You've run both Boston and Chicago marathons. What are the differences?
Lee: Chicago was well-organized, the spectators were great (numerous and loud), and being able to walk from the hotel to the start and finish lines was a bonus. But I never felt the good vibes that Boston provides. Boston is like a huge street party Friday through Sunday followed by the marathon on Monday. The race is on the third Monday in April, which is Patriot's Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts. The spectators are fantastic and their energy definitely gives the runners a boost. The one negative issue is that Boston is usually near the same weekend as the United Community Reedy River Run 10K in Greenville, so I miss running in one of my favorite local races.

The two courses are also totally different because Chicago is a loop course whereas Boston is a point-to-point course. In addition, Chicago is basically flat, while Boston is a more technical course with a net downhill of about 450 feet from start to finish. But Boston has many rolling hills throughout including the four Newton hills between miles 17 to 21, culminating with the famous Heartbreak Hill at mile 21. All the hills throughout the course account for about 900 feet in elevation gain. The Newton hills are not real steep, but they are long measuring from 0.4 to 0.6 miles in length. And because Chicago is a loop course, it has a total of 36 90-degree turns while Boston has only four 90-degree turns. Another big difference was the number of runners at the two races. Chicago had 54,000+ finishers while Boston had 29,000+ finishers. Getting to the starting line was totally different for me. At Chicago, my hotel was within walking distance to the start line. In Boston, runners get to ride a yellow school bus from near the finish line to the start line in Hopkinton, a little more than one-hour trip. The bus drops us off at, where else, a school yard. That school is 0.7 miles from the start line, so all the runners get to enjoy a long walk down a narrow street to the start of the race.

Was the training any different?
Lee: I had a good training buildup for the Chicago Marathon which was October 2025 and felt I could have done better than the 4:12:49 finish. I was aiming for something closer to four hours. I think the large crowd of runners, plus all the turns, may have played a role. In contrast, for Boston, I was dealing with hip flexor issues since the beginning of the year and did very little running from January through March although I did spend a lot of time on the stationary bike at the gym which helped keep my cardio somewhat in shape.

My long runs prior to Boston this year were 10, 12, and 15 miles in the two weeks prior to the race. The 15-miler was six days prior to the race. I was ramping up my mileage while others were tapering. All in all, I was pleased with my time of 4:08:02 since I would have been okay with anything under 4:20. I have no explanation for how I ran Boston's hilly course faster than Chicago's flat course, especially with the lack of training for Boston.

Is there anything that you wanted to do differently in running this year's Boston race compared to previous years? Lee: Here’s the thing. At my first Boston, all I knew about the course was what I had read about it. I had no plan whatsoever. I thought, I'm just going to start running and play it by ear; whatever happens, happens. What you usually read about, and hear the most about, are the famous hills. But a week before that first Boston I spoke with someone who had run Boston years earlier, and he said those hills aren't that bad. So, I said OK he should know, because he's been there, done that. I found the hills that I run in my neighborhood on training runs are more difficult than the hills at Boston. The difference is that those hills in Boston are so long. Those four Newton Hills measures from .4 miles to .6 miles in length. And the famous Heartbreak Hill is one of the .6 hills!

And that first Boston turned out much better than I expected. But this last one was a different animal because of my lack of training due to a hip injury I’ve been dealing with. I spoke with Jack Fultz, one of the Bright Forum members, the day before the race. [See
last section: Bright Forum] He was the 1976 Boston winner, and he's been a running coach for more than 30 years. He tried to convince me to do the run-walk protocol right from the get-go. He's a big proponent of the run-walk method that was made
famous by Jeff Galloway many years ago.

Jeff was a member of our Bright Forum group for less than a year but has passed recently. So, some of my cohorts in the Bright Forum had already decided that in honor of Jeff, they were going to do the run-walk thing at this year's Boston. I was almost convinced, and then Jack Fultz got on my case again the day before the race about doing the run-walk.

