Weitzel Places 21st in USATF Half Marathon Championship While Setting 3 South Carolina State Records in the Process

Running in the 2021 USATF Half Marathon Championships on Sunday morning, ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel had an outstanding debut at the distance as he placed 21st. The race was produced by the Mortgage Network Half Marathon in Hardeeville, South Carolina and attracted impressive fields from all over the United States for both the men's and women's races.

Jason settled into the second pack after the first mile and the group passed 5K in 15:07, although well behind the leaders who split 14:30. He passed 10K in 30:16 and then set a program record for 15K as he split 45:34. He then equaled the program record of Mark Leininger for 10 miles with a time of 48:56 before passing 20K in 1:01:21, which broke Leininger's club record. Although Jason slowed slightly over the final four kilometers, he finished in an impressive 1:04:45. That is the third fastest time in ASICS GTC-ELITE program history and only 13 seconds off the South Carolina residents' state record of 1:04:32, which was sent by Eduardo Garcia here in 2020. 

​Due to the event being the USA Championships, the 5K, 10K, 15K, 10-Mile and 20K distances were certified and produced official times. Therefore, Jason set three new SC residents' state records, at 15K, 10-Miles and 20K, as he ran faster the the current listings for those distances. 

The men's race was won by two-time NCAA Cross Country champion and brand new professional Conner Mantz, who out kicked former NCAA XC champ Sam Chelenga by four seconds over the final 300 meters to win in 1:00:55. The women's race was dominated by Richmond's (VA) Keira D'Amato with a time of 1:07:55. Both winners set course records on the flat and fast route. 

Jason Weitzel (striped singlet) en route to his 1:04:45 half marathon.

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, three qualifiers/two participants for the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta, GA and one qualifier for and participant in the 2021 USATF Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 3000m Steeplechase.  Also, the group set four South Carolina State road race records in 2020 (5K, 15K and Half Marathon).  The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 49-year-old Greenville Track Club, Joy Real Estate (Adopt an Athlete partner), The Borch Foundation, 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, Stryd Running, 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.​