2018 Highlights

ASICS GTC-ELITE  competed in multiple local, regional and national events in cities around the USA, including South Carolina's Greenville, Clemson and Columbia; North Carolina's Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh; Richmond, VA and Jacksonville, FL. National competitions included the Portland Track Festival and Stumptown Twilight in Oregon, the famous Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, GA, the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport (Long Island), NY.  

JANUARY
  • The program announced that two-time South Carolina AAAA State Cross Country champion Roland Hakes will be joining the post-collegiate, Olympic development program. Hakes, who hails from Irmo, SC, where he ran for Dutch Fork High School, graduated with a degree in History from Clemson University in May of 2016. He completed his Army ROTC studies and training while at Clemson and is a member of the US Army Reserve. He is employed by Centurion Labs, of Columbia, SC as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Hakes' performances as a Clemson Tiger included: 3:50.2 for 1500 meters; 8:23.5 for 3,000 meters indoor; 14:24.0 for 5,000 meters and 30:27.3 for 10,000 meters. He also has a personal best of 24:01 for 8K cross country. While running for Dutch Fork High School, Roland was twice named Gatorade Boys Runner of the Year in Cross Country for the state of South Carolina.
  • Austin Steagall defended his 2017 title at the 39th Greenville News Run Downtown 5K as he ran 14:54 over the rolling hills in downtown Greenville.