Since I had not practiced the run-walk method, I decided to run the first half of the race and switch to the run-walk approach for the second half. So, at Mile 14, I started to use the run-walk method, or “Jeffing” as it is commonly known. I had not practiced the run/walk in training, so I used the hydration stations for my walking phase. Boston has water stations at every mile starting at Mile 2 so that made it easy. But I'm not sure how much of a difference it made on the outcome of the race.

When you run marathons, where do you look to pick up time to improve your finish?
Lee: You know, that's a good question because I have a big problem with "bonking," which means hitting The Wall. It's always been very consistent at around the 20-mile mark. For this race, I intentionally ran the first half of Boston just slightly under 9 minutes per mile, but then in the second half I was in the 9:30s to 9:40s mainly due to the run/walk method. Overall, my pace was 9:28 while the only mile split that was over 10 minutes was mile 21, which just happened to be Heartbreak Hill. I would love to be able to run a negative split, which means running the 2nd half of the race faster than the 1st half. But I've never been able to do that and the course layout at Boston makes it especially difficult. In fact, at this year's Boston, I ran a 10-minute positive split, which means I ran 10 minutes longer in the 2nd half than I did in the 1st half.

​ Again, this last Boston was a little different because in this race, I did that run-walk thing in the 2nd half. I expected it to be slower and, of course, it was. At the half marathon point, I was exactly one hour and 59 minutes. If I could have kept that up for the 2nd half of the race, I would have been just under 4 hours, but that didn't happen. In the Chicago Marathon, I ran the entire distance without walking. And when I ran my first Boston in 2023, I also kept running the entire race. There were a few walk breaks at the water stops because I've never learned how to drink properly from those little paper cups! 

A marathon’s well-known “hitting The Wall” toward the end of the race brings up the issue of nutrition, or "fueling," for
longer runs.
Lee: One of the things I'm still trying to figure out how to do well is fueling. I think fueling is the key to managing our energy in the
later stages of the race. I think that's why I run out of gas at the end of races. Your mind kind of wanders in the late stages when you're tired and you're just not thinking clearly, perhaps because of issues related to fueling. In Chicago, for example, I had a plan
to take in a certain amount of energy gels, and when I crossed the finish line, I still had an unused gel in my pocket. I just simply
forgot to take it.

What is the recent research on fueling during a race?
Lee: It used to be recommended that a runner take 30 to 60 grams of energy products per hour, and now they've up to 60 to
90 grams per hour, because they've done enough testing now, especially with elite athletes, that they find those amounts
helpful. In fact, the runner who just set the marathon record, Sabastian Sawe, has been said to take about 110 grams of carbs
per hour. But he had trained that way. Of course, all these elite athletes have sponsors like Nike and Maurten, the sport fueling
company. They throw a lot of money at running tests and trials. Sawe had trained using large amounts of carbs, and so he may
up that ante even again, because the latest now is 60 to 90 grams per hour. If I did that for a 4-hour marathon, that would be 12 gels for me to consume. You'd have to carry those with you.

You had a scare at this year's Boston finish. Might it have been related to fueling?
Lee: I fell just before the finish line at Boston! I can only blame myself because at the end of those 26 miles, Boston has a long,
straight street, Boylston, that leads to the finish. At that point I was out of gas, running on fumes. I was looking up at the finish line at a huge arch marking the end of the race. So, I was looking up at the finish line instead of paying attention to my, now, lousy
 unning form. Suddenly, I just flopped down onto the pavement before the finish! I got up and finished but I was wearing a special
"souvenir" from Boston on my forehead.

Regarding that hip flexor injury, how did you deal with that in preparing for this year's Boston?
Lee: I was dealing with hip flexor issues since the beginning of the year, so my training included a lot of cycling time at the gym as well as my running miles. For cycling during the months of January through March, I logged 407 miles for those three months. For running, I had a total of 108 miles, so my cycling was four times more miles than my running miles which helped offset the lost running time.

