ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE sent two athletes to Friday evening's Main Street Mile as part of the Governor's Cup race weekend in Columbia, SC. Austin Steagall took the lead after the turn-around point on the out-and-back one mile course and led until the final 20 meters, when he was passed by the Atlanta Track Club Elite's James Dwyer. The former Clemson star won in 4:11 to Steagall's 4:12 (as road times are rounded to the next full second). Dwyer earned $500 for the victory, while Steagall took home $400 for his second placing. Kenyan Cyrus Korir, who was one of the early leaders, was third in 4:14 ($300). Former Penn State star Robby Creese took fourth ($200) with a time of 4:17 and Kenyan Patrick Cheptoek was fifth (4:20/$100). 

Kenyans  Soppy Jepchirchir and Susan Jerotich, who now reside in Chapel Hill, NC, were first and second among the elite women with times of 4:46 and 4:52, earning $500 and $400 respectively. Atlantans Christy Cazzola and Janel Blancett were third (4:54/$300) and fourth (4:55/$200). ASICS GTC-ELITE's Alison Parris ran 4:57 for fifth place and earned $100. 

GTC-ELITE produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles and is sponsored by ASICS, the 45-year-old Greenville Track Club, Greenville Health System, ScanSource, Joy Real Estate, the Bare Minimum Track Club,  generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Soleus Running Watches, Boston Bill Sunglasses, Roll Recovery, FinalSurge, The ATI Running Academy, ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots and Cocoa Elite recovery products.

ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Ryan Root placed 19th in the USATF 25K National Championships on Saturday morning. The championships are conducted in conjunction with the Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Root, a former North Central College runner, finished with a time of 1:23:08 (5:21 per mile) over the 15.53-mile distance. Starting conservatively in a star-studded field that included defending champion Christo Landry and 2017 winner Dathan Ritzenhein, Root suffered from abdominal cramping from 7-12 miles. He was able to run through the discomfort and passed the half-marathon split in 1:10:17. 

Ritzenhein, who moved back home to Michigan from Oregon a few years ago, bested Landry for the win with a time of 1:14:27. Landry, who lives and trains in Charlotte, ran 1:14:51. 

GTC-ELITE produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles and is sponsored by ASICS, the 45-year-old Greenville Track Club, Greenville Health System, ScanSource, Joy Real Estate, the Bare Minimum Track Club,  generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Soleus Running Watches, Boston Bill Sunglasses, Roll Recovery, FinalSurge, The ATI Running Academy, ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots and Cocoa Elite recovery products.

ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE is proud to announce a new partnership with Cocoa Elite. The company produces recovery and cardiovascular enhancing products based on cocoa and the flavanol ingredient. Cocoa has captivated mankind and science with its exotic and complex properties. According to the company's research, "The daily use of flavanols found in cocoa have shown to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and blood circulation.**"

This is mainly attributed to the flavanols found in the cocoa bean. Flavanols are what provides cocoa with its distinctive healthy characteristics. In recent years, flavanols have been widely studied for their impact on health. Their current research is also finding that the cocoa flavanols might even be contributing to athletic performance by increasing endurance and improvements in recovery.

"Our post-collegiate, Olympic development athletes' training programs require recovery to allow the adaptation required to improve their performances," explained director Mike Caldwell. "For years we have used chocolate milk and other drinks to enhance the recovery process. Recently some of our athletes experimented with Cocoa Elite and were impressed. We are definitely excited to become a partner with them as they continue to grow their young brand." 

Friends and supporters of ASICS GTC-ELITE can purchase Cocoa Elite products with a discount by using the code "GTC-COCOA" on their website @:
 ​https://shop.cocoaelite.com/collections/allshop.cocoaelite.com/collections/all.

GTC-ELITE produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles and is sponsored by ASICS, the 45-year-old Greenville Track Club, Greenville Health System, ScanSource, Joy Real Estate, the Bare Minimum Track Club,  generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Soleus Running Watches, Boston Bill Sunglasses, Roll Recovery, FinalSurge, The ATI Running Academy, ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots and Cocoa Elite recovery products.

** These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. It is recommended you consult with a licensed health care professional before starting any diet or exercise program.

ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes Kimberly Ruck and Austin Steagall traveled to Jersey City, NJ to compete in the 14th annual RIKER DANZIG NEWPORT 10,000 on Saturday morning. Both athletes had been winners in their last competitions on April 22 as they won the 40th TD Bank Reedy River Run 10K in their hometown of Greenville, SC.

In Newport, Ruck managed a ninth place finish among the women with a time of 35:59 while Steagall placed tenth overall (8th American) with a time of 31:12. Although the race is noted for being the flatest and fastest course in the Tri-state area, the windy conditions seemed to keep the times somewhat slower than anticipated. HOKA Northern Arizona Elite's Craig Lutz was the overall winner in 29:47, while Boston's Rosa Moriello of won the women's title in 34:18. 

GTC-ELITE produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles and is sponsored by ASICS, the 45-year-old Greenville Track Club, Greenville Health System, ScanSource, Joy Real Estate, the Bare Minimum Track Club,  generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Soleus Running Watches, Boston Bill Sunglasses, Roll Recovery, FinalSurge, The ATI Running Academy, ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots and CocoaElite recovery products. ​​​​​​