Catching Up with Jack Mastandrea After His 2:12:19 Boston Marathon Performance

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. ​

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Top Ten Marathon Performances for GTC-ELITE

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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. ​

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.

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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. 

ASICS GEL Kayano

ASICS GT-2000

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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. 

Jason Weitzel and Jack working out in the GTC-ELITE FIT Garage

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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! ​

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. 

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 with partner Maricar Hudson, who he met in Greenville.

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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.

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. 

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. ​