Weitzel and Garcia Place 1st and 2nd at the MGC Long Run 15K in Columbia, SC

Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel and Eddie Garcia finished first and second in the MGC Long Run 15K on a cold (32 degrees), but sunny Saturday morning in South Carolina's Capitol city of Columbia. The training partners led from the start and ran together for over half the race on a challenging, rolling route, in downtown Columbia. Due to the rolling terrain their mile splits varied significantly with a fastest of 4:36 and a slowest of 5:15 on the long uphill segments. 

Jason ran 45:53 (4:55 per mile) and won $500 for his victory and Eddie earned $250 for second with his time of 46:21 (4:58 per mile). Eddie had previously won this event the last time it was conducted (in 2020, pre-COVID-19) with a time of 46:32 on a different course. 

Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is entering 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.​