered in a rather pedestrian 1:01.04. And then the sky released a heavy dose of rain, which may have dampened the pace even more as the next 400 meters took 1:01.81 for the front running Irishman Charlie O'Donovan. The cumulative time at 809 meters was 2:02.85, which further dashed hopes for even a sub-four performance.
Lyell made a strong push on the third lap and moved from ninth to second position, although his 400m split was only 1:02.54. His teammate, Drew, also moved up going from 8th to fourth on that circuit. With one lap remaining there were seven athletes between 3:06.24 and 3:06.9--a gap of only .66 of a second. Lyell surged and seemed to take the lead briefly heading into the final turn and completed the final 400m in 57.99. However, O'Donovan (57.46) and Empire Elite Track Club's William Cuthbertson (57.87) were slightly faster and placed first and second ahead of Lyell, who finished with a time of 4:04.34. Drew closed in 59.93 for a final time of 4:06.35.
O'Donovan's winning time was 4:03.83, which was well of his 3:56.95 for third place at this meet last year. The former Villanova runner has a personal best for the mile of 3:54.16. The runnerup, Cuthbertson, is a Butler University alum and has personal bests of 1:45.66 for 800 metes and 3:56.76 for the mile.
Lyell made a strong push on the third lap and moved from ninth to second position, although his 400m split was only 1:02.54. His teammate, Drew, also moved up going from 8th to fourth on that circuit. With one lap remaining there were seven athletes between 3:06.24 and 3:06.9--a gap of only .66 of a second. Lyell surged and seemed to take the lead briefly heading into the final turn and completed the final 400m in 57.99. However, O'Donovan (57.46) and Empire Elite Track Club's William Cuthbertson (57.87) were slightly faster and placed first and second ahead of Lyell, who finished with a time of 4:04.34. Drew closed in 59.93 for a final time of 4:06.35.
O'Donovan's winning time was 4:03.83, which was well of his 3:56.95 for third place at this meet last year. The former Villanova runner has a personal best for the mile of 3:54.16. The runnerup, Cuthbertson, is a Butler University alum and has personal bests of 1:45.66 for 800 metes and 3:56.76 for the mile.
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Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is well into 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 in Eugene, OR; three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL and currently two for the 2028 Olympic Trials Marathon. 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 produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year and recently had the top two ranked South Carolina road racers for 2024.
The program is sponsored and supported by the 54-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Endurance Ally Physical 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), LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support),Omius (Cooling Systems) and BAKLINE (custom competition kits). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
The program is sponsored and supported by the 54-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Endurance Ally Physical 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), LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support),Omius (Cooling Systems) and BAKLINE (custom competition kits). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
GTC-ELITE's Jason Weitzel, Jack Mastandrea, Noah Fisher, Ryan Drew and Eduardo Garcia.
Five of the top seven ranked male runners in the May 2026 South Carolina Road Race Rankings are current Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes as published by USATF SC Record Keeper Bill Marable. And, two additional ranked athletes are former GTC-ELITE. Multiple-time rankings leader James Quattlebaum remains in the top position. Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Noah Fisher and teammates and training partners Ryan Drew, Jason Weitzel, Jack Mastandrea and Eduardo Garcia ranked 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th. Ricky Flynn, a GTC-ELITE alum is ranked eighth in the Palmetto State's road rankings and another alum Roland Hakes is 10th.
The rankings have not had much change due to six of the top seven athletes recently competing in out-of-the-state events such as the Boston Marathon, Indianapolis Mini Marathon, Kentucky Debry Half Marathon and Amway River Bank 25K. Those events do not qualify for the SCRR rankings.
The rankings have not had much change due to six of the top seven athletes recently competing in out-of-the-state events such as the Boston Marathon, Indianapolis Mini Marathon, Kentucky Debry Half Marathon and Amway River Bank 25K. Those events do not qualify for the SCRR rankings.
South Carolina Road Race Rankings
as of May 3, 2026
| 1. James Quattlebaum, (30, Greenville) 2. Noah Fisher (23, Greenville) 3. Ryan Drew (28, Greenville) 4. Jason Weitzel (29, Greenville) 5. Hunter Jarvis (28, Columbia) 6. Jack Mastandrea (28, Greenville) 7. Eduardo Garcia (33, Greenville) 8. Ricky Flynn (38, Greenville) ** 9. Caleb Christiansen (24, Cayce) 10. Roland Hakes (33, Irmo) * GTC-ELITE athlete ** GTC-ELITE alum (previous member) | |
Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is well into 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 in Eugene, OR; three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL and currently two for the 2028 Olympic Trials Marathon. 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 produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year and recently had the top two ranked South Carolina road racers for 2024.
