Weitzel Wins Michelin 5K

ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Jason Weitzel led from the start and ran a solo-effort 14:44 to win the Eduard Michelin Memorial 5K on Saturday morning. It was his first competitive effort following his macrocycle-break from training after Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race 10K on July 4th. "This race has been a tradition for our athletes to check on their fitness after coming off their breaks in training each summer," explained coach Mike Caldwell. Jason's next race is the Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, NY on September 17, which is the 2022 USATF 10K Road Championship. 

The GTC-ELITE program has produced the overall winner in every Michelin 5K starting in 2013, with the exception of the virtual event last year due to COVID-19. Weitzel's time equaled the third fastest performance in the event's history and was only two seconds off of Austin Steagall's 14:42 in 2016 on a slightly different route. Adam Freudenthal ran 14:43 on that same route in 2014. Jason's time equalled Steagall's time of 14:44 from 2018 on the current course. Top Michelin 5K performances by ASICS GTC-ELITE male athletes are below.

Jason Weitzel with the Michelin Man.

ASICS Greenville Track Club-ELITE was established in 2012 and is celebrating its 10th anniversary. 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. ASICS GTC-ELITE also produced the South Carolina Men's 2020 Long Distance Runner of the Year.
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​The post-collegiate, Olympic development program is sponsored by ASICS, the 50-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.​