Garcia and Weitzel Finish 1st and 2nd in Red, White & Blue Shoes 5K

Eddie Garcia and Jason Weitzel

Greenville Track Club-ELITE teammates Eddie Garcia and Jason Weitzel took the lead from the start and covered the 5K route on Furman University's beautiful campus in quick times of 14:38 and 14:45, respectively, to place first and second in the field of just over 1000. The annual race, celebrating our nation's birthday, was conducted in warm and very humid conditions and is a fund raiser for the Blue Shoes Scholarship for Furman's Cross Country/Track program. 

Garcia led Weitzel by a small margin for the entire race and finished with one of the fastest times in the event's history. He is currently ranked third in the South Carolina Road Race Rankings, behind only James Quattlebaum and Weitzel. It was Eddie's second consecutive victory as he recently won the Sunrise Run 8K in a course record 24:07. Both he and Jason are scheduled to compete at the USATF 20K Championships on Labor Day in New Haven, CT.

Top Three Finishers: Noah Woodbury (3rd/16:27), Jason Weitzel (2nd/14:45) and Eddie Garcia (1st/14:38).

Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is in its second decade as a post-collegiate, Olympic development program. 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 and participant in the 2021 USATF Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 3000m Steeplechase. 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 also produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year. 

​The program is sponsored and supported by the 51-year-old Greenville Track Club, ASICS, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Roll Recovery products, FinalSurge (on-line training log), ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots, Cocoa Elite recovery products, UCAN energy products, Coach Bob Williams Pace Calculator, the DorsiFlex (stretching device), the MOBO board (balance & mobility), On Pace Wellness (nutrition coaching) and LEVER Movement (treadmill body weight support). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.​