asics Greenville Track Club-ELITE - a post-collegiate, Olympic-development program
established 2012
established 2012
The South Carolina Road Race Rankings as of May 2, 2020 were announced today. ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes Eduardo (Eddie) Garcia and Andrea (Annie) Rodenfels remained atop of their respective men's and women's rankings. Annie most recently won the Main Street Mile in conjunction with Columbia, SC's Governor's Cup running festival back in February before most races were postponed or cancelled due to the novel coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. Eddie's last race was his victory at the Governor's Cup Half Marathon where he set a new SC state record of 1:05:27. He had also won the MCG Long Run 15K, also in Columbia, in February with a time of 46:32. South Carolina Road Race Rankings
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 and three qualifiers/two participants for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 48-year-old Greenville Track Club, Joy Real Estate, the Borch Foundation, generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Boston Bill Sunglasses, 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, DorsiFlex and Synergy Performance (mental performance). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
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During this period of social/physical distancing and no competitive opportunities, we interviewed ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE director/coach Mike Caldwell for an review and update regarding the program.  Coaches Mike and Laura Caldwell at Atlanta's 2020 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon (before social distancing). What was the origin of GTC-ELITE? MC: When Laura and I relocated to Greenville from Portland, OR, we coached at Furman University for a few years. We learned that there were a few collegiate athletes who had the talent and desire to continue pursuing their running dreams following graduation. However, there were very few options for them to do so without having to be employed full time and running more as a hobby. At that time ZAP Fitness up in Blowing Rock, NC, was basically the only post-collegiate, Olympic-development program in the Southeast. However, they had very stringent qualifying times and only spots for about ten athletes. We remembered that the Greenville Track Club had been a force in road racing in the late 1970s and through the ‘80s. They had runners such as the Daves (Branch, Geer & Cushman), to name just a few of their top performers, and Masters standouts Art Williams and Adrian Craven. Runners in the GTC singlets were always near the front of the pack in major events in Atlanta, Mobile, AL, Charleston, Charlotte, etc. They were an integral part of the evolution of the GTC. Together, with my former college coach, and the founder of the GTC, Bill Keesling, we decided to develop a resource and environment for qualifying post-collegians in conjunction with the Greenville Track Club. We consulted with other programs around the country including Pete Rea of ZAP (now ON ZAP Endurance) and developed a mission statement and business plan to present to the GTC Executive Committee. We established our own Board of Directors including some of the GTC originals such as Adrian Craven, Art Williams and Mical Embler, plus key club leaders such as Kerrie Sijion and Sam Inman. Over the years we have added a few local business leaders to the board, such as Tim Briles and Craig Bailey, and former coaches Bill Utsey and Jackie Borowicz. Right after the 2012 USA Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, OR, we announced the formation of Greenville Track Club-ELITE.  The early days. Adam Freudenthal, Josh Cashman, Chris Caldwell, Chass Armstrong & Ricky Flynn. How do you choose athletes for the program? We researched what some of the other post-collegiate groups were doing and developed a two-tiered standard for qualifying. The performance standards are fairly hard, but not quite as fast as ON ZAP Endurance. Our mission is “development” so we wanted to make our program accessible to as many post-collegians as possible. We really don’t recruit like some of the other programs do, since we really want potential athletes to apply because we are offering something they really want to be a part of. However, once a potential candidate contacts us, we do our best to sell the positive aspects of the Greenville community. Fortunately, GVL is a good sell. If the candidate seems like a good fit, then we’ll have them visit for a couple of days to see what we have to offer and for our coaches to get a better understanding of the athlete’s running and career goals and if they fit into our program. How many athletes are in the program? It depends. In our initial business plan, we estimated that we could probably coach and support about twelve athletes. Being idealists at the time, we thought six men and six women would be optimal. However, realism prevailed and our roster varies from year to year. At one time we had eleven athletes, but at other times we have only had a few. It depends on when the athlete graduates from college and their goals.  2015 USATF Club Cross Country Championships: San Francisco, CA What have been some of the program’s successes? I think you have to define “success” first. A dictionary might define “success” as the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose. So, I believe we’ve had quite a few success stories. Since our inception we have experienced almost two Olympic cycles, with Tokyo 2020 now being postponed to 2021. So there have been two USA Olympic Team Trials Marathons: Los Angeles in 2016 and Atlanta this past February. We have been fortunate to have developed seven athletes who qualified for one of those events, while training under our program. So we accomplished those goals, which signifies the definition of success. In 2016, we had one young man who had previously placed 12th in the 2012 Trials marathon so we thought he had a good shot at placing in the top ten in 2016. He actually qualified on three separate occasions with half marathon performances under the standard of 1:05:00. In addition we had one male athlete and two female athletes qualify with half marathon efforts (sub-1:15:00 for women). And both women qualified in their first half marathon. Unfortunately, the LA Olympic Trials marathon was conducted under oppressive conditions. Our top athlete didn’t start due to a lower leg issue and the other three completed their first marathons with heat-slowed performances. We believe those performances were a success since the goal was to qualify for and compete in the Trials. For the recent Trials in Atlanta, we had three athletes qualify (sub-2:19:00 for men and sub-2:45:00 for women). One of our men qualified in January of 2019 at the Chevron Houston Marathon, which also qualified him to represent the US Virgin Islands in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. He choose to compete there and relinquished his eligibility to compete in Atlanta OTs. And he placed 12th in the international field in Lima. Our other male athlete ran his first marathon in October of 2019 at Chicago and struggled over the final miles