ASICS GTC-ELITE in South Carolina Road Rankings

Teammates Annie Rodenfels and Eddie Garcia.

Annie Rodenfels of ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE continues to lead the South Carolina Road Rankings that were published by USATF Record Keeper Bill Marable on May 5. Rodenfels set a SC state record for the road 5K with a 16:09 clocking back in September at the Mortgage Network Low Country Elite Invitational, which earned her the Top Woman's Performance of 2020 for South Carolina road racing.  She followed that up with an outstanding 15:35 for 5,000 meters on the track at the Five & Dime Athletics Meet in Columbia, SC in mid-December. ​​Annie's focus in 2021 has been on the track, which doesn't affect the road rankings. This year on the oval she has run 15:46.7 for 5,000 meters at the Raleigh Relays and then a huge personal best of 4:13.49 in the 1500 meters at the Atlanta Track Club's Spring Track Meet. She followed those performances by qualifying for the upcoming USATF Olympic Trials 3000m Steeplechase with a 9:46.9 victory in the Flames Invitational at Lee University in Tennessee. 

Her teammates, Eddie Garcia and Mackenzie Lowe,  also continue to be highly ranked. Garcia remains second to Greenville's James Quattlebaum. James won the Greenville Half Marathon on February 27th and Eddie was second, reflecting their respective places in the state rankings. Quattlebaum was the 2019 South Carolina Long Distance Runner of the Year, while Eddie earned that same honor for 2020. Lowe is ranked seventh among women after finishing sixth in that Greenville Half Marathon. ​

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South Carolina Road Race Rankings as of May 1, 2021

​GTC-ELITE was established in 2012. 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 for the 2021 USATF Olympic Trials in the 3000m Steeplechase.  Also, the group set four South Carolina State road race records in 2020 (5K, 15K and Half Marathon).  The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 48-year-old Greenville Track Club, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), the Borch Foundation, generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Roll Recovery products, FinalSurge (on-line training log), The ATI Running Academy, ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots, Cocoa Elite recovery products, Stryd Running, Coach Bob Williams Pace Calculator, the DorsiFlex (stretching device), the MOBO board (balance & mobility), On Pace Wellness (nutrition coaching) and LEVER Running (treadmill body weight support).  The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and  USATF.​