Did you you use a certain protocol in terms of cycling?
Lee: All those cycling episodes were anywhere from 12 to 18 miles. I always set the bike on a medium resistance. My goal would be to keep the pace under 4 minutes per mile. So that cycling pace was always my goal which allowed me to work up a sweat. For my gym workouts, I feel if I'm not sweating, I'm not working hard enough.

You also worked on your overall physical condition?
Lee: Exactly. That's another one of the things that I consider. I never just go to the gym, ride the bike and then go home. I always do some cross-training and work on my core a lot. I do a lot of squats, push-ups, pull-ups, bridges, planks, step-ups, etc. I do a lot of other stuff besides just riding the bike.

What kind of a time frame are you talking about for your workouts?
Lee: On the bike, it's like 45 minutes to an hour normally, depending on the mileage. After that, I probably spend about 30 minutes doing those other things. I don't really have a set pattern. Typically, if I'm healthy, I run 3 days a week, go to the
gym 3 days a week, and I rest one day a week. That's just my normal routine. 

​To me, that's a very healthy routine, providing your body agrees. And I think you've developed signs or measures of readiness over the years, so that you're protecting yourself while exercising.
Lee: That's kind of the way I look at it.

On the topic of training for races, when we first talked some time ago, you mentioned that when you warm up you have a
mental list of questions for yourself. It's almost like you're reassessing yourself at the beginning and setting the level,
the bar for that workout. Is that still happening?
Lee: It is. I strongly believe in doing some warm-up exercises before I start running. I always try to do some dynamic stretching
and warm up a little bit before I go for any run, regardless of what the run is all about. I do a warm-up routine whether I’m heading out the driveway or if I'm at the track. At the track, I'll typically do a mile warm up, just an easy trot around the track. But I also do
t he leg swings and active stretches even before I do the warm-up.

What might be the difference between finishing a marathon and finishing other distances?
Lee:: It's hard to explain but finishing a marathon gives a feeling of accomplishment that I don't get from other races. Besides the
arduous physical training leading up to the marathon, the fueling and hydration strategy during the race is very different than other
races. For example, I consumed seven gels and numerous cups of Gatorade and water at Boston while I usually only have one gel
and one water during a half-marathon. Recovery time after the marathon is much longer than other race distances although I did
run the Spinx half marathon 13 days after running Chicago last year. There is so much more effort involved in training the mind
and body to run 26.2 miles that when you cross the finish line, you can say, "There, I did it."

What is in the running future for you?
Lee: Since I ran my first marathon at age 77, I feel like a child with a new toy. Running marathons is a new challenge for me and I accept the fact that I'm older which makes it an even greater challenge. There are so many pieces to the marathon puzzle that need  to be sorted out such as training runs, pacing, fueling, cross-training, etc. I'm still trying to figure this stuff out!
​
The biggest issue for me now is fueling strategy. I think proper fueling during a marathon can be the difference between success
or failure. Bottom line: Will I run Boston again next year? I have until September to decide but the answer is probably yes. I've
already missed the sign-up for Chicago so I will not be running there this year.

[Amby Burfoot invited Lee to join the Bright Forum, a small group of elite 75+ runners who keep in touch through emails. The
founder of the group – he is in the photo below taken in 2024 showing a few of its illustrious members – is Frank Bright.]

Lee: Amby sent me a personal message in 2022, inviting me to join this group of 75+ runners who have either run Boston or qualified for Boston. At that time, I had not run Boston, but I had just qualified at the 2022 Myrtle Beach Marathon (3:48) and was
planning to apply for Boston 2023. I knew who Amby was, but he didn't know me from anywhere. After pondering his message for
a few days, I accepted the invitation. I've been a member of that group for about 4 years now. And these are all 75 plus years old guys, a lot of whom are now in their 80’s like me. We're not on Facebook. It's a Google group forum so all of our discussions are by email. When I joined the Bright Forum there were about 60 of us but now the group is up to 100 members. There were more than a dozen guys in the group who ran Boston a few weeks ago. The group is very inspiring. They have aches and pains like all of us, and listening to their stories is very uplifting.