to finish in 2:25. However, he was able to run a huge personal best three months later by placing 11th in the 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon with a time of 2:17:23. Our female qualifier only joined our program in March 2019, but ran 2:40:42 in her debut attempt (Sacramento’s California International Marathon) nine months later in December. This was an outstanding effort since she had only run a 1:18:05 half marathon the previous January before joining the program. She went on to place 49th in Atlanta in a field of over 440 women qualifiers with a personal best of 2:40:29 on an undulating course in very windy conditions. Our male athlete struggled, but finished in 2:26, which was okay considering the short turn around time following Houston (six weeks). We definitely considered these successes as our athletes experienced outstanding development in order to qualify. However, we want to continue to develop athletes and improve on our future performances at the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon.  2016 USA Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifiers: Ricky Flynn, Mark Leininger, Dylan Hassett, Nicole DiMercurio and Coach Laura Caldwell Are the program’s successes primarily at the marathon distance? While we consider having seven athletes qualify for a USA Olympic Trials marathon, we have seen success at other distances on both the roads and the track. Our athletes have competed and placed well in such major events as the USA Club Cross Country Championships, the Peachtree Road Race (Atlanta), Chevron Houston Marathon, Bloomsday (Spokane), California International Marathon (Sacramento), the Great Cow Harbor 10K (NY), Tufts Healthplan 10K (Boston), USA 25K Championships (Michigan), and Cooper River Bridge Run (SC), to name a few. Just this year, 2020, two of our athletes set South Carolina State Records--one for the women’s 15K and the other being the men’s half marathon. Almost every athlete that has completed at least two training macrocycles (approximately a 12-month period) has produced personal bests. One athlete dropped over two minutes in the half marathon, while another over seven minutes in the marathon. Our athletes have run personal bests in distances ranging from 1500 meters through the marathon. Our program records are fairly good from 3,000 meters up to the marathon for both men and women and continue to get better. Has everyone been successful? With full disclosure, we have had a few athletes that the fit just didn’t work and they departed before their first year—and some even before completing one training cycle.
What do you mean by “the fit didn’t work?” Post-collegiate running is interesting. If you are really, really good and maybe placed top five at the NCAA DI championships, you have an outside shot at being accepted to one of the top training groups (NIKE’s Bowerman Track Club, Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project, HOKA’s Northern Arizona Elite, ON ZAP Endurance . . .). When we established our program, we targeted the next tier below that level. Although in the past we attempted to recruit a few graduating collegiate athletes, we later decided to let the athlete contact us if they want to prolong their competitive running career. That change leads to having athletes that really want to postpone their full-time working career and apply. We know they are probably more focused. So, to attempt to answer the question--some athletes like the concept, but not the reality. It sounds good to “go pro” as some like to say, but the reality is that running is really not much of a “professional” sport. Sure, the very top athletes can make some real money, but most have to find various ways to support their habit. Not too many runners earn enough to be considered “professional”, which would represent earning a living wage. Our athletes all have part-time employment. If an athlete doesn’t have the focus to make sacrifices, including lack of money and social time, they probably won’t fit in our program. And they need to believe and trust in our coaches’ philosophies. That is extremely difficult in the “internet” environment. Athletes are sometimes influenced by what others are doing in their training. As the old adage goes, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”  Circa: 2014 What percentage of athletes don’t fit? First, let’s look at the positives. We’ve had a lot of athlete’s complete their 24-month contract agreement. One woman was with our program for four-and-half years before departing to marry and relocate to where her husband works. She recently qualified and competed in the USA Olympic Trials Marathon with her new training group. So, that was a success. At this juncture, about 44% of our athletes have completed their initial contract agreements before either staying or moving on with their life. However, about 25% didn’t stay for an entire year, before deciding to move on. And about four athletes never ran a race for us as they arrived injured. That being said, quite a few have remained in Greenville. That was one of our objectives when we established the program, to attract young, smart people to our city and hopefully have them become part of our community. I believe we have ten former members of our program living and/or working in GVL now. That’s over 35%. There is actually constant turnover with many of the other post-collegiate programs. You just usually don’t hear about athletes departing. So basically, it is like sports radio host Colin Coherd has stated, “It’s all about fit.”  Circa: 2016 What are some of the reasons that athletes depart? There are various reasons. Sometimes an athlete realizes that they aren’t going to reach the level of performance that they dreamed they would. Dreams don’t always come true, but it is better to dream big than not. Sometimes it is more about lifestyle or desired lifestyle. We’ve had a few that desired to marry and that life change required either moving or more financial support, such as a full-time job. Other times, the athlete doesn’t “buy into” our training methods. That’s always a disappointment as we do our best to explain how we train during our early phone conversations and especially during their interview process when visiting us in GVL. As author and high performance coach Steve Magness has stated, “One of the most important factors determining whether a training program will work or not is belief. If you don’t have buy-in, even if the training is perfect, it’s not going to work.” We’re not a high mileage program, so some believe that they need more mileage. We actually don’t count mileage per se, as we base our training on bioenergetics (energy systems) and the appropriate time needed for each stimulus to produce the desired adaptation. That being said, we’re not a low-mileage, high intensity program either. We believe in optimizing the appropriate amount of volume + intensity to meet each individual’s athlete profile, while still operating in a group environment as much as possible. There is “power in the group.” That is one of our program's Maxims: The Power is in the Group - No one has ever accomplished anything on his or her own. There is no such thing as individual performance. We all need some help to become great.
