Getting to Know GTC's Eric Guth

GTC: You have been a regular competitor in Greenville area races for many years. When was your first race here?

Eric: My first race in Greenville was the 1996 Paris Mountain Road Race.  My dad often trained on the course and ran the race many times back in the 1980s.  When I was in middle school, I would join him on runs around Furman, or as I got older, up Paris Mountain.  We discussed his running routes, pacing, strategies, and old personal best times at various distances along the way.  I paid close attention to his personal best times and wanted to beat them all.  I especially wanted to beat his best Paris Mountain Road Race time which was 1:25. After my freshman year of running cross country at Travelers Rest High School, I signed up for the 20K.  It was my first official road race in Greenville.  It was an intimidating challenge, considering I’d never run more than 6 miles at the time.  This race was twice that distance with a 1,000-foot climb at the beginning.  I was dead at mile 3.  It took all I had not to walk, and I finished the race in 1:45.  I said I would never run it again.

GTC: Which are your favorite races nationally and locally?

​Eric: My favorite local race is the Paris Mountain Road Race! I've run the race 16 more times since I said I'd never run it again.  I also really enjoy running the Anderson Midnight Flight 5K, Take Flight 5K, Green Valley 10 Mile, Reedy River 10K, All-comers track meets, and the Downville Mile.  Nationally, I have run the Boston Marathon three times.  It's special because of the traditions that go with it, but running it also gets me up to visit my sister in Worcester, MA.  

​GTC: Favorite workout?

​​Eric: I love the Progression run because the workout fits in naturally to the rhythm of my body.  I get the warmup, the gradual increasing speed, and then the fast finish.  It just feels right.  I mostly run on feel so if it feels right, I'm going to enjoy it.  I also like an interval ladder on the track for speed work.  This type of workout follows the progression run concept.  I start with 100m strides, do some 200m reps, then go up to 400m, 600m, 800m, before going back down to each distance.  I typically choose a pace for the intervals that matches my goal race pace for an upcoming event.

​GTC: We’ve seen you running the mile at past GTC All Comers meets and also know you have run marathons. What is your favorite racing distance?

​​Eric: I'm a lot more competitive for my age at shorter race distances.  If I had to pick one distance as my favorite, I'd say the mile. The mile is that distance that everyone can relate to.  Most people run it at some point in PE at school growing up. In 5th grade, my PE teacher organized several 1-mile fun runs to celebrate various holidays during the school year.  Those early impressionable experiences had a lasting impact on me.  I've loved the mile ever since.  I'm proud to say I have run 82 sub-5-minute miles since I started running. 

​GTC: You have run the New York City and the Boston Marathons. What are your marathon plans for the future?

My recent marathon goal is to run the big 3 US major marathons all in a row.  I did NY and Boston. I just have Chicago left, which I'm training for right now to be ready to run it in October.  I don't have firm marathon planned for after Chicago, but I'm thinking about some fun ideas for marathon #20.

​GTC: How many marathons have you run?

​Eric: I have run 18 marathons:

2008 Greenville 3:08
2009 Myrtle Beach 3:08
2009 Charlotte 2:58
2010 Greenville 3:10
2011 Boston 3:40
2012 Charlotte 3:17
2015 Huntsville 3:24
2016 Milwaukee 3:40
2017 Myrtle Beach 3:15

2017 Kiawah 3:05
2021 Kiawah 3:12
2022 Myrtle Beach 3:07
2022 Huntsville 3:06
2023 Boston 3:07
2024 Myrtle Beach 3:04
2025 Cincinnati 2:56
2025 New York City 3:06
2026 Boston 3:05:54

As you can see, the second 9 marathons were a lot more consistent than the first 9.  I've gotten a lot better at how to pace the marathon over the years with experience.  I'm also my more honest with myself about what time I think I'm capable of running than I was in the past.

​GTC: Which marathon was your favorite?

​​Eric: I signed up for the 2009 Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon with every intention of smashing my dad’s best marathon time.  I needed to run about 6:50/mile to beat my dad.  On race day I ran a 6:48 pace, clocking a 2:58 to set a new family record.  My dad and family were at the finish line, making it incredibly special.  Of course, my dad claimed that I was much younger than he was when he ran his best marathon time (28 vs 34).  I decided that when I turned 34, I was going to run the same marathon he did at the same age and beat his time again.  So, when I was 34 in 2015, I went to Huntsville, AL to run the Rocket City Marathon where he ran his best time in 1980.  It didn't go well. I ran on a hamstring injury and didn't get close to beating his time.  I also struggled with that hamstring injury for 6 years afterwards.  I never gave up on beating his time again, though.  Finally, 10 years and 9 marathons later, I beat his time again and set a new marathon PR at the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (2:56) at 43 years old.

​GTC: Where is your favorite location to train in the Greenville area?

​​Eric: I live in Travelers Rest so the Swamp Rabbit Trail, Furman, and Altamont Road are my favorite places to train. I also like to train on the great system of mountain trails we have in the upstate.  When I have more time, I'll go to Paris Mountain State Park, Table Rock, DuPont, or the Saluda Confluence to pound the dirt.  The trails slow me down and make me take it easy when I should be recovering.

GTC: Favorite training shoe?

​​Eric: My all-time favorite training shoe was the Asics GEL-Landreth from around 2008. Of course, Asics doesn't make it anymore as shoes are constantly updated or retired. I’ve never put on another pair of shoes that felt like it was as custom made for my foot like that one. These days I have a rotation of shoes for different types of training runs.  Right now, I do easy runs in the Adidas EVO SL, track intervals in the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4, tempo runs in the Adidas Adios Pro 3s, and long runs in the Adidas Adios Pro 4.  I'm not loyal to any brand.  I like what feels good on my feet when I try them on.

​GTC: Favorite racing shoe?

​​Eric: I like the Adidas Adios Pro 3 for the shorter races and the Nike Alphafly 3 for the Marathon.  The Pro 3 has a firmer, more stable feel for the shorter, faster races, which I like on courses with lots of turns at faster speeds.  The Alphafly 3 feels soft and bouncy, and my legs really need that support after mile 20 of a marathon.

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​GTC: Do you train with other or mostly solo?

​​Eric: I run mostly solo, but I like to run with others on the weekend long runs.  I teach elementary PE so I welcome the quiet, solo runs after a loud day in the gym.  However, two-hour long runs on the weekend without some company start to get a little lonely.  I have a great group of guys in the Paris Mountain Running Club (Strava) to share some of those weekend miles with.  They are great for motivation, support, and most importantly, friendship.

​GTC: Training in am or pm?

​​Eric: As a teacher, I have to be at school around 7:00a.m., making AM training too early for me during the week.  Therefore, I train in the P.M .during the week and the A.M. on the weekends.