There are at least four medical doctors in the group and others range from two former Harvard professors to a retired Navy Admiral. But they're all runners and they will talk about how inspiring it is to be a member of this group.

I imagine you all have a lot to talk about.
Lee: It's not just about running marathons. Many of the topics are about other distance races the guys have run from 5K to half
marathon including the good, bad, and ugly outcomes. A lot of the discussions are about injuries or illness. Right away, the
doctors in the group will chime in and say, well, here's my experience with your issue. One of our guys from Indianapolis
has been dealing with Parkinson's disease for a long time –20 years – and is still running. In fact, he ran the Boston marathon a
few weeks ago. I saw him at the Expo the day before the race. The range of topics that these guys want to discuss is amazing.

To read the complete interview please visit: www.gtc-elite.org. 

WOW! What a great Saturday morning in beautiful Greenville, with 2,000 participants experiencing starting on Main Street, running/walking through Cleveland, Cancer Survivors and Falls parks. And then sharing their accomplishments at the post-race festival after that downhill finish on Falls Street. 
Greenville's James Quattlebaum won this historic 10K race for the sixth time, just missing his own event record of 29:03, with a 29:05. He was followed by Greenville's Noah Fisher (29:29) and Greenville's Paris Olympian Eduardo Garcia (30:47).
Greenville new resident Emma Russum won the women's title with a time of 36:23. Simpsonville's Olivia Durant was a very close second in 36:25. Twice defending champion Alyssa Bloomquist, also of Simpsonville, was third in 37:11. 
Our Men and Women's Masters, Grand Masters and Senior Grand Masters winners, respectively, were:
Ryan Kent (Easley), Philippe Giguere (Simpsonville) and Dave Bussard (Elkhart, IN) and Karen Becker (Traveler's Rest), Robin Beaton (Spartanburg) and Pat Konstant (Greenville). 
These runners, along with Quattlebaum and Russum, are also the 2026 Road Runners Club of America South Carolina State 10K champions for their respective divisions. 
In our 5K, Joel Barnett of Greenville was the overall winner in 16:10 while  Alicia Rohan of Greenville was the women's champion with a time of 19:24. 

United Community Reedy River Run
We are days away from the United Community Reedy River Run, one of Greenville Track Club's biggest events of the year! The race will be held on April 18th.
If you want to be a part of our 48th edition of this race, but don't want to run, you can help make this historic event continue by joining as a volunteer!
See all the volunteer options at:  https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/SC/Greenville/ReedyRiverRun
The Greenville Track Club is in its 54th year and has been a volunteer organization since its beginning in 1972. We appreciate all of our members and volunteers who have enabled the GTC to provide events and opportunities for the greater Greenville community. 
Register, volunteer, or find more information at the link below!

United Community Reedy River Run

​Caputo Studio Saunters 5kThe Caputo Studios Saunter 5k has been added as a Corporate Shield replacement race for the 2026 ZF 5K, which had to be canceled.
The race is co-sponsored with ScanSource and will be held in Traveler’s Rest on the original date of the ZF race, May 9th. 
For more information and registration, please visit 
https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/TravelersRest/CaputoStudioSaunter5K
Price is $15 through the end of the month. Note - All proceeds for the race will go to the Arthritis Foundation. 
Several volunteer positions are also listed on the website.

Caputo Studio Saunders 5k



Upcoming Races

​April 18th – United Community  48th Reedy River Run 10K (premier race) and 5K
Downtown Greenville
Race Director: Mike Caldwell  [email protected]
Register or Volunteer: https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Greenville/ReedyRiverRun

• GTC Running Series 

May 16 – GTC 20th Paris Mountain Trail 12K
Paris Mtn State Park
Director: Mike Burchett  [email protected]
Register or Volunteer: https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Greenville/ParisMountainTrails12K

May 25– GTC Memorial Day - Honor Tower Mile
Kroc Center and Unity Park,  GVL
Director: John Hart
Register or Volunteer: https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Greenville/MemorialDayMile2
* GTC members receive complimentary entry until race registration limit is reached