What is your training philosophy? Our training philosophies are time-proven, but we continue to evolve. For example, we added what we call “The Lactate Shuttle” workout, which is based off of Peter Thompson’s “New Interval Training” system. It has proved to be successful when used in the appropriate sequence of workouts and is now a “staple” in our program. While Coach Laura repeatedly states that “coaching running is not rocket science,” I like to add that “good coaching uses running science.” And science informs us that recovery is an important tool in our toolbox. So instead of a three-legged stool of “intensity, duration and frequency,” we have more of a chair with four legs, with that fourth leg being appropriate recovery. We incorporate three “recovery” days per seven-day microcycle. We also prescribe a good amount of ancillary work in the form of Dynamic Movement Drills, Dynamic Flex Drills plus three sessions per week in our F.I.T. Garage. The focus of this work is on the Biokinetic system, which expert coach and educator Peter John L. Thompson has labeled “The Fourth Energy System”, with the other three being Bioenergetics (Phosphagen, Glycolytic/non-oxygenated and Aerobic). The Biokinetic work includes movements promoting the leg/muscular stiffness and also balance of the kinetic chain. While our initial expectations for the program included athletes developing for about four years or eight training macrocycles, we’ve found that two years is about the actual average. That seems to be a long time for young people just coming out of college who don't attract a major footwear contract. That being said, the ones that do remain longer in our program seem to come much closer to reaching their goals.  Eduardo Garcia and Victor Pataky How many of those that depart continue to run at a high performance level? We’ve had a few continue at a high level and continue to improve after they left. We had four former ASICS GTC-ELITE athletes (alumni) qualify for the recent Atlanta OTs so those athletes have continued to develop and improve in their new environment. We are proud of their accomplishments and hope that their time in our program assisted somewhat in their continued development. Endurance running is about consistency and our program might have provided the coaching and resources that led to consistency. One male athlete has become a very high-level triathlete at the national level and also continues to place well at local and regional road races. There are others that just decided to move on with their lives and run for fitness. But, a few of our former athletes have continued to run and compete at the local level, which is good. One continues to use Coach Laura for her training advice.  You mentioned resources. Can you explain? Sure. First, we provide coaching expertise. Laura, Bill and I have many years of running and coaching experience and provide such at no cost to our athletes. We’ve coached at the national, post-collegiate, Olympic-Development, collegiate and high school levels. We have been fortunate to have an excellent partner in ASICS, which has provided footwear and apparel almost since our inception. We also provide housing to those athletes who meet that qualifying standard and choose to live in our athlete residence. We have a workout facility that we call the F.I.T. Garage. F.I.T. actually is an acronym for Functional Innovative Technology. In the FG we have many types of equipment that we utilize for our ancillary training. We also have a treadmill and an ElliptiGO on an indoor trainer. (We have a couple of ElliptiGOs for outdoor use, too.) Our resource circle involves partnerships with Performance Therapy (Brad McKay and staff) for soft-tissue issues and maintenance, Carolina Spine & Rehab (Michael Shride) for structural alignment, and ATI’s Running Academy (Kent Kurfmann) for gait analysis. We also value our other partnerships with Final Surge (online training/scheduling platform), Cocoa Elite (recovery protein products), Roll Recovery (recovery apparatus), NormaTec (recovery boots) and the DorsiFlex (lower leg and foot stretching device).
