 Did you know that by becoming a member you will receive a $10 discount on your entry for GTC events when registering after February 15, 2026. Those include the GTC Run Downtown 5K, The Green Valley Road Races (8K & 10-mile), the historic United Community Reedy River Run (10K & 5K), the Memorial Day Mile, the SunRise 8K, the Red, White & Blue Shoes 5K, the Spinx RunFest (Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and Kid’s Run), the Paris Mountain Road Races (20K & 5K), the Santa Run, the Paris Mountain Trail Runs and the Summer All Comer's Track Meets. So your $25 annual individual membership could save you some mula. And Family memberships start at an annual rate of a mere $35 and provide free access to our GTC Rabbits youth running program. . You will join over 1,650 other members who are fitness enthusiasts like you. You will have the opportunity to meet other runners and learn more about one of our favorite activities—running. And you will be part of a 501 c 3 non-profit organization that annually donates funds to promote youth running (GTC Rabbits, Greenville Country Cross Country and Track/Field, etc.) and other charities. If you are volunteer-oriented, you can donate some of your time and efforts in helping the GTC produce some of their excellent running events. Those events don’t happen by accident and are successful mainly due to our volunteers. GTC members also receive a unique GTC singlet to wear at the races. Those bright orange singlets can be observed at events all over the globe and photos can be added to the GTC History FaceBook page for posterity. The Greenville Track Club was the brainchild of former Furman University coach Bill Keesling and was founded in 1972. It is the second oldest running club in South Carolina and celebrates its 53rd anniversary this year. It has grown from a handful of early adaptors, who loved the competitiveness of running, to an organization of road, track and trail runners, who run distances from 100 meters to 100 miles.  In 2012 the club’s elders agreed to add some focus to the club’s original intent and established the Greenville Track Club-ELITE program. It is a post-collegiate, Olympic-development program that provides opportunities for recent college graduates to continue to pursue their running dreams. There are qualifying standards and two levels of assistance for those attaining the standards. The program developed and produced one participant for the 2024 Olympic Games marathon in Paris, 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, one qualifier and participant in the 2021 USATF Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 3000m Steeplechase and three qualifiers for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, FL. 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.
Speaking of young athletes, the Greenville Track Club conducts a Youth Running Program, also known as the GTC Rabbits. Under the direction of Coach Ashley Lavelle the program usually has 50-75 young runners between the ages of 8 and 14. They meet two days per week for practice sessions which include a variety of activities. . The cost per participation in one of the Fall, Spring or Summer “seasons” is $50 per athlete, However, it is free for a GTC member. So a GTC member can participate in all three seasons (Spring, Summer and Fall) for just the cost of a GTC membership ($25/$35 versus $150). Each youth athlete not only receives personal coaching, but also a GTC Rabbits T-shirt and singlet. There are also the free Wednesday evening workout sessions at Greenville High School conducted by the GTC and the GTC All Comers Track meets in June and July at Eastside High School or Greenville High School.. The club also conducts an annual GTC Running Series with age-group awards for top placers. And not to be overlooked is the GTC’s oversight of the Corporate Shield running competition.
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