FEBRUARY
  • Austin Steagall placed second the 3,000 meters in the UCS Invitational conducted at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, NC. His  time was 8:23.3 and just behind the 8:22.31 of winner Lucas Stalker
MARCH
  • Austin Steagall ran 3:57.2 to place 11th in the 1500 meters at the 49er Classic at Charlotte University in North Carolina. 
  • Zach Mains relocated from Pennsylvania to Greenville and joined the program. A graduate of Loch Haven University in Pennsylvania, Zach will focused on improving his 10K times as he prepares for longer competitions on the roads. 
​APRIL
  • Austin Steagall placed second in the 41st TD Bank Reedy River Run 10K in Greenville, SC. He earned a total of $1200 as the first USA Citizen finisher ($1000) and first South Carolinan ($200) and ran 30:53 over the undulating route. 
  • Eddie Garcia relocated from Gainesville, FL to Greenville to begin training with the program. The University of Florida graduate was the 2015 SEC 10K champion and will focus on preparing for competition from 10K to the marathon. 
MAY
  • Austin Steagall won the Governor's Cup Main Street Mile in Columbia, SC. He earned $500 for the victory and became the 2018 Road Runners Club of America Regional Champion. Austin's time was 4:15 on the out-and-back route in the capital city's Main Street and produced a winning margin of one-second.
JUNE
  • Eddie Garcia won his first race as a member of ASICS GTC-ELITE by running 25:01 for the Sunrise 8K in Simpsonville, SC. He was closely followed by teammate Zach Mains (25:04), who was also competing for the first time since joining the program in March. 
  • Austin Steagall placed 4th in the 5,000 meters at Portland Track's Stumptown Twilight meet. Austin ran conservatively for the first 4K as he attempted to rebound from a lower chest injury suffered in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase at the Portland Track Festival five days previous. He finished with a fast final kilometer to record a time of 14:17.7. 
JULY
  • Eddie Garcia placed 25th at the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, which was the 2018 USATF 10K Road Championships. His time was 31:03 over the challenging course. Austin Steagall placed 28th in 31:13 and Zach Mains was 39th in 32:14.
  • The program announced the addition of Victor Pataky. A 2016 graduate of Centre College in Kentucky, Victor will focus on improving his performances in events from the 3000-meter Steeplechase to the marathon. He won the 2018 GO St. Louis Marathon in his debut at the distance with a time of 2:22:17. 
  • Austin Steagall won the SC Peach Festival in Gaffney, SC for the sixth consecutive year. His time of 14:37 was only one second off his course record of 14:36 set in 2014. 
​AUGUST 
  • Austin Steagall ​won the Hero's Run 5K in Kennesaw, GA with a time of 15:14. 
  • The program announced the addition of Ryan Bugler. A 2017 graduate of St. John's University in Minnesota, Ryan will focus on improving his performances in the 3000-meter Steeplechase where he has a personal best of 8:57.71. He was a two-time NCAA DIII All American in the event and was the 2016 DIII national champion. 
  • Austin Steagall led an ASICS GTC-ELITE sweep of the first four places at the 11th Annual Edouard Michelin Memorial 5K, just outside of Greenville proper. Steagall's time of 14:44 was only 2 seconds shy of his "event" record set on a similar course in 2016. He was closely followed by Eddie Garcia in 14:48. Victor Pataky placed third in 15:06 in his first race for the team. Zach Mains was fourth, with a time of 15:37. It was the fifth consecutive year that an ASICS GTC-ELITE athlete was first overall and Steagall's third consecutive victory in the event. 
SEPTEMBER
  • Eddie Garcia became the 12th ASICS GTC-ELITE athlete to earn a "top ten" finish at the famous Great Cow Harbor Run 10K in Northport, NY. He finished ninth with a time of 30:16 over the hilly and challenging course in the fastest top ten finishers in the 41-year history of the event. Victory Pataky placed 15th with a time of 31:27. 
  • Austin Steagall ran a personal best for a 10K on the roads as he won the Lake Murray Dam Run, in Irmo, SC. The current leader in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings ran 30:08 (4:51 per mile) as he won his fourth consecutive competition. It was also the sixth in-state race in 2018 that he was the first South Carolinian. He earned $200 and a crystal award for first place. Zach Mains finished fourth with a time of 31:28. 
OCTOBER
  • Austin Steagall continued to lead the South Carolina Road Race Rankings as of October 6, 2018. He had been the first South Carolinian finisher in all six of the 2018 road races in which he has competed within the state. He won five of those outright and was second overall at the TD Bank Reedy River Run 10K. His win's include: the Greenville News Run Downtown 5K, the Peach Festival 5K, the Michelin Memorial 5K and the Governor's Cup Main Street Mile in Columbia and . the Lake Murray Dam Run 10K on September 25, where he ran to a personal best of 30:08. Eddie Garcia and Zach Mains were ranked 7th and 8th overall despite only relocating to the state in late spring.
NOVEMBER
  • Austin Steagall continued to lead the South Carolina Road Race Rankings as of November 3, 2018. Fifth and sixth in those rankings were Eddie Garcia and Zach Mains.
  • Austin Steagall ran to a new personal best for 8K with a time of 22:59 to lead his ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE teammates to excellent performances in Richmond, VA. On a chilly, breezy morning in the state's capitol, Steagall improved on his PB of 23:34 by 35 seconds. His performance was good for second place in the VCU Health 8K and was worth $500 in prize money. Teammate Ryan Bugler, running his first race since joining the program in September, finished 11th with a personal best of 24:20. Their teammate, Victor Pataky, placed 15th with a time of 24:41, which was only one second off his personal best.
  • In the Markel Richmond Half Marathon, Eddie Garcia placed fourth with a time of 1:05:37. The 2015 Southeastern Conference (SEC) 10,000-meter champion while at the University of Florida, Garcia earned $150 prize money for his efforts in Richmond. It was an improvement of his personal best by 40 seconds. Teammate Zach Mains also ran a personal best with a time of 1:08:45 to place 12th. ​
DECEMBER
  • Ryan Bugler placed second in the 3,000-meter event in the Clemson Indoor Opener on Saturday afternoon. The former NCAA DIII champion in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase while a student at St. John's University in Minnesota, was running in only his second competition since joining the post-collegiate, Olympic development program in September.  Bugler finished at 8:30.44. 
  • Eddie Garcia returned to his hometown of Jacksonville, FL and placed third in the Ameris Bank Jacksonville Half Marathon. The former University of Florida standout and SEC 10K champion ran 1:07:15 to earn a place on the awards podium. ASICS GTC-ELITE placed three runners among the top eight as Victor Pataky finished seventh with a time of 1:08:35 and Austin Steagall was close behind in eighth at 1:08:58.