A program like this must cost quite a lot. Where does your funding come from? That’s correct, a program like our’s is dependent upon funding and our funding is totally from corporate, foundational and personal contributions. We are very fortunate to be under the umbrella of the Greenville Track Club. Obviously, we couldn’t have established the program without their support and financial contributions. As stated before, ASICS has been a wonderful partner. They have provided the high quality footwear and apparel that our athletes depend on. Over the years, we have had generous individual contributors who made charitable donations to assist with our travel and training expenses. They have been vital to our organization. We were fortunate to have received a one-time grant from the Road Runners Club of America to assist us in preparing for the 2016 Olympic Trials. Corporate organizations such as Greenville Health System (now PRISMA), ScanSource and Joy Real Estate have provided funds and job opportunities for our athletes. And recently we were honored that the Borch Foundation (Furman University graduate Chris and his wife Andrea) made a major contribution.
What does the future look like? That is an interesting question during this current period of uncertainty. We were extremely fortunate to have participated in and expereinced the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon on the final day of February, since the severity of the novel cornavirus COVID-19 had not induced “social distancing” just yet. As “social distancing” and “shelter in place” guidelines became necessary, all competitive opportunites were either cancelled or postponed. That obvioulsy has changed our future plans. Our athletes are coping as well as can be expected, but some of our normal training venues have been restricted or closed. However, our athletes have continued to train—just not in groups. We hope that we will expereince a positive change in our nation and globallly soon, but expect that the “new normal” may be a bit different going forward for some time. With that being said, the restricted travel and undertainity has changed some of our plans. Plus, some of our athlete contract/agreements expire in July. A lot depends on what the future holds regarding competitive opportunities. We fully expected one of our athletes to qualify for the USATF Olympic Track & Field Trials this coming June, but that event has been postponed and rescheduled for 2021 due to the current health situation and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics unitl 2021. However, that will give us more time to build strength and continue to develop and improve. Also, due to the expectation of the NCAA allowing this year’s seniors to return in 2021 for the Outdoor Track & Field season, we do not anticipate having recent graduates join our program this year. However, we do have a few available slots for aspiring athletes who meet our qualifying standards and want to get to the next level.
The South Carolina Road Race Rankings as of April 4, 2020 were announced today. ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes Eduardo (Eddie) Garcia and Andrea (Annie) Rodenfels remained atop of their respective men's and women's rankings. Photos above show both athletes in their most recent competitions. Annie won the Main Street Mile in conjunction with Columbia, SC's Governor's Cup running festival. Eddie won the Governor's Cup Half Marathon and set a new SC state record of 1:05:27. Their teammates, Cristina McKnight (3rd) and Joe Niemiec (7th) were also among the rankings. Both of those athletes competed in February's USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Atlanta (which does not effect the state's rankings). Due to the novel coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic most (if not all) road races in the state have been cancelled or rescheduled over the past weeks.
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 and three qualifiers/two participants for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 48-year-old Greenville Track Club, Joy Real Estate, the Borch Foundation, generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Boston Bill Sunglasses, 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, DorsiFlex and Synergy Performance (mental performance). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
During this time of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic non-essential operations are basically restricted or limited -- including running competitions. So we will use this "social distancing" period to learn a little more about our ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes. This blog features Eduardo Garcia. Eddie is a former Southeastern Conference champion in the 10,000 meters and holds multiple national records for the United States Virgin Islands. Q: Why did you move to Greenville?
EG: I moved to Greenville in April 2018 to reach my potential in distance running and to pursue my dream of competing at the Olympics in the marathon. It has been a great decision and I have enjoyed living in Greenville! Q: What about the Greenville Track Club-ELITE program was most important in making your decision to join? EG: For me, the most important factor in joining the Greenville Track Club-ELITE program was all of the resources and support that the club receives in order to help runners reach their goals. The number of sponsors and community support is amazing. Q: What do you like the most about GTC-ELITE? EG: I’d have to say the shoes and apparel that we get from ASICS are pretty nice. Q: Have you experienced improvement in your running since joining the program? EG: I have improved my lifetime bests on both the track and roads since joining GTC-ELITE in 2018. Some highlights include improving my marathon time from 2:25 in 2017 to 2:18:50 in 2019. This time qualified me to compete at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru in the marathon representing the United States Virgin Islands. I’ve also run 29:18 in the 10,000 meters on the track and 1:05:25 in the half-marathon. All are National Records for the Virgin Islands. Q: Which competitive distance are you focused on? EG: 10,000 meters up to the marathon Q: What is your favorite place in GVL to take friends or family? EG: One of my go to places to take family or friends in Greenville is Falls Park on the Reedy. It’s in the heart of downtown and is a nice place to take a walk. Q: What is your favorite eating establishment in GVL? EG: This is a hard one because Greenville has a lot of cool spots to eat, but I’m really into Biscuit Head. My fiancé and I eat there often on weekends. Q: How is your training with the program different than what you experienced previously or in college? EG: Mike Caldwell has a calculated and methodical approach to training, which I like because there is a purpose for every workout. Both athlete and coach are on the same page, so communication is very important here. The training here really places an emphasis on recovery, which I believe is crucial to staying healthy and reaching optimal performance. I believe the recovery days lead to better consistency with training and allow for workouts to be more effective as a result. Q: Which model of ASICS footwear is your favorite for training? For racing? EG: I really like the new Nimbus Lites!!! These shoes offer a lot of cushioning and durability. The shoe also contains some recycled material, which I believe is an awesome initiative from ASICS to look out for the environment. For racing, ASICS sent me the new Meta Racer, which is getting ready to release to the public soon. Those are gamechanger shoes! Q: When you cook, what is your favorite meal? EG: I’m a breakfast guy and my go to meal is quite simple, but timeless! 3 scrambled eggs, 2-3 slices of turkey bacon, toast, and Cocoa Elite (protein recovery drink). Q: What was your major in college and why were you interested in that field of study? EG: I majored in Sports Management in college and I wanted to learn about the business side of sports. I was able to get a solid foundation for principles of accounting, finance, management. and marketing in the sporting industry. Q: Where are you employed and what is your current position? EG: I’ve been employed with Fleet Feet Greenville since 2018 and I’m a retail sales associate. I enjoy helping walkers and runners find their right pair of shoes. For more details about Eddie's performances please visit Eduardo Garcia.