June & July GTC All-Comers Meets
June 2 - July 28, every Tuesday with exception of June 30th
Greenville High School athletic complex
Register or Volunteer https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Greenville/GTCAllComersMeets

June 6 – GTC SC Open & Masters Track and Field Classic
Eastside High School, Taylors SC
Race Directors: Jim Roberts & Tom Johnson [email protected]
​Register or Volunteer: 
https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Taylors/SCMastersOpenTrackandFieldClassic

June 13- GTC Sunrise Run 8K
Simpsonville First Baptist Church
Race Director: Tim Stewart [email protected]
Register: https://runsignup.com/Race/SC/Simpsonville/GTCSunriseRun8k

• GTC Running Series
• GTC Corporate Shield​

The United Community 48th Reedy River Run is only two weeks away so we caught up with race director Mike Caldwell to see what is happening.

GTC: This is usually a very busy time for you with the race approaching.

MC: Yes, I started waking up in the early hours a few weeks ago thinking of our race checklist and how we are executing. This is one of the oldest races in the south, so we have a lot of experience. However, being a volunteer-driven organization, we are always concerned if we have enough volunteers to execute to our plans. 

All of our GTC events depend on our volunteers and we truly appreciate each and every volunteer. We've already had volunteers distributing our Road Closure Notices along the race routes. That group included two past GTC presidents (both women), a few of our GTC-ELITE athletes and a race participant who came over from Spartanburg on a Thursday to help. 

However, we still need volunteers for race day, especially course monitors. Another past GTC president and current board member, Joe Hammond, has been working with Furman University students to volunteer this year and we believe that will be very beneficial. 

We also have the logistics planning and working with our partners in full swing. United Community is an excellent partner as our title sponsor and we have been so fortunate to have them on board. 

GTC: What constitutes logistics, etc.?

MC: There are so many items to check-off. Estimating T-shirt quantities and sizes is always an interesting process. Fortunately, we work with a local supplier at Emedia, for which we have a great relationship. In fact, we have a just-in-time delivery process with them so we don't have to store the product too many days before our event. 

Then there is water for our participants. Local running speciality retailer Run In stepped up a few years ago to provide water at the 5K segment in our 10K race. We so much appreciate their partnership. Also, another running speciality retailer Fleet Feet has been a race partner for many years and they provide our "bag drop" and retrieval process, which allows runners to store their warmup items before the start and retrieve such at our post-race festival. 

Planning for Packet Pickup is also a vital concern. Fortunately, United Community has a couple of parking areas that we use and also provides many volunteers from their employee base. Our experienced GTC volunteers work with the United Community employee-volunteers to make this happen. Getting 2000-plus race bibs and race bags distributed on Friday is always a challenge. 

GTC: You've mentioned T-shirts, water, packet pickup, etc. What else?

MC: First, with Greenville continuing to grow, there is always concern regarding our race routes. For example, Rhett Street has been under construction for a few years so we had to avoid that portion the last year or so. Then, we also have to constantly review the routes along the Swamp Rabbit Trail as there have been various construction projects occurring. I do believe we are good to go, according to our great partners with the City of Greenville and the Greenville Police Department. 

We also pride ourselves on our age-group awards, which are beautiful art prints by artist Addison Palmer. This is the sixth year that we have awarded his artwork and this year it is an illustration of the new Honor Tower in Greenville's Unity Park. We have previously featured the Joel Poinsett statue in Court Square, the Eugenia Duke Bridge over the Reedy, Cancer Survivors Park, the Wyche Pavilion on the Reedy, and the arched Stone Bridge in Cleveland Park, 

Our 10K finisher medals also have a similar theme each year--highlighting a Greenville icon. 

And over the past few years we have provided BibSnaps fasteners for our race bibs instead of metal safety pins. They seem to work better than the traditional safety pin and don't put holes in your apparel. They also feature our race logo, etc. 