The program is sponsored and supported by the 54-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Endurance Ally Physical 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), LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support),Omius (Cooling Systems) and BAKLINE (custom competition kits). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
The program is sponsored and supported by the 54-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Endurance Ally Physical 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), LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support),Omius (Cooling Systems) and BAKLINE (custom competition kits). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
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Congratulations on your new personal best of 2:12:19 for the marathon. Were you expecting such a performance on the Boston Marathon course?
Jack: Going in I was feeling pretty positive about my overall fitness, so in turn that gave me the confidence I could run something very special.
Your previous PB was at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento. You have run PBs there two years in a row. How does that course compare with Boston?
Jack: Boston and CIM are very similar courses in terms of both being net downhill. The only main difference that comes to mind is Boston is much more physically demanding course. Meaning that first half can really put a beating on your quads if you go out more aggressive. With CIM it’s much more rolling so it doesn’t beat your body up as much.
You ran fairly even splits for the first and second half of Boston. Was that your strategy and how difficult was that when you were included in such a fast and deep field?
Jack: I knew going in that it was gonna be a pretty fast field. So my main goal was to be more on the patient side and just focus on running my race. I wanted to run conservatively for that first half, to put myself in a position to where I could handle the Newton hills, and of course heartbreak hill. My pace did slow down a touch but once I was able to get over heartbreak, I was able to get back in gear and make my way towards downtown Boston. So I think overall my strategy paid off and I’m very pleased with how my body handled the demanding course.
Jack: Going in I was feeling pretty positive about my overall fitness, so in turn that gave me the confidence I could run something very special.
Your previous PB was at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento. You have run PBs there two years in a row. How does that course compare with Boston?
Jack: Boston and CIM are very similar courses in terms of both being net downhill. The only main difference that comes to mind is Boston is much more physically demanding course. Meaning that first half can really put a beating on your quads if you go out more aggressive. With CIM it’s much more rolling so it doesn’t beat your body up as much.
You ran fairly even splits for the first and second half of Boston. Was that your strategy and how difficult was that when you were included in such a fast and deep field?
Jack: I knew going in that it was gonna be a pretty fast field. So my main goal was to be more on the patient side and just focus on running my race. I wanted to run conservatively for that first half, to put myself in a position to where I could handle the Newton hills, and of course heartbreak hill. My pace did slow down a touch but once I was able to get over heartbreak, I was able to get back in gear and make my way towards downtown Boston. So I think overall my strategy paid off and I’m very pleased with how my body handled the demanding course.
Top Ten Marathon Performances for GTC-ELITE
You have progressed approximately five minutes in the marathon since you joined GTC-ELITE. That is about a mile in distance. What do you attribute such an improvement to?
Jack: There’s a lot of contributing factors that go into my progression. Coach Mike's training, and believing in his training plan has been a big reason. Going through times of failure has also helped me understand more about the distance. Also having a big support system helps a ton as well.
We’ve read about some of the Pro Elites extremely high training volumes such as 130-150 miles per week. It is our understanding that GTC-ELITE does not average in triple digits. What is your point of view regarding that difference in weekly mileage?
Jack: Every team has different training philosophies which I think is very cool. I like our training style because it’s very similar to my training when I was in college. I think it goes to show that you don’t need to be running 100+ miles a week in order to be successful in the marathon. That’s what makes our group unique.
Jack: There’s a lot of contributing factors that go into my progression. Coach Mike's training, and believing in his training plan has been a big reason. Going through times of failure has also helped me understand more about the distance. Also having a big support system helps a ton as well.
We’ve read about some of the Pro Elites extremely high training volumes such as 130-150 miles per week. It is our understanding that GTC-ELITE does not average in triple digits. What is your point of view regarding that difference in weekly mileage?
Jack: Every team has different training philosophies which I think is very cool. I like our training style because it’s very similar to my training when I was in college. I think it goes to show that you don’t need to be running 100+ miles a week in order to be successful in the marathon. That’s what makes our group unique.