During this time of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic non-essential operations are basically restricted or limited -- including running competitions. So we will use this "social distancing" period to learn a little more about our ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes. This blog is about Victor Pataky. Q: Why did you move to Greenville?
VP: I moved to Greenville to join the ASICS GTC-Elite program. Greenville itself also attracted me because it is a great place to live! Q: What about the Greenville Track Club-ELITE program was most important in making your decision to join? VP: During the two years after I graduated from college I trained alone most of the time. Having teammates that keep me accountable and pushing me to my best day in and day out was the biggest reason I decided to join. Q: What do you like the most about GTC-ELITE? VP: I enjoy my teammates! They always keep me company on runs and push me to be my best. We all have very similar goals and we all want the best for each other. It’s great being surrounded by like-minded people. Q: Have you experienced improvement in your running since joining the program? VP: Yes! My training has been more consistent and I have a new PR in the 3000m Steeplechase. Q: Which competitive distance are you focused on? VP: In the fall/winter I focus on the marathon. In the spring/summer I focus on the 3000m Steeplechase. Q: What is your favorite place in GVL to take friends or family? VP: I love to take friends and family to Conestee Park. There are a lot of hiking trails that are very scenic! A close second is Timmons Park. It’s pretty tucked away but has a mountain bike trail, a really fun disc golf course, and pickle ball courts! Q: What is your favorite eating establishment in GVL? VP: Without a doubt, it has to be Sushi GO. It’s the best sushi place in town and it has a large variety of Japanese cuisine. Go check it out!! They do delivery at the moment! Q: How is your training with the program different than what you experienced previously or in college? VP: The training theory and methodology is very similar to what I had been doing in college and post-collegiately. The biggest things that have changed are more consistent workouts/weekly volume, and the emphasis on ancillary work. Q: Which model of ASICS footwear is your favorite for training? For racing? VP: The GEL Nimbus is my go-to shoe for just about any training run. On the roads I enjoy racing in the Tartherzeal. For track I use the Cosmoracer LD spikes. Q: When you cook, what is your favorite meal? VP: This is a hard one… I love cooking and cook just about every meal at home. Anyone that has lived with me while I’ve been in Greenville knows that I’m that guy that watches cooking videos in my freetime. If I am cooking for myself, a really fancy steak dinner is great. Recently I have been challenging myself to cook without using anything for reference. It’s a lot of fun and, so far, has not disappointed! My favorite meals to cook are ones that I share with others. Usually I make Hungarian or Thai food (for example Chicken Paprika or Tom Ka) if I invite my friends over for dinner. Most have never had Hungarian or really authentic Thai so it’s always fun. Cooking and meals to me are about bringing people together and enjoying everyone’s company. Q: What was your major in college and why were you interested in that field of study? VP: I have a Bachelors of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience (BNS) and a minor in Psychology. I also completed the Pre-Physical Therapy track. I honestly did not know what BNS was until the very end of my freshman year. My Pre-PT advisor is a BNS professor and basically peaked my interest when we were deciding what I should major in and which major would help me the most with what I wanted to do. BNS lined up with the Pre-PT requirements so it naturally was the best way to go at the time. I really enjoyed the classes and found the subject interesting. It’s very cool to be in a sophomore level class and have the answer to one of your questions be “No one knows yet, so you can go find that out!” Q: Where are you employed and what is your current position? VP: I am the Director and Coach of the GTC-Rabbits Youth Program. It has been a fantastic experience to start this program and give back to the community. I always look forward to the practices and everyone that knows me well can attest that I brag about the kids a lot! For more details about Victor's performances please visit VICTOR PATAKY.