And we cannot not-mention our longest partner Jersey Mike's Subs. The crew at Jersey Mike's has been associated with our event for as long as we can remember and they work hard to provide mini-subs for all of our participants at our finish area within our post-race festival. That is a lot of sandwiches. Each participant will also receive a discount coupon for a future Jersey Mike's sub. 

GTC: Looking at the race website, there is a long list of past champions and some very impressive times.

MC:  While we pride our race being community oriented, we also have a competitive history and have had some of the region's top athletes compete on the streets of Greenville for 47 years. We do offer prize money for the top male and female finishers, providing they meet our time standards. While we have had many race winners from all around the country and some international athletes, we are proud that our local athletes have stepped up over the past few years. James Quatlebaum has now won our 10K five times and Alyssa Bloomquist has won the two most recent races. Both of them are entered in this year's event, too. We are also honored to have 1986 champion Dave Geer running this year. 

This year we have the honor of being the 2026 Road Runner Club of America South Carolina State Championship, which awards medals to the overall and masters categories winners. 

Also, our top 5 male and female overall placers and our Masters (over 40), Grand Masters (50+) and Great Grand Masters (60+) will receive hand-crafted wooden plaques by master craftsman Michael Caputo of Caputo Studios. The design shape depicts the Liberty Bridge in Falls Park and will be a unique keepsake. 

GTC: How is race registration coming along this year?

MC: We are on a similar pace as last year, so we expect between 2,000 and 2,200 participants. That is just below our race cap of 2,500, which we have due to much of our race courses being on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, which is narrow is some places. 

GTC: We talked about some interesting aspects of this historic race. Any additional thoughts?

MC: For sure, there is no way we covered everything in this brief interaction. For instance, how many times do you get to start a race on S. Main Street, cross the Reedy River six times, and then finish downhill in the heart of Greenville? We do have our other signature events such as Spinx Run Fest and Greenville Journal Run Downtown 5K, but UCRRR runs through three of our beautiful parks (Cleveland, Cancer Survivors and Falls) plus along the path facing  our growing artist haven across the Reedy from the Wyche Pavilion. 

We also feature a growing post-race festival to enjoy and celebrate your accomplishments. 

And once again, we want to acknowledge our great race partners and volunteers. It takes a city to conduct this historic event. 

Five of the top six ranked male runners in the March 2026 South Carolina Road Race Rankings reside in Greenville, as published by USATF SC Record Keeper Bill Marable. Multiple-time rankings leader James Quattlebaum remains in the top position. Greenville Track Club-ELITE's Noah Fisher and teammates and training partners Ryan Drew and Jason Weitzel ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th for the second consecutive month. Ricky Flynn, a GTC-ELITE alum is ranked sixth in the Palmetto State's road rankings

If you want to be a part of our 48th edition of the United Community Reedy River Run, but don't want to run, you can help make this historic event continue by volunteering at https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/SC/Greenville/ReedyRiverRun. 

The Greenville Track Club is in its 54th year and has been a volunteer organization since its beginning in 1972. We appreciate all of our members and volunteers that have enabled the GTC to provide events and opportunities for the greater Greenville community. 

Favorite meal: breakfast or dinner?

Noah: I have always been more of a dinner fan. 

Favorite place to eat in GVL on a limited budget?

Noah: I really enjoy Stax's off of Poinsett. 

Running goals for 2026?

Noah: Once I got down here, I set the goal of qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon (sub 2:16:00), but I believe in adapting goals to the present situations. I believe I am fit enough to run well under 2:16. To run a faster full marathon, you have to be able to run a faster half. And in order to run a faster half, you have to be able to run a faster 10k. I want to keep developing my speed on top of my aerobic capacity and focus on being consistent day-to-day. 

Favorite GTC-ELITE workout?

Noah: My favorite workout is 4 x 3miles @ marathon pace w/ 2min float. I've always enjoyed longer intervals at a controlled fast effort since high school. Another workout I really enjoy is the lactate shuttle workout (3k intervals alternating 300 on @ 5K/10K pace with 200 float between each 300). All of the guys work really well together, especially on the shuttles to hit the assigned paces. 
​