asics Greenville Track Club-ELITE - a post-collegiate, Olympic development program
Good things sometimes come to an end. While it is usually difficult to say good-bye, there are sometimes good reasons for doing so. As 2018 begins, ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE will be without its two most veteran women athletes. Kimberly Ruck is engaged to her long-time boyfriend Marty Maloney and will be married in June. She has just accepted a new job in Chapel Hill, NC (where Marty is in Law school). Alison Parris is transitioning from her three-year part-time position at ScanSource, Inc. to a full-time new opportunity.
Ruck was the first woman to join ASICS GTC-ELITE. While pursuing her Masters degree at the University of South Carolina, the former Clemson University All American joined the program. A Greenville native and already a long-time member of the Greenville Track Club, Kimberly was a natural fit for the post-collegiate, Olympic development group. During her almost five years with ASICS GTC-ELITE, Ruck traveled to major competitions around the country including the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, CA, the Abbott's Dash for the Finish in New York City, the Tuft's Healthcare Women's 10K in Boston, MA, the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, NY, the Raleigh Relays in NC, three USATF Club XC National Championships (Bethlehem, PA, San Francisco, CA and Tallahassee, FL), the Newport 10K in Jersey City, NJ, etc. Kimberly had some outstanding performances including a 33:17 10,000 at Stanford, a 16:19 5,000 at Raleigh, and a 27:11 8K in Columbia, SC. She won a total of 20 races including the 2017 TD Bank Reedy River Run in Greenville. She also set three course records, including her 16:32 at the 2015 Greenville News Run Downtown 5K. Parris was the second woman to join ASICS GTC-ELITE. She had worked for three years in her home state of Maryland following her 2011 graduation from James Madison University. With the intention of pursuing post-collegiate running once completely healthy after some persistent injuries during her collegiate career, she was selected to attend the RRCA Run Pro Camp, where her interest spiked and she contacted ASICS GTC-ELITE. After her successful interview visit, she relocated to Greenville, SC in May of 2014. During her time with the program Alison competed in almost 40 races and finished among the top five 30 times, including 14 victories and set five course records. She competed in three USATF Club Cross Country National Championships with two excellent top 40 finishes (26th and 33rd). Parris and her teammates placed 8th at those championships in 2015 in San Francisco. She ran personal bests of 16:29 for 5,000 meters, 27:13 for 8K and 35:12 for 10K. She also placed 6th at the 2015 Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. Alison was employed by ScanSource, Inc. as part of our Adopt An Athlete program. After experiencing a semi-chronic foot injury during the latter part of 2017, Alison decided to make a career change and accepted a full-time employment position in her adopted home of Greenville. "We will really miss having Kimberly and Alison with our program," stated Director/Coach Mike Caldwell. "Both ladies are class acts and always were a pleasure to coach and just be around on an almost daily basis. However, life moves on and we know both of them will be very successful in their personal lives and also be positive contributors to society in general. We have some great memories with them, during both the highs and lows of their post-collegiate competitive careers." GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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 products, FinalSurge (on-line training log), The ATI Running Academy, ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots and Cocoa Elite recovery products.
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 ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE announced that two-time South Carolina AAAA State Cross Country champion Roland Hakes will be joining the post-collegiate, Olympic development program in 2018. 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. "Roland demonstrated excellent self-discipline and time management while a student-athlete at Clemson," explained program director/coach Mike Caldwell. "We usually do not encourage our athletes to work full time due our training and recovery schedules, which are fairly time consuming. However, Roland has a dream he desires to chase and we want to provide the guidance, environment and assistance for him to achieve that dream." According to Clemson Head Coach Marc Elliott. "He’s the type of guy you can count on; he never falters to meet his own expectations. It’s his ability to get the maximum out of each competition that sets him apart.” The ASICS GTC-ELITE coaches are devising a developmental plan to accommodate Hakes' employment and military obligations while targeting their performance goals and objectives. "We'll plan a period of transition for Roland to get accustomed to our training philosophies and a new environment in Greenville," stated Caldwell. "We've always considered our program to be about development and growth and not just with running, but with career and personal aspects. Therefore, being flexible in our planning for Roland will be not only be a new challenge, but a learning experience and benefit to all of us." GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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 products, FinalSurge (on-line training log), The ATI Running Academy, ElliptiGO, NormaTec Recovery Boots and Cocoa Elite recovery products.   ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE is proud to announce that Eduardo Garcia will be joining the post-collegiate, Olympic development program. Garcia is a 2016 graduate of the University of Florida, in Gainesville, FL. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier at 10,000 meters and also ranks sixth on the all-time Gator indoor 5,000-meter performance list. Eddie has a personal best of 29:35.9 for 10,000 meters and a PB of 14:06 for 5,000 meters. He was the Southeastern Conference (SEC) 10,000 meters champion in 2015.
"We are excited to have Eddie join our training group," stated program director and coach Mike Caldwell. "He had a very good collegiate career at the U of F, performing well at both 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Our plan is for him to continue to train for and compete at the 10K in addition to preparing for longer road races and targeting the marathon in the near future." Eddie was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL before matriculating at the University of Florida. He graduated with a degree in Sports Management. The current plan is for Eddie to relocate to Greenville in the early Spring of 2018. GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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 Austin Steagall and Kimberly Ruck both ran to victories in the Paris Mountain Road Races 5K on a cool Saturday morning on the beautiful Furman University campus in Travelers Rest, SC. The 5K was run in conjunction with the 47th annual Paris Mountain 20K--the state's oldest and toughest road race--and produced by the Greenville Track Club.