During this time of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic non-essential operations are basically restricted or limited -- including running competitions. So we will use this "social/physical distancing" period to learn a little more about our ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes. This blog is about Annie Rodenfels. Q: Why did you move to Greenville?
AR: I moved to GVL to pursue a professional career in running with ASICS GTC-ELITE! That was, pretty much, the main reason. Of course, I also really liked the area and how active and outdoorsy it is. Greenville has been a great place to live an train so far (except when the humidity gets crazy in the summer). Q: What about the Greenville Track Club-ELITE program was most important in making your decision to join? AR: For me, there was several main factors that contributed to my decision. The first was financial support—I found that the benefits at GTC-Elite far outweighed most other groups similar to it. Secondly, I choose the program because of the opportunities it offered me—travel and access to competitive, professional meets, quality training, etc. I feel like the program maintains a good balance of being a place where you can truly consider yourself a professional—it gives you the opportunities and access to everything you need to reach the level you want to reach in running, and because of my big goals that was really important that I wouldn’t just outgrow the program. Q: What do you like the most about GTC-ELITE? AR: I like the balance that I can have in my life at GTC-Elite. I do feel it is important to take myself seriously as a professional runner and to reach out and give 100% to my goals, but I don’t feel like I am constrained to just running here. I am able to have balance in my life because of how flexible Mike and Laura are, with my jobs in the community, and the larger community of the Greenville Track Club. I can pursue running as seriously as I want, but also still function as a normal person and pursue my other passions alongside running if I want. Q: Have you experienced improvement in your running since joining the program? AR: I have! I’ve been fortunate enough to PR in almost every race I have raced thus far in my time at GTC-Elite. I’ve seen a 40-some second PR in my indoor 3000m, a small PR in my 5k, and a mile PR (as well as picking up some new distances like a one-time 8k race). Of course, I was looking to improve a lot during this upcoming track season, but unfortunately, due to the coronavirus my breakout season will have to wait. Q: Which competitive distance are you focused on? AR: I am focused on the 3000m steeplechase almost exclusively. I’d really like to knock down my 5k PR and mile/1500m PR’s as well, but I think I can go the farthest with my steeplechase—additionally, it is my favorite event. Q: What is your favorite place in GVL to take friends or family? AR: I love taking visitors to the downtown (water) falls. I think it’s absolutely beautiful and run past the falls every chance I get. It is certainly a big stop on Annie’s Tour of Greenville. Q: What is your favorite eating establishment in GVL? AR: Without a doubt, Biscuit Head. Albeit I haven’t tried many of the other Greenville establishments due to limited time (I’ve only been here 9 months) and the undeniable fact that despite being a bad cook I never eat out really, but I really really love Biscuit Head. It has something to do with the fact that my favorite food is breakfast and that the jam bar (and orange juice?!) is to die for. Q: How is your training with the program different than what you experienced previously or in college? AR: There are a few key points in the training that definitely do vary from my training in college, but I don’t feel like they are ultimately very different. I do run more mileage than I did in college, and I get to double now (which I both love and hate at the same time). In terms of workouts, in college we focused more on hammering workouts pretty quickly and did less work. At GTC-ELITE, I’ve found that I’m doing more mileage and less hammering but am also doing more workouts overall and more consistently. I think this is just due to the major difference between the college season and the professional season. In college, it’s a race to get in shape and stay in shape in a small amount of time, whereas in professional running it’s a long run of gaining fitness. The lifting/ancillary work is also different than what I did in college. Here it is more focused on specific movements and pre-rehab, while in college it more closely resembled ‘normal’ lifting and emphasized power over strength. However, at GTC-ELITE my lifting is much more consistent and encompassing than it was in college. Not to mention that now I just get to go outside to my backyard to do my lifting. :) Q: Which model of ASICS footwear is your favorite for training? For racing? AR: Beyond any doubt, my favorite ASICS shoes are the Glide Rides. I would wear them all day, everyday if I could (and I do). For racing, I like the Gun lap spikes. They are lightweight (my kinda shoe) and springy, and have a nice mesh-like upper that works ideally for steeple. Q: When you cook, what is your favorite meal? AR: I am easily the worst cook on the team and I am not ashamed to say it (mostly). Cooking endeavors of mine have included baking a quiche in a graham cracker crust accidentally and setting a pan on fire. However, when I am successful in my cooking, I enjoy making Asian cuisines—pad thai, General Tsos chicken with udon noodles, etc. Honestly, I’d usually just rather eat Victor’s (Pataky) authentic Hungarian or Thai food when he cooks that. Q: What was your major in college and why were you interested in that field of study? AR: I majored in Psychology with a minor in gender studies at Centre College. I was interested in psychology because I enjoyed the blend of humanities and STEM that come with the major. You get to both be scientific but also utilize anthropology and sociology in your evidence and research. I like to study human behavior and the reasons behind it. I minored in Gender Studies because feminism and social justice like-anthropology work is my passion. I am incredibly interested in the ways we act as we do, especially in regards to gender and gendered work. All my passions combined cause an extreme interest in gendered work and women in sports, which I’ve done some basic undergraduate research in for classes before. Q: Where are you employed and what is your current position? AR: I am currently employed as a Corporate Wellness Coordinator at Joy Real Estate and a high school Cross Country/Track and Field Coach at Greenville Tech Charter High School! For more details about Annie's performances please visit ANNIE RODENFELS.