GTC-ELITE men: Davonte Jett-Reynolds, Eduardo Garcia, Noah Fisher, Jason Weitzel, Jack Mastandrea, Patrick Lyell (not in photo - Ryan Drew) What were your pre-race expectations regarding times or placing?
Jack: My main goal was to run my race and be as controlled as possible for the first half, attack Newton/Heartbreak hill efficiently, and see what I had left in the tank that final 10K. I didn’t worry about place as I knew a lot of people would be coming back from going out too hard.
How did your race strategy play out?
Jack: Played out perfectly. Ran my race and got the job done. Unfortunately missed a bottle but didn’t let that rattle me. I picked up an emergency gel, and gator aid. Which I ended up throwing up with 1K too go. Other than that couldn’t be more proud of how I raced, and handled myself throughout that time.
What shoes did you race in and why?
Jack: ASICS Metaspeed Ray. I’m a fan of the responsive design and was already familiar with how they felt.
Jack: My main goal was to run my race and be as controlled as possible for the first half, attack Newton/Heartbreak hill efficiently, and see what I had left in the tank that final 10K. I didn’t worry about place as I knew a lot of people would be coming back from going out too hard.
How did your race strategy play out?
Jack: Played out perfectly. Ran my race and got the job done. Unfortunately missed a bottle but didn’t let that rattle me. I picked up an emergency gel, and gator aid. Which I ended up throwing up with 1K too go. Other than that couldn’t be more proud of how I raced, and handled myself throughout that time.
What shoes did you race in and why?
Jack: ASICS Metaspeed Ray. I’m a fan of the responsive design and was already familiar with how they felt.
ASICS Metaspeed RAY
You still run a lot of miles/kilometers in relation to the average runner. What footwear do you prefer to accommodate that training?
Jack: I’m a big fan of the Asics GT-2000 and GEL-Kayano. Both are gonna range from high to medium cushion. But both are gonna have good ankle support which I desperately need.
Do you alternate shoes on different days?
Jack: I do. For our recovery days I’ll typically wear the Kayano. For more of our faster days where our coach wants us hitting a specific average I’ll wear the GT-2000’s.
Jack: I’m a big fan of the Asics GT-2000 and GEL-Kayano. Both are gonna range from high to medium cushion. But both are gonna have good ankle support which I desperately need.
Do you alternate shoes on different days?
Jack: I do. For our recovery days I’ll typically wear the Kayano. For more of our faster days where our coach wants us hitting a specific average I’ll wear the GT-2000’s.
 ASICS GEL Kayano |  ASICS GT-2000 |
Do you cross train or weight train in addition to your running?
Jack: We lift 3 times a week, and typically take about 45 minutes. Not so much heavy lifting, but more about light weight but high reps covering all muscle groups.
Jack: We lift 3 times a week, and typically take about 45 minutes. Not so much heavy lifting, but more about light weight but high reps covering all muscle groups.
Jason Weitzel and Jack working out in the GTC-ELITE FIT Garage
We heard you devoured an entire pizza the night before the race. Tell us about that.
Jack: So it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of food more specifically pizza. Jason and I found this pizza restaurant not too far from our hotel and decided to give it a try. It was New York style pizza which is my favorite style. But I’m always a big believer in carb loading the night before a marathon and that pizza definitely hit the spot!
Jack: So it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of food more specifically pizza. Jason and I found this pizza restaurant not too far from our hotel and decided to give it a try. It was New York style pizza which is my favorite style. But I’m always a big believer in carb loading the night before a marathon and that pizza definitely hit the spot!
So, how did you get from Boston to Hopkington on race morning?
Jack: They took us out in big charter buses. It was about a 45-50 minute drive to the start line. They closed off the entire highway just for us to get there with a police convoy leading the way.
How far in advance of the start did you arrive at the staring line area?
Jack: We got to the starting line 2 1/2 hours in advance.
What was the setup for the Pro Elite athletes once you got of the bus?
Jack: So once we got to the starting area they had everything divided into different sections. They made a spot for the spectators, media, and of course the elite tent. We hung out in a big heated tent. Jason and I just found some chairs and hung out until it was time to warm up.
How was the warmup area?
Jack: There wasn’t a lot of options for us to warm up since everything was blocked off. But luckily Jason and I found a stretch of road and were able to go out and back on that section.
What was your warmup?
Jack: Our usual marathon routine, 12-15 minutes + Dynamic Movement Drills, etc. We ran on a stretch of road with a slight downhill. We didn’t get too far down it. Uphill on the way back and flattened out.