Steagall covered the 5K route in an impressive 14:43, running solo for most of the race. Ruck ran 17:07 to win the women's overall title. She currently leads the South Carolina Road Race Rankings. GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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 had two athletes compete on the streets of New York City on the day before the world famous TCS NYC Marathon.
Austin Steagall placed 21st in the 2017 USATF National Road 5K Championship. In one of the deepest fields of American runners ever assembled for a 5K road race, he finished with a time of 14:33. The race was won by USA Olympian Shadrack Kipchirchir in 13:57 as the top six men broke 14:00 minutes. Olympic silver medalist Paul Chelimo was fourth in 13:58. The field also included Olympians Leonard Korir, Hassan Mead and Donn Cabral. The USATF 5K Championships awarded $60,000 in total prize money, the largest-ever prize money purse for a 5K road race. The USATF Championship race was run 15 minutes before the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line, which had over 10,000 finishers. The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line course is an 11-meter net UPHILL point-to-point course starting at the United Nations on 1st Ave and finishing inside Central Park at the TCS New York City Marathon finish line, along the way passing some of NYC’s most famous landmarks including Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall. ASICS GTC-ELITE's Kimberly Ruck competed in the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5K and placed 5th among over 5,000 women with a time of 16:59. She was the second American woman as the race was won by Canadian Erin Teschuk (16:21), who also trains in Greenville as a member of ASICS Furman Elite. GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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.  Tyler Morse ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Tyler Morse won the Great GO! St. Louis Halloween 10K on a wet and windy Sunday morning. The former Illinois State University runner traveled to the Missouri city to test his fitness and ran 31:11 for the victory. After passing 5K in 15:15 he pulled away from his closest competition to earn $750 for his efforts.
GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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.  Austin Steagall & Kimberly Ruck ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes lead the South Carolina Road Race Rankings that were released today. The rankings include performances through October 7, 2017.
Austin Steagall continues to be ranked first among overall men. His former teammate Ryan Root, who recently moved to Tulsa, OK in August, is still ranked second. Former ASICS GTC-ELITE runners Adam Freudenthal and Ricky Flynn Mark Leininger are now ranked third, fourth and eighth, respectively. Leininger moved back to New Jersey in July after two successful years in the Greenville post-collegiate, Olympic development program. The team's Frank DeVar made his first appearance in the state road race rankings, in 10th position. The overall women's rankings are headed by ASICS GTC-ELITE teammates Kimberly Ruck and Alison Parris. For a runner to be included in the rankings they must have run at least two SC races on certified courses in the past year with one being the last six months. Times are used to judge performances with course difficulty taken into consideration. Head to head match ups are also considered. The most emphasis is placed on races in the past six months. GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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.  Kimberly Ruck ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Kimberly Ruck returned to Boston for her fourth appearance in the Tuft's Health Plan Women's 10K on Monday. With less than optimal conditions, she toed the line in the 41st edition of one of the nation's largest women's 10K road races. The atypical October weather brought a temperature of 74 degrees and 92% humidity for the noon time start near the Boston Commons. Despite the conditions, which resulted in the slowest winning time in years, Ruck ran 36:04 to place 11th overall and as the tenth American. Although the time was far off what her fitness warranted, the 11th place was her best finish in this event.
GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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.  Craig Bailey ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE is proud to announce the addition of Craig Bailey to our Board of Directors.
"We are very happy to have someone with Craig's varied leadership experiences join our board," stated GTC-ELITE president Bill Keesling. "He loves running and is an active member in the Greenville Track Club. Craig has provided mentorship for one of our athletes since 2015, which has greatly assisted us in reaching an integral part of our mission." A business leader, Bailey is the Managing Broker for JOY Real Estate, where he is responsible for the Residential Sales Force, the Property Management Division, the New Homes Division, the Commercial Division, the JOY Elite Division, the Expansion Team, and the administrative staff. Craig has been a Marine Corps Officer since 1986 and is currently a Colonel assigned as the Reserve Chief-of-staff of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) in Camp Lejeune, NC. The II MEF is a 62,000-man force composed of an Infantry Division, an Air Wing, a Logistics Group and a Headquarters Group. Bailey has taught business and information systems topics on the graduate and undergraduate level since 1991. He is also a private pilot and has completed several marathons and half-marathons.  Kimberly Ruck finishing Great Cow Harbor 10K. ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Kimberly Ruck placed sixth in the 40th edition of the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, NY on a very humid and muggy Saturday morning. Starting under cloudy skies with 97% humidity and 70-degree temperatures, Ruck passed the first 5K on the very hilly course in 17:54. That segment included the infamous James Street hill. She finished with a final time of 35:38 to earn $600 in prize money. It was Ruck's fourth top ten, and best, finish in her four visits to Long Island's popular race, which attracted over 5,500 runners this year. She first ran here in 2013, placing 10th with a time of 35:45. In 2014 she placed 8th in 35:34. After missing the 2015 event, she returned in 2016 to place tenth in 35:37. In the men's competition, ASICS GTC-ELITE's Tyler Morse placed 13th with a time of 31:15. Tyler was in 19th place when he passed the 5K marker in 15:37.6 and then ran the final 5K in another 15:37. It was the first post-collegiate 10K for the former Illinois State University runner. His teammate, Austin Steagall, had a tough day as he placed 20th with a time of 32:46, after placing 9th in 2016.
GTC-ELITE was established in 2012 and produced four qualifiers for the 2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program 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.
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