During this time of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic non-essential operations are basically restricted or limited -- including running competitions. So we will use this "social distancing" period to learn a little more about our ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes.
Our first post is about Joe Niemiec, who competed in the USA Olympic Team Trials marathon on February 29 in Atlanta, GA. Q: Why did you move to Greenville? JN: In October, 2018 my wife, Jasmine, and I moved here from Michigan with our two children (at that time) so I could join the Greenville Track Club-ELITE program. Q: What about the Greenville Track Club-ELITE program was most important in making your decision to join? JN: I thought it was my best chance at being able to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials and I liked the idea behind less miles and more strength. Q: What do you like the most about GTC-ELITE? JN: I enjoy the people I’ve met and having access to the FIT Garage. Both of these have enabled me to become a better runner. Q: Have you experienced improvement in your running since joining the program? JN: Absolutely. The times speak for themselves. I went from being injured to a 2:26 and then to a 2:17:23 marathon within 12 months. Also pr’d in the 10k. Q: Which competitive distance are you focused on? JN: Marathon Q: What is your favorite place in GVL to take friends or family? JN: Swamp Rabbit Cafe Q: What is your favorite eating establishment in GVL? JN: White Duck Taco. Plenty of room for kids to run around giving adults some space. It’s like free babysitting and the tacos are way too good. Q: How is your training with the program different than what you experienced previously or in college? JN: A huge focus on supplemental training and not so much on overall mileage. This differs from my college experience, because in college mileage was king. I think for me personally building up overall body strength has made me a more durable runner which is key during a marathon buildup. Q: Which model of ASICS footwear is your favorite for training? JN: The GEL Nimbus. I do long runs, easy runs, and workouts in them and they hold up really well. Q: When you cook, what is your favorite meal? JN: I’m a sous vide guy so a good steak with potatoes and greens. Yea. Get in my belly. Q: What was your major in college and why were you interested in that field of study? JN: Electrical Engineering. I grew up taking things apart and fixing them and as I got older engineering gave me the opportunity to get paid to do just that! Q: Where are you employed and what is your current position? JN: TBD. I am currently on the job hunt. For more details about Joe's performances please visit JOE NIEMIEC.
The South Carolina Road Race Rankings as of March 1, 2020 were announced today. ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE athletes Eduardo (Eddie) Garcia and Andrea (Annie) Rodenfels remained atop of their respective men's and women's rankings. Photos above show both athletes in their most recent competitions. Annie won the Main Street Mile in conjunction with Columbia, SC's Governor's Cup running festival. Eddie won the Governor's Cup Half Marathon and set a new SC state record of 1:05:27. Their teammates, Cristina McKnight (3rd) and Joe Niemiec (7th) were also among the rankings. Both of those athletes competed in last weekend's USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon in Atlanta (which does not effect the state's rankings). Current SC Road Race Rankings
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 and three qualifiers/two participants for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 48-year-old Greenville Track Club, Joy Real Estate, the Borch Foundation, generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Boston Bill Sunglasses, 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, DorsiFlex and Synergy Performance (mental performance). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
  Cristina McKnight ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Cristina McKnight ran to a 49th place finish with a new personal best of 2:40:29 over an undulating course in the 2020 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon on Saturday afternoon. Running in only her second marathon, after debuting in December 2019 at Sacramento's California International Marathon, McKnight passed the halfway mark (13.1 miles) in 1:18:18 before slowing to a positive second-half split of 1:22:11. Her finishing time was 12 seconds faster than her initial marathon. Her 49th place bested her pre-race seed of 128th by a huge margin. There were 390 women finishers of the 510 qualifiers (2:45:00 or better) of which 444 started. Her teammate, Joe Niemiec had a tough day as he struggled to a time of 2:27:50, which was well off his qualifying time of 2:17:23 at last month's Chevron Houston Marathon. He finished 123rd of the 226 starters and 175 finishers and bested his seeding of 126. "This was not a PR day. This was not a good day. This was honestly a bad day on paper. But I am so proud I finished. I defeated my body on a day it didn’t want to perform," Joe explained following the race.  Joe Niemiec He elaborated, "Today was a grind...hills, wind, and a body that fought back every time I tried to push...by mile 7 I had my first cramp...I kept driving and took my shot over the next 7 miles coming through half on sub 2:20 pace...but around 15 my body was toasted...everything that worked for Houston seemed to have no affect in ATL...like a bacteria that becomes resistant to antibiotics my mind and body were immune to all the tricks I used in Houston...the next 3 miles I cried and yelled and fought through core cramps that throttled me back to 6 flat pace...I wanted so badly to drop out...but I passed my cheer squad and my wife pointed to her heart and reminded me to run from the heart...this was the lowest point of the race...after seeing that I switched my mindset to survive and finish...I came too far not to run down that damed finish chute...towards mile 20-22 I actually started building momentum again but as soon as I approached 5:30 my core would get so cramped it almost brought me to a walk...and so it went till the last 800 meters where I decided I would kick till the end...at that point I was in 126th. My bib number. I was able to pass three guys in the last stretch which brought me to 123."