Jack: They took us out in big charter buses. It was about a 45-50 minute drive to the start line. They closed off the entire highway just for us to get there with a police convoy leading the way.
How far in advance of the start did you arrive at the staring line area?
Jack: We got to the starting line 2 1/2 hours in advance.
What was the setup for the Pro Elite athletes once you got of the bus?
Jack: So once we got to the starting area they had everything divided into different sections. They made a spot for the spectators, media, and of course the elite tent. We hung out in a big heated tent. Jason and I just found some chairs and hung out until it was time to warm up.
How was the warmup area?
Jack: There wasn’t a lot of options for us to warm up since everything was blocked off. But luckily Jason and I found a stretch of road and were able to go out and back on that section.
What was your warmup?
Jack: Our usual marathon routine, 12-15 minutes + Dynamic Movement Drills, etc. We ran on a stretch of road with a slight downhill. We didn’t get too far down it. Uphill on the way back and flattened out.
GTC-ELITE has a precise and well-tested fueling plan. Can you tell us a little about that. How many bottles? Which fuel do you use?
Jack: We use 8 fluid bottles in total. The first 2 are a slow-release mixture called UCAN and the remainder are another mixture called Maurten--which is a high-carbohydrate drink mix.
When did you mix your bottles and when did you drop off your bottles?
Jack: I prepared my bottles the day before the race. After our tech meeting on Sunday we walked across the street and they had the station all set up. Once we were done preparing our bottles we took them to the front of the room and checked every single one in for the specific fueling stations.
Did the fueling plan go well?
Jack: The fueling overall went well. Might have to tweak some things but overall I was satisfied.
Jack: We use 8 fluid bottles in total. The first 2 are a slow-release mixture called UCAN and the remainder are another mixture called Maurten--which is a high-carbohydrate drink mix.
When did you mix your bottles and when did you drop off your bottles?
Jack: I prepared my bottles the day before the race. After our tech meeting on Sunday we walked across the street and they had the station all set up. Once we were done preparing our bottles we took them to the front of the room and checked every single one in for the specific fueling stations.
Did the fueling plan go well?
Jack: The fueling overall went well. Might have to tweak some things but overall I was satisfied.
Jack with partner Maricar Hudson, who he met in Greenville.
Now that you have resided in Greenville for a few years, what is your favorite aspect of living here?
Jack: My favorite part about living in Greenville is there’s always something happening every weekend. Downtown will always have events, and gatherings that make it impossible to get bored.
Favorite place to eat?
Jack: Mill City Kitchen.
Jack: My favorite part about living in Greenville is there’s always something happening every weekend. Downtown will always have events, and gatherings that make it impossible to get bored.
Favorite place to eat?
Jack: Mill City Kitchen.
Next goal race?
Jack: I have a lot of races planned throughout the year that i’m very excited about. I’ll be running the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon at Grandma's next month and looking to run something quick. But I’m mainly excited for my next marathon which will most likely be CIM later this year. I have some goal times floating around in my mind. We’ll see how my fitness progresses throughout the year, and that will give me a better idea of what I can run when the time comes.
You have qualified for your second USA Olympic Team Trials in the marathon. What are your expectations leading up to that event in March of 2028?
Jack: My goal heading into my second US marathon trials would be to finish in the top 20.
Jack: I have a lot of races planned throughout the year that i’m very excited about. I’ll be running the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon at Grandma's next month and looking to run something quick. But I’m mainly excited for my next marathon which will most likely be CIM later this year. I have some goal times floating around in my mind. We’ll see how my fitness progresses throughout the year, and that will give me a better idea of what I can run when the time comes.
You have qualified for your second USA Olympic Team Trials in the marathon. What are your expectations leading up to that event in March of 2028?
Jack: My goal heading into my second US marathon trials would be to finish in the top 20.
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What will you remember most about the 2026 Boston Marathon?
Jack: There’s a lot of things I’m gonna remember about The 2026 Boston Marathon. But the main one for me was getting to experience it all with my training partner Jason Weitzel. We competed against each other in the same conference back in college. So getting to race Boston together on the same team is something pretty special to me.
Jack: There’s a lot of things I’m gonna remember about The 2026 Boston Marathon. But the main one for me was getting to experience it all with my training partner Jason Weitzel. We competed against each other in the same conference back in college. So getting to race Boston together on the same team is something pretty special to me.