ASICS GTC-ELITE director Mike Caldwell summed up the day, "Our program goal is always qualifying and competing in national championship and the Olympic Trials. Today, we had two of our marathon rookies compete after qualifying in either December of 2019 or last month (January). To be able to recover from those qualifying efforts and show up here in Atlanta on a fairly difficult course due to the undulating hills and then battle some very gusty winds is definitely a victory for our athletes and program." 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 and three qualifiers for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 48-year-old Greenville Track Club, Joy Real Estate, the Borch Foundation, generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Boston Bill Sunglasses, 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, DorsiFlex and Synergy Performance (mental performance). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.  February 29, 2020 - Atlanta, GAASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Joe Niemiec and Cristina McKnight will toe the starting line on February 29th in downtown Atlanta, GA for the 2020 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon. Both meet the qualifying standards for one of the most prestigious events in US running after relocating to Greenville to join the post-collegiate, Olympic-development program. The current weather forecast is sunny and cool with a high of 46-degrees. Starting times: men at 12:08 and women at 12:20 pm.  Cristina McKnight during California International Marathon. McKnight, who did not compete at the collegiate level while studying at Michigan State University, was accepted to the program with a personal best of only 1:18:41 for the half marathon (not quite meeting the program's qualifying standard of 1:18:00). She has since improved to 1:16:04. After she and her coach Laura Caldwell mutually set a goal of running her first marathon under the qualifying standard of 2:45:00, they targeted the California International Marathon in Sacramento, CA. In early December, 2019, Cristina debuted at the marathon distance with a time of 2:40:41, and placed 11th among women. That qualified her for the Atlanta event, where she is seeded 128th among the 513 women qualifiers and 463 actual "declared" entrants. In 2018 Niemiec contacted the ASICS GTC-ELITE coaches about the possibility of "qualifying for the Trials." After visiting Greenville and interviewing with the coaches and athletes, Joe decided to relocate from Michigan to chase his dream. With abundant support from his wife, Jasmine, they moved with their two young children south. (They welcomed their third child a little over a year ago.) Although he had some success at the USA 25K Championships, Joe had not run an actual marathon. He picked the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon to be his first. After running at a Trials qualifying pace for 25K, he slowed considerably over the last 10K and finished in 2:26:46--well off the 2:19:00 needed to qualify for the Trials. Joe and his coaches then decided to run the Chevron Houston Marathon in mid-January, which would be the final opportunity to qualify. The revised plan was to fully recover from Chicago first and then use a shorter build-up for Houston. Joe was able to increase his fitness due to some increased-volume workout sessions and a few marathon-specific long runs. On January 19th, Joe achieved his dream as he ran 2:17:23 in Houston, placing ninth overall and being the second American finisher. He is seeded 126th for the Atlanta Trials in a field of 242 "declared" entrants of the 265 qualifiers.  Joe Niemiec finishing 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon. (photo by Jack Thompson/Runner's World) Highlighting Atlanta's Olympic history and legacy, the course for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon will take athletes on a tour of some of Atlanta's most important attractions and neighborhoods. Competitors will begin their race in front of Centennial Olympic Park – the crown jewel of the 1996 Atlanta Games – and head down Marietta Street toward Peachtree. They will proceed three miles north on Peachtree until they pass the intersection of Peachtree and West Peachtree, then turn around and head back down Peachtree in the opposite direction, loop through Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood and return to downtown. The runners will complete this loop three times before heading on a 2.2 mile final loop that runs under the Rings and Torch structure from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, goes by the Georgia Capitol building and passes by the sports stadiums that house the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta United FC. They will then reach the welcome sight of the finish line inside Centennial Olympic Park.  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 and three qualifiers for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA. The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 48-year-old Greenville Track Club, Joy Real Estate, the Borch Foundation, generous individual contributors and partnerships with Performance Therapy, Carolina Spine and Rehab, Boston Bill Sunglasses, 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, DorsiFlex and Synergy Performance (mental performance). The club is a proud and active member of both the Road Runners Club of America and USATF.
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